Short Skirt/Long Jacket

"Short Skirt/Long Jacket"
Song

"Short Skirt/Long Jacket" is the first single by the alternative rock band Cake from their album Comfort Eagle.

Lyrics

The lyrics describe an ideal fantasy woman with very specific details that range from mundane (At Citibank we will meet accidentally/We'll start to talk when she borrows my pen) to hyperbolic poetic (With fingernails that shine like justice/And a voice that is dark like tinted glass.).

Music video

The music video for this song is composed entirely of vox pop footage of members of the public, who are listening to the song on headphones. They are seen displaying a wide range of favorable and unfavorable reactions to the unconventional style of the song, expressing their enthusiasm, criticism or apathy. Some are seen happily dancing to the song, while another man is seen giving the headphones back partway through and refusing to listen to the rest stating "I've heard this all back in the 40s." Examples of the comments include: a psychologist stating; "As a psychologist, I think this has therapeutic value," a person claiming; "I don't like the na-na-na part," and finally, one person mentioning; "I don't like all that thumping."

MuchMusic released an official "Canadian" version of the music video, which uses footage of people in Toronto near its headquarters. The video humorously censors some foreign words spoken by non-English speakers due to the words strange pronunciations.

Track listing

Initial pressing

1. "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" - 3:24
2. "Arco Arena" (Vocal Version) - 2:10
3. "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" (Video)

Alternate pressing

1. "Short Skirt/Long Jacket (LP Version)" - 3:24
2. "Short Skirt/Long Jacket (Radio Mix)" - 3:23

Trivia

• A portion of the guitar riff is structurally identical to Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane".
• A popular mashup by D.J. Maxentropy features this song combined with Fergie's "London Bridge".

Chart positions

Year	Single	Chart	Position
2001	"Short Skirt/Long Jacket"	Bubbling Under the Hot 100	24
2001	"Short Skirt/Long Jacket"	Adult Top 40	31
2001	"Short Skirt/Long Jacket"	Modern Rock Tracks	7