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Cover of Fashion Nugget by Cake
Cover: Fashion Nugget

Song · Cake

“The Distance” by Cake

From the album Fashion Nugget (1996)

“The Distance” by Cake appears on 91 radio countdowns from 35 stations between 1996 and 2026. It was first released in 1996 on the album Fashion Nugget. Its best result is #1 on the Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1996. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #13 alternative song of 1996, #91 alternative song of all time and #62 of the '90s.

91countdowns
35stations
#1best position
1#1 finishes
3top 10 finishes
1996–2026years charted

Watch

CAKE - The Distance (Official HD Video)

Video from YouTube (CakeVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"The Distance" was the first single from Fashion Nugget, Cake's second album, released on Capricorn in 1996, and it remains one of the band's best-loved songs. Greg Brown, the group's guitarist at the time, wrote both the music and the words, and Cake produced and arranged it themselves, with Joe Johnston, Craig Long and Kirt Shearer engineering.

What makes it stick is how little it bothers to shout. This is lean and wiry alternative rock: a clipped, relentless groove that races forward without ever breaking a sweat, a deadpan vocal that sounds faintly amused by its own urgency, and not an ounce of fat anywhere. It comes with a smirk and a stopwatch, and it's hard to hear it once without wanting to hear it again.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1996 21 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1996 107
1996 28 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1996 91
1996 1 Live 105 San Francisco, CA Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1996 25
1996 36 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1996 101
1996 27 WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1996 99
1996 42 107.7 The End Seattle, WA The End Top 107 Songs of 1996 107
1996 5 WBER Rochester, NY WBER Listener Countdown 1996 100
1996 27 Triple J Australia (national) Triple J Hottest 100 of 1996 100
1996 47 Radio & Records United States (national airplay chart) Radio & Records Top 96 Songs of 1996 96
1997 79 102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany) WEQX Top 102.7 of 1997 103
1997 103 105.7 The Point St. Louis, MO 105.7 The Point Top 105.7 of 1997 106
1997 78 Radio & Records United States (national airplay chart) Radio & Records Top 97 Songs of 1997 97
2005 51 CD101 Columbus, OH CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2005 101

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1999 47 KROQ KROQ Top 300 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 1999) 300
1999 120 WHFS WHFS Top 500 Songs of the '90s (December 1999) 500
1999 261 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 254 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 32 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 146 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 300 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 633 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
1999 54 The Buzz The Buzz Top 99 Songs of All-Time (1999) 99
2000 47 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of the '90s (September 2000) 100
2000 62 DC101 DC101 Top 101 Rock Songs of the 90s 101
2000 73 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 282 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2000 42 103.3 The Edge 103.3 The Edge Top 103 New Rock Songs of the Millennium 103
2001 75 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 271 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 396 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 77 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 271 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 7 The Buzz The Buzz Top Songs of All-Time (Labor Day 2002, partial) 144
2002 390 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 109 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2003 271 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 256 Q101 Q101 Top 300 Party Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2004 80 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 271 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 234 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2005 35 Live 105 Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of the '90s (August 2005) 106
2005 19 96.5 The Buzz 96.5 The Buzz Top 96 of the 90s 96
2005 125 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005) 500
2005 251 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 45 The Edge KEDJ Top 103 on Independent Radio 103
2005 107 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2006 27 107.7 The End The End Top 107 Songs of the '90s (December 2006) 107
2006 104 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 97 Live 105 Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 305 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006) 499
2007 56 KROQ KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) 500
2007 70 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2007 373 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2008 107 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2008) 500
2008 62 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 197 CFNY 102.1 The Edge The Top 200 Songs of the 90's According to 102.1 The Edge 200
2009 40 Live 105 Live 105 Memorial 500 Song List (2009) 500
2009 64 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2009 665 WYEP WYEP 913 Essential Songs 913
2009 232 WXPN WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) 885
2010 62 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2010 91 WXPN WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) 885
2011 65 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 60 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 54 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 51 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2014) 500
2015 48 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2015) 500
2016 762 WYEP WYEP 913 Countdown 2016 913
2018 490 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs 892
2019 37 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2019) 500
2020 62 DC101 Top DC101 of the 90's 101
2020 121 DC101 The DC101 Top 500 500
2020 100 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2020) 420
2021 90 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s 908
2021 101 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2021) 420
2022 128 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s 900
2022 1102 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2022 603
2022 202 X96 X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time 500
2022 103 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2022) 420
2022 37 101X 101X 500 (2022) 498
2023 29 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s 893
2023 540 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time 909
2023 952 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2023 12 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2023) 500
2023 105 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2023) 420
2024 50 107.7 The End The End Sweet Summer Vibes Countdown (2024) 100
2025 144 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '90s 500
2025 268 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2025) 400
2025 286 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs 800
2026 1112 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180
2026 45 101X 101X 500 (2026) 500

Charting alongside it in 1996

Best songs of 1996 →
  1. 1Down311
  2. 2PepperButthole Surfers
  3. 3Where It's AtBeck
  4. 4SpiderwebsNo Doubt
  5. 5What I GotSublime
  6. 6MachineheadBush

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