| "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Cake | ||||
| from the album Comfort Eagle | ||||
| Released | August 14, 2001 | |||
| Recorded | 2000 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, funk rock | |||
| Length | 3:24 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | John McCrea | |||
| Producer(s) | Cake | |||
| Cake singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Short Skirt/Long Jacket" is the first single by American alternative rock band Cake from their 2001 album Comfort Eagle .
The lyrics describe the singer's ideal woman as one who wears a "short skirt and a long jacket." She is portrayed as someone who is successful in business and taken seriously; for example, she "uses a machete to cut through red tape." [1] [2]
John McCrea said the song was "about prosperity and depression" and the strange behavior of the human mating ritual. [3]
During the verses of the song, the band plays a variation of the chord structure from The Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane". [4]
The associated music vox pop video is composed entirely of people listening to the song on headphones and their reactions. Responses include enthusiasm, critique, and apathy; some dance, while one Ralph Walbridge, poet, gives the headphones back partway through, stating "uh... I've heard it all a million times, all the way back to all of the old records - which were much better - when they first came out, back in the 1940s." Other comments include Dr. Bruce L. Thiessen's (aka Dr. B.L.T.) "as a psychologist, I'd have to say it has therapeutic value because it releases something deep inside". The video was nominated for Breakthrough Video at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, but the White Stripes ultimately secured the award.
MuchMusic released an official "Canadian" version of the video that uses footage of people in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. The video humorously censors some foreign words spoken by non-English speakers due to the words' strange pronunciations. The video also featured an appearance from Ed the Sock.
There were various versions of this music video. Additional versions were filmed after the record company suggested the first video would not hold up well to repeated viewing. The videos filmed for an estimated cost of less than $20,000. [5] The Mexican version was directed by Alejandro "Chicle" and edited by Alejandro Davalos Cantu.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" | 3:24 |
| 2. | "Arco Arena" (vocal version) | 2:10 |
| 3. | "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" (video) | 3:45 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" (LP version) | 3:24 |
| 2. | "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" (radio mix) | 3:23 |
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) [6] | 44 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) [7] | 87 |
| Scotland (OCC) [8] | 74 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [9] | 63 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles ( Billboard ) [10] | 19 |
| US Adult Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [11] | 31 |
| US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [12] | 7 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA) [13] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Cake is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, consisting of singer John McCrea, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, guitarist Xan McCurdy, bassist Daniel McCallum, and drummer Todd Roper. The band has been noted for McCrea's sarcastic lyrics and deadpan vocals, and their wide-ranging musical influences, including norteño, country music, mariachi, disco, rock, funk, folk music, and hip hop.
Comfort Eagle is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band Cake. It was released on July 24, 2001, on Columbia Records, their first with the company.
"Losing My Religion" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in February 1991 by Warner Bros. as the first single from their seventh album, Out of Time (1991). It features a mandolin riff and lyrics about unrequited love.
"I Will Survive" is a 1970s hit song recorded by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978 by Polydor Records as the second single from her sixth album, Love Tracks (1978). It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris. The song's lyrics describe the narrator's discovery of personal strength following an initially devastating breakup. The song is frequently regarded as an anthem of female empowerment, as well as a disco staple.
"Lovesong" is a song by English rock band the Cure, released as the third single from their eighth studio album, Disintegration (1989), on 21 August 1989. The song saw considerable success in the United States, where it reached the number-two position in October 1989 and became the band's only top-10 entry on the Billboard Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, the single charted at number 18, and it peaked within the top 20 in Canada and Ireland.
"Porcelain" is a song by American electronic musician Moby. It was released on April 25, 2000, as the sixth single from his fifth studio album Play (1999). Written by Moby, who also performs vocals on the recording, "Porcelain" is a melancholic song with lyrics reflecting on the breakup of a relationship. It features a lush musical backing that incorporates reversed strings and various synthesized elements. While Moby initially expressed disdain over the song and its production, he was eventually talked into including it on Play.
"Fell on Black Days" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "Fell on Black Days" was released as the final single from the band's fourth studio album, Superunknown (1994). The song peaked at number four on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides and the 2010 compilation Telephantasm as the Superunknown version on the single disc version and the video version on the Deluxe Edition.
"Vertigo" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the opening track on their eleventh studio album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004). It was released to radio as the album's lead single on 8 November 2004, and upon release, it received extensive airplay. The song was an international success, bolstered by its usage in a television advertisement featuring the band for Apple's iPod digital music player. The song lent its name to the band's 2005–2006 Vertigo Tour.
"Celebrity Skin" is a song by American alternative rock band Hole, released on August 31, 1998 as the first single from their third studio album of the same name. It is their most commercially successful single, being the only one to reach the top place on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. In October 2011, NME ranked it the 126th best track of the past 15 years.
"Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" is a song performed by Journey, recorded for their album Frontiers and released as a single in January 1983. It peaked at number eight for six consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and spent four weeks at number one on the Top Tracks chart. The song is also well known for its use in the film Tron: Legacy and in season four of Stranger Things.
"Meant to Live" is a single by alternative rock band Switchfoot. "Meant to Live" was released to radio on January 27, 2003. The song peaked at number five on the US Modern Rock chart and U.S. Adult Top 40 chart, number six on U.S. Top 40 radio, and number 18 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. In April 2005, the song was certified gold in the United States.
"I'll Take the Rain" is the third and final single from American rock band R.E.M.'s 12th studio album, Reveal (2001). Released on November 19, 2001, the song reached number 44 on the UK Singles Chart but failed to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was included on the album r.e.m.IX and also performed on MTV Unplugged in 2001.
"Just" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, included on their second album, The Bends (1995). It features an angular guitar riff played by Jonny Greenwood, inspired by the band Magazine. It was released as a single on 21 August 1995 and reached number 19 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Clocks" is a song by British rock band Coldplay, released on 17 March 2003 via Parlophone Records in the United Kingdom. It was written and composed as a collaboration among all the members of the band for their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head. The song is built around a piano riff, and features cryptic lyrics concerning themes of contrast and urgency. Several remixes of the track exist, and its riff has been widely sampled.
"Glycerine" is a song by English rock band Bush. It was released on 14 November 1994 as the fourth single from their debut album, Sixteen Stone.
"Somewhere Only We Know" is a song composed and performed by English alternative rock band Keane, officially released as the first single from their debut album, Hopes and Fears (2004). The single peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart during its first week of sales, becoming the band's signature song and biggest hit single to date.
"Love Like Winter" is a song by American rock band AFI. It was released as the second single from their seventh studio album Decemberunderground. "Love Like Winter" was released to radio on September 26, 2006. A music video for the song premiered on TRL on September 26, 2006, and was directed by Marc Webb, who has also directed previous music videos for the band: "The Days of the Phoenix", "The Leaving Song Pt. II", and "Miss Murder". The short version of the music video was released on iTunes along with the live video from I Heard a Voice – Live from Long Beach Arena in December 2006 as an EP called the Love Like Winter EP.
"Famous Last Words" is a song by American rock band My Chemical Romance. It was released as the band's second single on January 22, 2007, from their third studio album, The Black Parade. It is also the band's ninth overall single, and the final track on The Black Parade. The music video premiered on December 12, 2006, on MTV2 and on December 13, 2006, on the Much Music program, and on MuchOnDemand in Canada.
The following is the complete discography of American band Cake.
The discography of American indie rock band My Morning Jacket consists of nine studio albums, 12 extended plays, 22 singles, five music videos, three compilation albums, eleven live albums, and one video album. The band signed with independent Darla Records in 1998 before moving to ATO in 2003.
On "Short Skirt", listen close and you'll hear a variation of the guitar chords from "Sweet Jane."
| |
| Studio albums | |
| Other albums | |
| Singles | |
| Related articles | |
