Honest Opinions About A Song: The ’01 CAKE Experiment

13 years ago, one of my favorite bands put out a new record. The first single on Cake's Comfort Eagle was "Short Skirt/Long Jacket." One of the catchiest songs of all time, from a band that specializes in "catchy."

They wanted to test the waters, so they strolled the boardwalk with a camera and a set of headphones and gave the beach bums an audio test drive.

Great cross-section of samplers. That's what makes it pop.

This line makes me feel proud to be a Citi Cardholder:

"At Citibank we will meet accidentally/We'll start to talk when she borrows my pen."

Smooth liquidation and good dividends are what Citi promises me. If 18% off the top is what they call good & smooth, OK, but I digress.

Cake's record company actually thought this classic vid wouldn't hold up to repeated viewings. So, they made the band shoot different versions, including one in Toronto. Unnecessary roughness, Columbia Records. This version was just fine as a solo act. Great concept. Even greater song.