The coolest thing about Cake is their lack of adherence to any one particular style. You’ll hear country, jazz, pop, alternative, and many other styles in their music. You can read more about their styles, band members, etc. here. Their lyrics are always quirky and it’s sometimes difficult to determine what they are really singing about. Often, I like a song for its feel, but there are a few—like “Love You Madly”—that I like for the lyrics as well.
Here’s their cover of “I Will Survive” originally by Gloria Gaynor. This is their video. I won’t reproduce the lyrics here because most of you probably know them. They did this cover on their album Fashion Nugget. The first copy of that album I owned had all the f-words rubbed out. They were done so well that I hardly noticed (well, I noticed on "Nugget") and since Gaynor’s version used “stupid” I always sang “stupid.” My CD was damaged one day and I had to replace it. It was a bit of a rude awakening when I popped it into the CD player in the car with my 2-yr-old in the back seat and the F-word was everywhere (yet another shining moment of motherhood), so…language warning. There's a rubbed out version and a bleeped out version if you prefer that.
My history with “I Will Survive” is this: I discovered this version of the song in 2002. That was when Beanstalk was going through the worst of his health problem which continued through, well, several years. After any particular stay in Texas Childrens’ Hospital, we would pack our car to the gills with all the gear we had accumulated during our stay (he had a lot of equipment) and high-tail it out of there. This was our victory song. We played it as we exited parking garage 16 under the Clinical Care Center and drove down W. Holcombe toward 288. Sometimes twice. He loved it!
If you don’t have a victory song, you should get one. It's OK to be cheesy.
From the same album comes “Stick Shifts and Safety Belts.” I wasn’t such a big fan of this song initially, but it grew on me fast. It was also one of Beanstalk's faves and he liked to have it sung to him as he went to sleep or was comforted. It’s a simple song with a sweet message.
Stickshifts and Safetybelts
Stickshifts and safety belts
Bucket-seats have all got to go
When we're driving in the car
It makes my baby seem so far
I need you here with me
Not way over in a bucket-seat
I need you to be here with me
Not way over in a bucket-seat
But when were driving in my Malibu
It's easy to get right next to you
I say "Baby, scoot over please"
And then she's right there next to me
I need you here with me
Not way over in a bucket-seat
I need you to be here with me
Not way over in a bucket-seat
Well a lot of good cars are Japanese
Yea but when we're driving far
I need my baby
I need my baby next to me
Well
Stickshifts and safety belts
Bucket-seats have all got to go
When we're driving in the car
It makes my baby seem so far
I need you here with me
Not way over in a bucket-seat
I need you to be here with me
Not way over in a bucket-seat
You can listen to “Stickshifts and Safetybelts” here. Sorry, couldn’t find a video with good enough sound quality to really let you hear the song.
Tomorrow we’ll take a trip down memory lane and visit the very first recording artist I ever heard…Stevie Wonder and his Fulfillingness’ First Finale album.
Yeeeeesssss...the seventies.
Scat
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