Jolene – CAKE

This ain’t Dolly! This is CAKE! The first time I heard this one, I think it was probably some time in middle school, and I remember really digging the guitar riff that opens the song. I think it honestly had more to do with the tone of the guitar than anything, but it still sounds great, and when the second guitar comes in, it’s really easy to groove to. I’ve mentioned a few times I’m a sucker for horns, and this is one of the first songs that really got me hooked on that particular sound in rock tunes, as subtle as they are. I am also a big fan of the bass work in this one.

Lyrically, I take this song as being written from the perspective of a man who is somewhat of a secret admirer of a woman (possibly bordering on stalking?) and perhaps he feels the need to take her out of her mundane life. I think the writer views it as saving her, in a way, in a similar vein as Taxi Driver, maybe. I make most of that interpretation from the first half of the song, and I think the second half is told from the woman’s perspective. I think she ends up breaking away from the monotony of her life on her own accord. That’s just how I interpret it, and I could be completely off. Regardless, it is a super cool and fun song to jam out to.

Link to song – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6BKeODv7Yc

Link to live – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMvOkSwiFCA