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Short Skirt/Long Jacket

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"Short Skirt/Long Jacket"
A small girl playing a large accordion, in a black ink line drawing style.
Single by Cake
from the album Comfort Eagle
ReleasedAugust 14, 2001
Recorded2000
GenreAlternative rock, funk rock
Length3:24
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)John McCrea
Producer(s)Cake
Cake singles chronology
"Sheep Go to Heaven"
(2001) 		"Short Skirt/Long Jacket"
(2001) 		"Arco Arena"
(2001)

"Short Skirt/Long Jacket" is the first single by American alternative rock band Cake from their 2001 album Comfort Eagle.

The "Chuck" tv series used the instrumental version of this song as the opening theme song from 2007 to 2012.

Lyrics and background

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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]

Music video

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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.

Track listing

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Initial pressing
No.TitleLength
1."Short Skirt/Long Jacket"3:24
2."Arco Arena" (vocal version)2:10
3."Short Skirt/Long Jacket" (video)3:45
Alternate pressing
No.TitleLength
1."Short Skirt/Long Jacket" (LP version)3:24
2."Short Skirt/Long Jacket" (radio mix)3:23

Charts

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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

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[13] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Covers

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References

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  1. ^ Goodlad, Lauren M.E. (2003). "Packaged Alternatives: The Incorporation and Gendering of "Alternative" Radio". In Squier, Susan Merrill (ed.). Communities of the Air: Radio Century, Radio Culture. Duke University Press. pp. 134–163.
  2. ^ Maurantonio, Nicole. "Burning Karen's Headquarters: Gender, Race, & the United Daughters of the Confederacy Headquarters". Memory Studies. 14 (6): 1159–1172.
  3. ^ Hodges, Brad (August 7, 2001). "Cake finds 'Comfort,' sells product". CNN. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
  4. ^ Noise, Jeff. "Cake - Comfort Eagle". Hybrid Magazine. Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2022. On "Short Skirt", listen close and you'll hear a variation of the guitar chords from "Sweet Jane."
  5. ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (August 1, 2001). "Cake Concoct New Versions Of Hit Video; New variations of 'Short Skirt/Long Jacket' filmed in New York, Mexico City". MTV News. Archived from the original on August 18, 2003. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
  6. ^ "Cake – Short Skirt / Long Jacket". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  7. ^ "Cake – Short Skirt / Long Jacket" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  8. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  9. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  10. ^ "Cake Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  11. ^ "Cake Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  12. ^ "Cake Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  13. ^ "American single certifications – Cake – Short Skirt / Long Jacket". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  14. ^ "Packed to the Rafters' Hugh Sheridan is hoping to break into music like John Legend". Herald Sun. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
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