Released in August 1996, "The Distance" was the first single from the band's second album, Fashion Nugget, and is considered one of their most popular songs.

You can explode into the world with great magnificence, and still feel like the guy underneath the Mickey Mouse head, with the fan batteries that have stopped working properly, and it's dark under there, and everybody wants your autograph.

"[5] Brown wanted the guitar riff to be played throughout the entire song, but singer McCrea felt it should be saved for the chorus.

[5] The song is based around Cake's standard guitar, bass, and drums setup, with flourishes of solo trumpet, and McCrea's characteristically deadpan, driving vocals.

The video for "The Distance" features footage of the members of the band performing the song in a busy office lobby, mixed with footage of a businessman who inexplicably starts to run off into the sunset; first he runs from his office building (the same one the band is performing in) to the suburbs, then into the country and a forest, and finally into the sea.