Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
Cash Box(favorable)
Chicago Tribune
Christgau's Consumer Guide
In Music We TrustA
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide
Pitchfork7.8/10
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music

Fashion Nugget is the second studio album by alternative rock band Cake. It was released in 1996, and contains 14 songs. "The Distance" and "I Will Survive" became the most successful singles on the record, with the former peaking at number 22 in the UK and at number 4 on the US Alternative Airplay Chart. The album was recorded at Paradise Studios in Sacramento, California.

On December 9, 1996, the album was certified gold by the RIAA, and the next year, the album was certified platinum for shipments of one million copies.

Style

The album contains elements of alternative rock, rock, funk, hip hop, rockabilly, jazz, country, pop rock, folk rock, and Latin music.

Track listing

All tracks are written by John McCrea, except where noted.

Fashion Nugget track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Frank Sinatra"4:01
2."The Distance"Greg Brown3:00
3."Friend Is a Four Letter Word"3:22
4."Open Book"Brown, McCrea3:44
5."Daria"3:44
6."Race Car Ya-Yas"Cake1:21
7."I Will Survive"Freddie Perren, Dino Fekaris5:10
8."Stickshifts and Safetybelts"2:09
9."Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps"Osvaldo Farrés, Joe Davis2:24
10."It's Coming Down"3:44
11."Nugget"Cake3:58
12."She'll Come Back to Me"2:24
13."Italian Leather Sofa"5:52
14."Sad Songs and Waltzes"Willie Nelson3:15

Personnel

Cake

  • John McCrea – vocals, acoustic guitar, organ
  • Greg Brown – electric guitar, organ
  • Vince DiFiore – trumpet, percussion
  • Victor Damiani – bass guitar
  • Todd Roper – drums, percussion

Guest musician

Additional personnel

  • Cake – production
  • Craig Long – engineering
  • Kirt Shearer – engineering
  • Joe Johnston – engineering
  • Scott Reams – assistant engineer
  • Larry Hulst – band photo
  • John McCrea – design
  • Mark Kornweibel – design
  • Audrey Marie – design

Appearances in other media

Charts

Weekly chart performance for Fashion Nugget
Chart (1996–1997)Peak position
Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Fashion Nugget Chart (1996–1997) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA) 9 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) 40 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) 71 French Albums (SNEP) 20 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 49 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) 41 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) 28 Scottish Albums (OCC) 79 UK Albums (OCC) 53 US Billboard 200 36 US Top Catalog Albums (Billboard) 48 US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) 1Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for Fashion Nugget Chart (1997) Position Australian Albums (ARIA) 69 US Billboard 200 80
Australian Albums (ARIA)9
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)40
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)71
French Albums (SNEP)20
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)49
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)41
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)28
Scottish Albums (OCC)79
UK Albums (OCC)53
US Billboard 20036
US Top Catalog Albums (Billboard)48
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)1
Chart (1997)Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)69
US Billboard 20080

Certifications

Certifications for Fashion Nugget
RegionCertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)Gold35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)Gold50,000^
United States (RIAA)2× Platinum2,000,000‡
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.