"Never There" is the first single released from American

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band

Cake Cake is a flour confection made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients, and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate, ...

's third studio album, ''

Prolonging the Magic ''Prolonging the Magic'' is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Cake. It was released on October 6, 1998, on Capricorn Records. The sole successful single was "Never There". The album was recorded after the departure of guitar ...

'' (1998). The song was commercially successful, topping the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart and appearing on the music charts of four other countries. In Australia, the song appeared at number 30 on the

Triple J Hottest 100 The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music listener poll hosted by the publicly-funded, national Australian youth radio station, Triple J. Members of the public are invited to vote for their favourite Australian and alternative music of the ...

countdown for 1998.

Content

According to Cake vocalist John McCrea, the lyrics are sung from the viewpoint of a boy who is frustrated that his girlfriend never answers his phone calls. The boyfriend believes he will not make it through life without her, but in reality, he needs to focus on his own concerns instead. McCrea has described "Never There" as "a country song in disguise".

Chart performance

The song spent three weeks at number one on the US ''

chart, surpassing " The Distance" (which peaked at number four) as the band's highest-charting single. "Never There" was the band's first song to chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 78. In Iceland, the song was a major hit, peaking at number nine in November 1998. The song also charted in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, reaching numbers 75, 42, and 66, respectively.

Music video

The music video for "Never There", directed by McCrea, features Cake performing in a western-style bar, while a story arc covers a trucker calling his girlfriend on a pay phone and she never answers as she is too busy partying with male

body builder Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses o ...

s in

speedo Speedo International Limited is a distributor of swimwear and swim-related accessories based in Nottingham, England, known for its swim briefs. The company has roots in Australia but is no longer based there. Founded in Sydney in 1914 by Al ...

s. It was filmed in

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

Track listings

US and European CD single # "Never There" (LP version) – 2:44 # "Cool Blue Reason" (LP version) – 3:27 UK 7-inch single :A. "Never There" – 2:44 :B. "

I Will Survive "I Will Survive" is a song by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978 as the second single from her sixth album, '' Love Tracks'' (1978). It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris. A top-selling song, it is a popular di ...

" – 5:11 UK CD1 # "Never There" (LP version) # "Cool Blue Reason" (LP version) # "Is This Love?" (live) # "Never There" (video) UK CD2 # "Never There" (LP version) – 2:44 # "The Distance" (LP version) – 3:01 # "You Part the Waters" (live) – 2:50 # "The Distance" (video) – 3:04 Australian CD single # "Never There" (LP version) – 2:44 # "Cool Blue Reason" (LP version) – 3:27 # "Half as Much" – 2:54

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the European CD single and ''

'' liner notes. Studios * Recorded at Pus Cavern, Paradise Studios (Sacramento, California), Hyde St. Studios, and Coast Recorders (San Francisco, California) * Mastered at Precision Mastering (Los Angeles) Cake * John McCrea – writing, vocals, acoustic guitar, production * Vincent Di Fiore – trumpet, background vocals * Todd Roper – drums, background vocals * Gabriel Nelson – bass guitar * Xan McCurdy – electric guitar Other personnel * Kirt Shearer – mixing * Craig Long – mixing * Don C. Tyler – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1998 singles 1998 songs Cake (band) songs Capricorn Records singles Mercury Records singles Songs about loneliness Songs about telephone calls Songs written by John McCrea (musician) Torch songs