Dnce's "Cake by the Ocean's" True Meaning Is Actually Kind of Dirty

Dnce's "Cake by the Ocean's" True Meaning Is Actually Kind of Dirty

Get the latest perspectives on Dnce's "Cake by the Ocean's" True Meaning Is Actually Kind of Dirty.

I'll be honest, hot and heavy lyrics disguised as catchy pop tunes do go right over my head. It wasn't until recently that I actually listened to the lyrics of Metro Station's "Shake It" and realized it's not a song about dancing. It's about some, uh, other things. My point is that if a song is snappy, I'll hum along without actually knowing what the lyrics are. Forgive me.

Article continues below advertisement

So after watching the below TikTok, which gently breaks the news that "Cake by the Ocean" isn't a cutesy song about a cake-fighting championship at the beach, I knew I had to give the lyrics a second look.

Article continues below advertisement

Fortunately, The Pop Song Professor was able to clear things up. "'Cake by the Ocean' by DNCE is about sex and sexual fantasy," he wrote on his blog. This actually makes sense.

Let's break it down. The lyrics start out pretty tame: "Oh, no. See you walking 'round like it's a funeral. Not so serious, girl; why those feet cold? We just getting started; don't you tiptoe."

Clearly, Joe is singing about a love interest who seems to be beating around the bush.

In the next verse, he sings, "You should be rollin' with me, you should be rollin' with me. You're a real-life fantasy, you're a real-life fantasy, but you're movin' so carefully, let's start livin' dangerously."

Clearly, he wants his love interest, whom he has dubbed a "real-life fantasy," to let loose and "start livin' dangerously."

Article continues below advertisement

Now the chorus arrives: "Talk to me, baby, I'm goin' blind from this sweet-sweet cravin'," he sweetly croons, while still trying to convince his love interest to be with him.

"Let's lose our minds and go f--kin' crazy. I-I-I-I-I-I keep on hopin' we'll eat cake by the ocean," he says, which seems to be referring to having sex on the beach. After all, he's craving something sweet at the beach and it doesn't seem to be a slice of Carvel ice cream cake.

The next verse gets even dirtier: "You licking frosting from your own hands. Want another taste, I'm begging, yes, ma'am." By this point, it's safe to say that Joe is not talking about actual frosting. Sigh.

So there you have it. That's what "Cake by the Ocean" is really about. I hope Joe eventually had some cake ... by the ocean.

Sophia Al-Mansoor
Author

Sophia Al-Mansoor

Sophia analyzes international trade, startup ecosystems, retail transformation, and supply chain logistics for modern digital publications.