You probably remember the bassline. It’s that infectious, funky groove that soundtracked every summer party in 2015 and 2016. DNCE, the pop-funk band led by Joe Jonas, exploded onto the scene with Cake by the Ocean, and suddenly everyone was singing about baked goods on a beach. But here is the thing: the song isn't actually about dessert. It’s not even really about the ocean.
People still get the meaning wrong.
The story behind the title is actually a hilarious case of "lost in translation." Joe Jonas has shared this story in multiple interviews, including a notable chat with MTV News. The song’s Swedish producers, Mattman & Robin (Mattias Larsson and Robin Fredriksson), were trying to refer to the classic cocktail, Sex on the Beach. However, their English wasn't quite hitting the mark that day, and they kept calling the drink "Cake by the Ocean" instead. Joe and the rest of the band—Jack Lawless, Cole Whittle, and JinJoo Lee—thought the mistake was pure gold. They rolled with it.
The unexpected origins of a Swedish-American smash
It’s easy to dismiss a pop song as "just another hit," but the construction of this track was actually quite deliberate. At the time, Joe Jonas was in a weird spot. The Jonas Brothers had split up. His solo album, Fastlife, hadn't exactly set the world on fire. He needed something fresh. He needed a sound that didn't feel like a Disney star trying to be edgy.
Enter DNCE.
The band wasn't just a Joe Jonas solo project with a different name. It had real pedigree. JinJoo Lee is a monster on the guitar; she’d played with CeeLo Green and Charli XCX. Jack Lawless had been drumming for the Jonas Brothers for years. Cole Whittle came from the semi-punk, art-rock world of Semi Precious Weapons. When they sat down with Mattman & Robin, the goal was to create something that sounded like The B-52s mixed with modern disco.
Honestly, it worked. The song peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. It stayed on the charts for months. Why? Because the phrase "Cake by the Ocean" is just weird enough to stick in your brain. It’s a "mondegreen" waiting to happen—a word or phrase that results from a mishearing. Except in this case, the mishearing happened before the song was even written.
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Why the "Cake" metaphor actually works for radio
Radio programmers love "safe" euphemisms. By using "Cake by the Ocean" instead of the actual cocktail name, the band managed to sneak a fairly suggestive song onto every Top 40 station and middle-school dance playlist in the country. It’s the same trick Katy Perry used with "Peacock" or 50 Cent used with "Candy Shop," though DNCE’s version is arguably more charming because of the innocent mistake that birthed it.
The lyrics are high-energy nonsense. "Talk to me, baby / I'm going after this mind on a lost cause." What does that even mean? It doesn't matter. The syllables fit the rhythm. Pop music often prioritizes phonetics over philosophy, and this track is a masterclass in that approach.
The bassline is the real hero here. It drives the entire song. If you strip away the vocals, you’re left with a very competent funk track that wouldn't feel out of place on a Daft Punk record or an old Chic vinyl. That’s the secret sauce. You come for the silly lyrics about cake, but you stay because the pocket is deep.
Impact on Joe Jonas's career trajectory
Before this song, Joe was "the middle one." He was the JoBro who was dating celebrities and appearing in tabloids, but his musical identity was a bit blurred compared to Nick’s solo R&B success.
Cake by the Ocean changed the narrative. It proved Joe could front a band that felt "cool" to adults, not just teenagers. It gave him a second act. Without the success of this single, we might not have seen the eventually successful Jonas Brothers reunion in 2019. It gave him leverage. It showed he had an ear for hits outside of the Disney machine.
The music video’s role in the viral success
We have to talk about the video. Directed by Gigi Hadid (Joe’s girlfriend at the time) and Black Coffee, it features a giant cake on a beach and a professional cake-throwing competition. It’s chaotic. It’s colorful. It looks like a 90s Nickelodeon fever dream.
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Specifically, the video features a "Cake Fight" championship judged by the Fat Jew (Josh Ostrovsky). While some of the internet personalities in the video haven't aged perfectly in terms of cultural relevance, the vibe captured the "random" humor of the mid-2010s perfectly. It was tailor-made for the early days of high-speed viral sharing.
- Fact: The song has over 1 billion streams on Spotify.
- Fact: It was the lead single from their debut EP, SWAAY.
- Fact: The song was written in about 10 minutes.
Ten minutes. That’s all it took to write a multi-platinum hit. Sometimes, the best ideas are the ones you don't overthink. If the producers had used a dictionary to find the correct name for the drink, the song would have been "Sex on the Beach," it probably would have been censored on the radio, and it likely would have been forgotten by the following October.
Misconceptions about the lyrics
Some people think the song is a literal anthem for beach picnics. I've seen Pinterest boards dedicated to "Cake by the Ocean" themed parties where people actually serve funfetti cake on the sand. Look, do your thing. But eating cake at the beach is a logistical nightmare. The sand gets everywhere. The icing melts in the sun. It’s a mess.
Others have tried to find deep, dark meanings in the lyrics. "Is it about the environment?" No. "Is it a metaphor for the housing crisis?" Definitely not. It is a song about wanting to hook up, written by people who were confused about American bar menus.
The beauty of the track lies in its lack of pretension. It isn't trying to change the world. It’s trying to get you to move your feet for three minutes and thirty-seven seconds. In an era where pop music was starting to get very "moody" and "minimalist" (think Lorde or early Billie Eilish), DNCE went the opposite direction. They went loud, bright, and slightly stupid.
The technical side of the production
If you listen closely to the bridge, there’s a lot of interesting vocal processing. The "Ah-ya-ya-ya-ya" hook is layered to sound like a crowd, creating an anthem-like feel. Mattman & Robin are known for their "clean" production style—everything has its own space in the mix. The drums are punchy but not overwhelming. The guitar scratch is high-frequency and cuts through phone speakers, which was essential for a hit in 2015.
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They also used a lot of "shouty" vocals. It’s a technique often used in cheerleader-pop (think Gwen Stefani’s "Hollaback Girl"). It builds a sense of urgency. You feel like you’re part of a party, even if you’re just sitting in traffic on your way to a job you hate.
What we can learn from the "Cake" phenomenon
This song is a reminder that perfection is the enemy of the good. If Mattman & Robin had been "perfect" English speakers, this song wouldn't exist. Their "error" was the hook. In content creation, marketing, or art, sometimes the mistakes are the only parts people actually care about.
It also highlights the importance of branding. DNCE didn't look like a standard boy band. They looked like a group of misfits who met at a thrift store. That visual identity helped "Cake by the Ocean" feel like an alternative hit, even though it was as mainstream as it gets.
How to actually enjoy "Cake by the Ocean" today
If you’re going to put this on a playlist in 2026, you have to embrace the nostalgia. It’s officially "throwback" territory now. It works best in high-energy settings:
- Running playlists: The BPM is perfect for a steady jog.
- Cleaning the house: It’s impossible to be grumpy while that bassline is playing.
- Road trips: Specifically when you’re about 20 minutes from the coast.
Don't overanalyze it. Don't look for the hidden meaning in "Walk for me, baby." Just enjoy the fact that a Swedish misunderstanding turned into a global anthem.
To get the most out of the track, listen to the stems if you can find them online. The isolation of JinJoo's guitar work shows just how much "real" musicianship went into a song that many critics dismissed as "bubblegum." It's a sophisticated piece of pop machinery disguised as a silly summer bop.
Next time you’re at a bar and someone orders a Sex on the Beach, you can be that person who leans over and explains the linguistic history of DNCE. Or, you know, maybe don't do that. Just let the song play.
Actionable Insights:
- Check out the rest of the SWAAY EP; tracks like "Toothbrush" offer a similar blend of funk and pop.
- If you're a songwriter, embrace your mistakes—record your "bad" ideas because they might be your biggest hits.
- Watch the live VMA performance from 2016 to see the band's actual chemistry outside of a polished music video.