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 guitarist Greg Brown and features a rotating lineup of musicians to replace him. One of them, Xan McCurdy, became his full-time replacement.
On its opening week, Prolonging the Magic sold about 44,000 copies, debuting at No. 33 on the [Billboard 200|Billboard 200] chart. On 28 September 1999 the album was certified platinum by the RIAA for shipments of one million copies.
The album was given a parental advisory sticker not because of profanity but for Satanic-themed lyrics. Some copies do not feature a sticker, with the only difference being that the song "Satan Is My Motor" has been retitled "Motor".
The song "Hem of Your Garment" was featured in the 2000 film Me, Myself & Irene.

Critical reception

Allmusic wrote, "Supposedly their attempt to make a smugness- and irony-free album, Cake's third release does hold back the barbs a bit more than usual. And the strain shows. In these guys' hands, love songs without smirks and pop tunes straight up come out forced."

Personnel

;Cake

Vince DiFiore - trumpet, keyboards, percussion, background vocals and arranging
John McCrea – vocals, acoustic & electric guitar, piano, organ, Moog, producing, arranging and design
Gabe Nelson - bass, mandolin, electric guitar, piano and arranging
Todd Roper - drums, percussion, background vocals and arranging

;Additional musicians

Xan McCurdy – electric guitar on track 9
Rusty Miller – electric guitar on track 3
Tyler Pope – arranging and electric guitar on tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9 and 10
Chuck Prophet - arranging and electric guitar on tracks 4, 7 and 12
Jim Campilongo - arranging and electric guitar on tracks 4, 6 and 11
Ben Morss - arranging and piano on track 5
David Palmer - keyboards on track 9
Greg Vincent - pedal steel guitar on tracks 2, 6 and 9
Mark Needham - additional percussion, engineering, and mixing
Richard Lyman - musical saw on track 4

; Additional personnel

Joe Johnston - engineering
Jay Bowman - engineering
Gabriel Shepard - engineering
Justin Phelps - engineering
Scott Reams - engineering
Rafael Serrano - engineering
Kirt Shearer - engineering and mixing
Craig Long - engineering and mixing
Greg Brown - arranging
Keara Fallon - design
Don C. Tyler - mastering

Charts

Album - Billboard
Singles - Billboard

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1998	"Never There"	Adult Top 40	29
1998	"Never There"	Modern Rock Tracks	1
1998	"Never There"	The Billboard Hot 100	78
1999	"Let Me Go"	Modern Rock Tracks	28
1999	"Never There"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	40
1999	"Sheep Go to Heaven"	Modern Rock Tracks	16