Can music change the world?
Undoubtedly, the answer is yes.
But the changes it can make vary drastically.
Some songs bring about social change. Some songs make the world a worse place.
And some get a large restaurant chain to bring back a discontinued menu item.
Today, we are talking about the latter.
Fancy Like by Walker Hayes is famous for its use in Applebee’s commercials and for getting the restaurant chain to bring back its Oreo cookie milkshake.
But the Applebee’s line is just one small part of the song. Today we are going to take a look at the entire lyrics and discuss their meaning.
Fancy Like Lyrics And Meaning
Country music singer Walker Hayes wrote the song Fancy Like back in 2021. During the pandemic, he posted a bunch of videos on TikTok with his children. The video of him and his daughter doing a TikTok short dance to this song went viral.
It propelled the hit to the top of the charts all around the world. The song hit the Top 10 in the US and UK, which is quite an accomplishment. The video went so viral that the whole TikTok platform was filled with other videos showing different people dancing to the song.
But Fancy Like is best known for prompting Applebee’s to bring back its Oreo cookie milkshake. At least for a limited time.
In light of the pandemic, Applebee’s cut many menu items as sales plummeted. The milkshake was one of them. Hayes’s mention of the dessert in the song went viral on TikTok and other social media platforms.
“We fancy like Applebee’s on a date night, got some Bourbon Street steak with the Oreo shake,” Hayes sang in the song.
Applebee’s saw an opportunity. The restaurant posted a video of workers at an Applebee’s dancing to the hit song and pulling out a steak and the $2.99 Oreo milkshake on TikTok. They also ended up bringing back the shake. I guess singing about gluttony works!
Restaurants, including Applebee’s, have had to change with the times after the COVID-19 pandemic upended the way customers engage with dining establishments.
And this one song clearly changed a lot. But what is this song really about? Let’s take a look at the lyrics, before we dive into their meaning.
Fancy Like Lyrics
Verse 1
Ayy
My girl is bangin’, she’s so low maintenance
Don’t need no champagne-poppin’ entertainment
Take her to Wendy’s, can’t keep her off me
She wanna dip me like them fries in her Frosty
Pre-Chorus
But every now and then, when I get paid
I gotta spoil my baby with an upgrade (Yeah)
Ayy, ayy, ayy
Chorus
Yeah, we fancy like Applebee’s on a date night
Got some Bourbon Street steak with the Oreo shake
Get some whipped cream on the top, too
Two straws, one check, girl, I got you
Bougie like Natty in the styrofoam
Squeaky-squeakin’ in the truck bed all the way home
With some Alabama-jamma, she my Dixieland delight (Hey)
That’s how we do, how we do, fancy like
Verse 2
Uh
Don’t need no Tesla to impress her (Don’t need no Tesla to impress her)
My girl is happy rollin’ on a Vespa (There she go)
Don’t need no mansion to get romancin’ (Ooh, woo)
She’s super fine, double wide, slow dancin’ (Slow dancin’)
Pre-Chorus
But every now and then, when I get paid
I gotta spoil my baby with an upgrade (Yeah)
Ayy, ayy, ayy
Chorus
Yeah, we fancy like Applebee’s on a date night (That’s right)
Got some Bourbon Street steak with the Oreo shake (Ayy)
Get some whipped cream on the top, too (Gotta add that whipped cream)
Two straws, one check, girl, I got you (Girl, I got you)
Bougie like Natty in the styrofoam (Styrofoam)
Squeaky-squeakin’ in the truck bed all the way home (All the way home)
With some Alabama-jamma, she my Dixieland delight (Hey)
That’s how we do, how we do, fancy like
Bridge
My new, clean blue jeans without the holes in ’em
Country kisses on my lips without the Skoal in ’em
Yeah, she probably gon’ be keepin’ some Victoria’s Secrets
Maybe a little Maybelline but she don’t need it
In the kitchen light, radio slows down
Boxed wine, then her up-do goes down
Chorus
Ayy
Yeah, we fancy like Applebee’s on a date night (That’s right)
Got some Bourbon Street steak with the Oreo shake (Ayy)
Get some whipped cream on the top, too (Gotta add that whipped cream)
Two straws, one check, girl, I got you
Bougie like Natty in the styrofoam (Styrofoam)
Squeaky-squeakin’ in the truck bed all the way home (All the way home)
With some Alabama-jamma, she my Dixieland delight (Hey)
That’s how we do, how we do, fancy like
Fancy Like Meaning
The lyrics to the song Fancy Like are pretty straightforward. A guy and his girlfriend are going on dates, visiting cheap restaurants, and having a good time.
The girl doesn’t care about money and he loves her very much for it. But as it goes with good art, by digging deeper into the lyrics, there are more serious themes laid underneath the catchy tune. You can find three main themes.
Mock The Rich
In the song, Hayes talks about going on dates with his girl to Wendy’s and Applebee’s, two restaurants where you won’t see many rich people. They are eating steak and drinking milkshakes, very cheap food. And the best part is – they are having the best time!
This is clearly a statement that you don’t need fancy restaurants, several thousand dollar steaks, champagne, etc. to impress a girl. Overspending on such trivial things is plain stupid, not to mention all the yachts, private jets, and similar things men buy to live in luxury with their wives.
Additionally, most rappers of today love to brag about their riches and how they get lots of attention because of it. Diamonds, gold, expensive cars, showering girls with money and champagne – it is all superficial and unnecessary. Hayes even says: “Don’t need no Tesla to impress her, my girl is happy rollin’ on a Vespa.”
Show The Blue-Collar Struggle
On the other side of the spectrum, the second interpretation can show how the less fortunate live, all through a bit of parody. Some people cannot afford more than Applebee’s and Wendy’s (not that they don’t want to, they just don’t have the option).
Some people must live such a humble life that fries at Wendy’s and a milkshake at Applebee’s are considered fancy. Hayes even puts a chorus between Wendy’s and Applebee’s to show how fancy that is:
But every now and then, when I get paid
I gotta spoil my baby with an upgrade (Yeah)
In the first verse, they are eating fries and dipping them in Frosty at Wendy’s. But after a paycheck, he can fancy it up a bit and take her to Applebee’s to get a Bourbon Street steak and an Oreo shake.
He even gets some whipped cream on top (which sounds fancy but is actually pretty standard)! The bridge depicts the life of blue-collar workers pretty well:
My new, clean blue jeans without the holes in ’em
Country kisses on my lips without the Skoal in ’em
Yeah, she probably gon’ be keepin’ some Victoria’s Secrets
Maybe a little Maybelline but she don’t need it
In the kitchen light, radio slows down
Boxed wine, then her up-do goes down.
Clean jeans, sexy lingerie, a bit of makeup, homemade food, boxed wine… That’s how romance goes with people who don’t have a fortune.
Enjoy The Simple Things In Life
The final interpretation is a bit of a mixture of the first two, and the most basic interpretation of all. Not looking at any symbolism and hidden social critique, Hayes sings about a simple but happy life.
The two are in love, and they don’t need much apart from each other’s company. They find happiness in little things, such as milkshakes and rides on a scooter.
The love is what’s important. Everything they do together is just a plus. Contrary to gold-diggers, ever present in rap songs, his girl is down-to-earth. She will love him no matter where they go and what they do.
Ayy
My girl is bangin’, she’s so low maintenance
Don’t need no champagne-poppin’ entertainment
Take her to Wendy’s, can’t keep her off me
She wanna dip me like them fries in her Frosty.
But even if she does not need riches and fancy stuff, the singer will still want to spoil her a little, as all men like to do with their partners. When the paycheck hits, a bit of fancy stuff is good to spice things up.
And by fancy, he means Applebee’s— a restaurant with waiters, meat, salads, seafood, and more. Why pay $1000 per steak when you can buy two for $30 and have a great time?
It’s the company that matters, the little things and sentiments, the effort, and most importantly, love.
Fancy Like Lyrics Meaning: Final Thoughts
Whichever interpretation Walker Hayes had in mind (even if it was one of those three), the song was an absolute hit. And no wonder! With great and funny lyrics, catchy music, and a great story, Fancy Like song was destined to be a success right from the start.
And while Walker Hayes did not expect this kind of success, as he mentioned multiple times in various interviews, the success is well-deserved. We thank him for the song and for bringing back Oreo milkshakes, at least for a little bit.
If you enjoyed this article, you may also like our discussion of the Everlong lyrics meaning. Dave Grohl also sings about a great relationship he had in that monster hit, though the identity of the woman is a bit of a mystery.
Another song about living experience with a significant other is one of Jack Johnson’s biggest hits. Check out our breakdown of the Better Together lyrics meaning for more.
Led Zeppelin’s most famous song also deals with this theme. The lyrics to Stairway to Heaven propose that the pursuit of material wealth can never lead to true happiness.
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