The Applebee's Song You Can't Get Out Of Your Head! All About Walker Hayes' 'Fancy Like'

Author:
Jessica Sager
Nov 23, 2021

You know you've heard it and you know you love it! Walker Hayes' "Fancy Like" brought Applebee's back into the mainstream after reports that millennials (who get unfairly blamed for a lot of things) killed the chain. The country star croons, "Yeah, we fancy like Applebee's on a date night / Got that Bourbon Street Steak with the Oreo Shake / Get some whipped cream on the top, too / Two straws, one check, girl, I got you."

The song has gone double platinum (and counting so far) and is inescapable in its celebration of simple pleasures. It's such a smash that since the song's release, Applebee's has even changed up its menu to bring some of the items back that he mentions in the lyrics.

"I get a lot of hate from their waiters and waitresses," Hayes joked to Rolling Stone. "They're like, 'We're breaking blenders over here making Oreo shakes,' or 'If I serve another Bourbon Street steak….' I'm like, 'That's good for the head honchos there! You've got customers, be grateful.'"

Singer Kesha appeared on a remix of the track with her own verse that got its own music video.

The Nashville native said in a statement, "Walker was speaking straight to my heart. I've always been more at home in a honky-tonk in my boots than on a red carpet in heels. This song took me right back to my roots. Working with him on the lyrics was so fun—getting to yell and celebrate the most magical things which are usually cheap, dirty or free."

Yet another version features Carin Leon singing in Spanish. In a statement celebrating its release in October 2021, Hayes gushed of the reworked tune, "Hearing my song sung in Spanish for the first time was pretty mind-blowing. Carin just sounds awesome; he has a lot of swag. It sounds great and I hope his fans will love what he's come up with for 'Fancy Like.'"

Get to know the story behind the song of Walker Hayes' "Fancy Like."

Did Walker Hayes write "Fancy Like?"

Hayes did, indeed, write "Fancy Like," with help from co-writers Cameron Bartolini, Josh Jenkins, and Shane Stevens.

Hayes says was shocked that it became a sensation. He admitted to Rolling Stone, "I wish I'd have known magic was happening, but then I think if I knew, I probably would have messed it up. We had zero expectations. Like most artists, it's not like I had some bangin' tour scheduled for this fall."

Did Walker Hayes write "Fancy Like" for Applebee's?

Hayes didn't write the tune expecting Applebee's to ever hear it, let alone use it in their advertising. He explained to Rolling Stone, "Trust me, I've tried to get cars for my family by dropping Chevrolet [in lyrics]. The problem is most of those companies have really, really credible artists that work for them, so it's not like they need a C-level country singer to write a song for them."

Is Walker Hayes' wife in the "Fancy Like" video?

Hayes' wife Laney doesn't appear in the original "Fancy Like" video, but she does make a sweet cameo in the remix video around the 2:09 mark. See them being cozy and cute below!

Who wrote Walker Hayes' "Fancy Like?

Hayes wrote "Fancy Like" with Cameron Bartolini, Josh Jenkins, and Shane Stevens.

Why did Walker Hayes write "Fancy Like?"

Hayes, a father of six, told Billboard that a huge element of what makes "Fancy Like" so great is its utter lack of pretension and embracing of pure honesty.

"'Fancy Like’ is a song that's really just about me and the family," he said. "I've always written about what's authentic to my life, through whatever ups and downs I've had in my career, so this one means a lot."

He explained the literal meaning of the song further to Rolling Stone. "If we're on a road trip, I address the whole car: 'Do you guys want Sonic, you want McDonald's, or do you want to sit down? Hey, we could be fancy and go to Applebee's,'" he said. "With a large family, that is quite fancy. That's a lot of money."

Who invented the "Fancy Like" dance?

Hayes and his daughter Lela came up with the "Fancy Like" dance in an effort to beat some pandemic boredom. His wife, Laney, filmed the clip, which went viral almost immediately.

Hayes told CBS Newsthat he had trouble mastering the moves at first, and Lela concurred: "Dad could not do this thing—just cross, middle, up!"

Is there a "Fancy Like" dance tutorial?

Have trouble mastering the fancy moves? Fear not! There are plenty of "Fancy Like" dance tutorials to help, including the breakdown below.

What are Walker Hayes' "Fancy Like" lyrics?

Find the full lyrics to "Fancy Like" below.

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 every now and then when I get paid
I gotta spoil my baby with an upgrade (ayy)
Ayy, ayy, ayy
Yeah, we fancy like Applebee's on a date night
Got that 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
Squeak-squeakin' in the truck bed all the way home
Some Alabama-jamma, she my Dixieland delight
Ayy, that's how we do, how we do, fancy like, oh
Fancy like, oh
Fancy like, oh
Fancy like, oh
Uh, don't need no Tesla (don't need no Tesla) to impress her (to impress her)
My girl is happy rollin' on a Vespa (there she go)
Don't need no mansion (ooh) to get romancin' (woo)
She's super fine, double wide, slow dancin' (slow dancin')
But every now and then when I get paid
I gotta spoil my baby with an upgrade
Ayy, ayy, ayy
Yeah, we fancy like Applebee's on a date night (that's right)
Got that 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)
Squeak-squeakin' in the truck bed all the way home (all the way home)
Some Alabama-jamma, she my Dixieland delight
Ayy, that's how we do, how we do, fancy like
My new, clean blue jeans without the holes in 'em
Country kisses on my lips without Skoal in 'em
Yeah, she probably gon' be keeping some Victoria's Secrets
Maybe a little Maybelline but she don't need it
In the kitchen light radio slows down
Boxed wine and her up-do goes down
Ayy
Yeah, we fancy like Applebee's on a date night (that's right)
Got that 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)
Squeak-squeakin' in the truck bed all the way home (all the way home)
Some Alabama-jamma, she my Dixieland delight
Ayy, that's how we do, how we do, fancy like