Walker Hayes Gives No. 1 Hit ‘Fancy Like’ a Holiday Makeover (Exclusive)

“Fancy Like” is back — with bells!

And this time around, Walker Hayes’ 2021 seismic hit might prove even more irresistible because of its added ingredient: the holiday spirit.

Just released, “Fancy Like Christmas” is still completely recognizable, with the melody and rhyming cadence of the original, but all the new lyrics now feature Santa’s sleigh – full of holiday references. (And yes, sleigh bells were added to the accompaniment.)

So step aside, “we like it like Applebee’s on a date.” Instead, “we imagine ourselves as Christmas around a fake tree.” Out with “peasant kisses on my lips with no Skoal in them.” With “a leg lamp with a mesh hose on it.”

Walker Hayes.

No doubt the new version put Hayes in the holiday spirit.

“We were all smiling while writing that song,” says the 43-year-old artist of his thinking with the song’s original co-writers, Josh Jenkins and Shane Stevens. “It was a throwback to the day we did the original, and I just love that. It makes me so happy.”

Fancy Like Christmas by Walker Hayes.

Robert Chavers

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The new lyrics fit so perfectly you have to wonder: What took Hayes so long? In fact, it was Hayes’ label manager, Katie McCartney, who floated the idea a few years ago, but Hayes admits he just missed it. Then, this October, when his personal manager reminded him of it, he says the first few lines fell from his fertile mind almost instantly. After Jenkins and Stevens were brought in, most of the song was written by exchanging lyrics.

The brand new music video is equally inspired by the entire Hayes family — including wife Laney and their six children, ages 8 to 17 — all having “an absolute blast” in front of the camera, Hayes says. (PEOPLE offers three exclusive behind-the-scenes looks at the on-set merriment.) Musical comedy duo Austin Bever and Colin Cooper, better known as Austin & Colin, created the video, piling on plenty of visual holiday references to complement the new lyrics.

The Hayes family (from left): Lela, Beckett, Laney, Loxley, Walker, Everly, Chapel and Baylor.

Of course, in writing the new version, Hayes made sure to have a few nods to the original. His favorite restaurant chain is coming as a guest: “I hope Santa leaves an Applebees gift card.” And “bougie like Natty in styrofoam” is changed to “bougie like inflatables in the backyard.”

That line was especially close to Hayes’ heart because years ago he promised his three daughters and three sons that each of them would have their own holiday show – if they ever hit a No. 1 song. it’s up to him to make good on his promise, and the family has gone a little overboard since then: their yard, Hayes reports, now proudly boasts eight explosive sites.

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Indeed, the holiday version reflects the life of the Hayes household, perhaps even more so than the original text. The family loves Christmas so much that they keep their fake tree with white pillows up all year round. “Just sitting in the living room makes me happy,” says Hayes.

His label, Monument Records, made sure Hayes was in the Christmas spirit when he and his fellow songwriters met in late October to finalize new lyrics. In the office where they gathered, they were greeted by holiday decorations.

Walker Hayes.

Hayes still enjoys the pun they came up with, making sure to give full credit to Stevens for one of his favorites, “Mariah Karaoke”.

“Man, I think it’s funny that ‘karaoke’ is already half her name!” says Hayes, who released his latest full-length project, New moneyin September.

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The three songwriters felt the pressure when it came time to replace the line that every audience chants: “Two straws, one check / Girl, I got you.” Hayes, who has long been outspoken about his Christian faith, was the one to shift the focus to the reason for the season.

“It’s Jesus’ birthday, you know,” he says, “and I was wondering, how to communicate it? Because, unfortunately, we have made the birth of Jesus an afterthought.”

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He came up with a new solution — “Go, Jesus! It’s your birthday!” – at the exact moment Stevens was sipping his drink.

“He spat it all over the table,” Hayes recalls with a hearty laugh. “And I asked, is that good? Do you think we can do it? And he said, we keep it that way. I really love and trust those two guys and they are so sweet to let me have those crazy lines.”

Hayes has since performed the song several times live, and of course, “Go Jesus!” the line is a crowd favorite. “Once you sing it,” says Hayes, “you can let the crowd do it for the rest of the night.”

Now that he’s off the road, Hayes is already expecting the Christmas version to put him in a bind once he’s back on tour. Will the audience demand to sing both?

“I might have to do a mixed version,” he teases.

He also realizes that the Christmas version might have more legs than the original since holiday songs often return to rotation annually.

“A friend of mine texted me and said you’re going to have to explain to your grandkids in 40 years that it’s not the original version,” Hayes says.

For now, he’s just thrilled that “Fancy Like” has turned into a gift that keeps on giving.

“This joy,” he says, “really filled me with this excitement to get in and go. Let’s go have fun. Let’s go outside the box and play. And I needed that. It’s funny how this song came back and did that for me.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education