The Story Behind the Song That Made Walker Hayes a Household Name

Walker Hayes had no idea when he and his oldest child, daughter Lela Hayes, posted a clip of a dance to his song “Fancy Like” that everything was about to change for him. The song, written by Hayes along with Cameron Bartolini, Josh Jenkins, and Shane Stevens, quickly went viral, making Hayes’ career explode.

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Hayes had already been releasing music when “Fancy Like” came out, with moderate success. He had a Top 10 hit with “You Broke Up With Me”, out in 2017. He also released songs like “Craig” and “90s Country”, which became fan favorites, even though they didn’t chart on the radio.

But when Hayes and his daughter released the video clip of “Fancy Like”, the song took off, making Hayes a household name almost overnight.

“The whole world did the dance,” Hayes tells American Songwriter. “I get to look at my daughter for the rest of our life and go, ‘Look at what the Lord allowed us to be a part of.’ The whole world did this dance with us. They stopped for a minute, and dads danced with their daughters all over the world.”

Walker Hayes Reflects on the Success of “Fancy Like”

Hayes drew inspiration from his own life, including his marriage to his wife, Laney, in writing “Fancy Like”. The song says, “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 / Squeaky-squeakin’ in the truck bed all the way home / With some Alabama-jamma, she my Dixieland delight / That’s how we do, how we do, fancy like.“

Hayes had no idea when he was writing “Fancy Like” how much the song would resonate with people all over the country and beyond.

“I wish I’d have known magic was happening, but then I think if I knew, I probably would have messed it up,” Hayes tells Rolling Stone. “We had zero expectations. Like most artists, it’s not like I had some bangin’ tour scheduled for this fall.”

“Fancy Like” became an 18-week No. 1 hit for Hayes. It also became a Top 5 pop hit and earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Country Song. More importantly, it gave Hayes and his career a big boost, one he says he desperately needed.

“I was in a place where I needed some music to get some traction, and I wasn’t really counting on it,” Hayes reflects. “I was hoping I still had a job in the music biz and could maybe find my way on country radio pretty soon — I needed to.”

Photo by Erika Goldring/WireImage