On the one-year anniversary of the seismic hit “Fancy Like,” Walker Hayes is back with a festive twist. The country artist has released a holiday version of his 2021 hit, now titled “Fancy Like Christmas.”

The song retains the original melody and rhyming cadence but with a sleighful of holiday references and the jingling addition of sleigh bells in the accompaniment.

The new lyrics are a perfect fit for the holiday season, featuring lines like “we fancy like Christmas round a fake tree” and replacing the original’s “country kisses on my lips without the Skoal in ’em” with “leg lamp with some fishnet hose on it.”

The happy state of mind of the melody mirrors the delight and energy of the Christmas season.

Walker Hayes shares that the idea for a Christmas version was initially suggested by his label manager, Katie McCartney, a couple of years ago. However, it wasn’t until this October that Hayes revisited the idea.

Prompted by his personal manager, the artist found inspiration, and the first few lines of the holiday version flowed effortlessly from his creative mind.

Collaborating with the original co-writers, Josh Jenkins and Shane Stevens, most of the song was crafted through a text exchange.

The accompanying music video features the entire Hayes family, including Walker’s wife Laney, and their six kids, ages 8 to 17. The family had “an absolute blast” creating the video, adding to the festive atmosphere.

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Comedy music duo Austin & Colin directed the video, incorporating visual holiday references to complement the new lyrics.

Hayes made sure to include nods to the original version, maintaining the connection to his favorite restaurant chain with the line “Hopin’ Santa gonna leave an Applebees’s gift card.”

Another sentimental touch involves the mention of holiday blowups in the front yard, a promise fulfilled to his children after scoring a No. 1 song.

The holiday version offers a glimpse into the Hayes family’s love for Christmas. The artist reveals that they keep their fake white-flocked tree up year-round, emphasizing the importance of holiday decorations in their home.

The songwriting process itself took place in an office space adorned with holiday decorations, ensuring that the Christmas spirit permeated every aspect of creating “Fancy Like Christmas.”

A Special Line, “Go, Jesus! It’s your birthday!”

While rewriting the song, the songwriters felt the pressure to replace the iconic line, “Two straws, one check/girl, I got you.” Walker Hayes, known for his Christian faith, redirected the focus to the reason for the season, Jesus’ birthday.

The solution? The memorable line, “Go, Jesus! It’s your birthday!” brought laughter and approval from his co-writers. Hayes acknowledges the uniqueness of this line and appreciates the trust his co-writers placed in him for such creative additions.

Hayes has previously performed “Fancy Like Christmas” live a couple of times, and the crowd’s reaction to the “Go, Jesus!” line has been predominantly positive.

The artists envision allowing the group to assume control over that part during future performances, showing the potential for an energetic and engaged crowd.

Walker Hayes is more than happy with the unforeseen resurgence of “Fancy Like” in its holiday cycle.

The delight and fervor produced by the Christmas rendition have revived his excitement for making music, giving him a restored feeling of energy and motivation.

As he considers the effect of the melody, Hayes recognizes that this unforeseen turn has been a gift that continues to give, injecting him with fervor and an eagerness to navigate new creative roads.

Hayes perceives the expected longevity of “Fancy Like Christmas,” taking into account the practice of holiday melodies getting back to their yearly pivot. He amusingly imagines explaining to his grandchildren, many years from now, that the Christmas variant came after the first.

“Fancy Like Christmas” not only adds a happy touch to Walker Hayes’ melodic collection but additionally fills in as a demonstration of the enduring happiness and creativity that can arise from returning to and reevaluating a chart-topping hit.

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