McDonald's Girl

Album: Rumpled Romeo (1981)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • A track from Dean Friedman's third album, this one finds him falling in love with a girl who works at McDonald's - an angel in polyester. Friedman's second album produced hits in the UK with "Lucky Stars" and "Lydia," but this one ran into a problem: the BBC refused to play any song where the name of a product or company was mentioned in a way they could be considered an endorsement. The Kinks got around this by swapping out "Coca-Cola" for "cherry cola" in their song "Lola," but there was no way to edit this one. In our Dean Friedman interview, he said: "I thought 'McDonald's Girl' was a surefire hit. It was released by CBS Records in the UK. But it was immediately banned by the BBC.
  • In their early year, the Barenaked Ladies played this song at concerts, and in 1992 they played it on an appearance on the Toronto radio station CFNY. In 1998, a Minnesota group called The Blenders released their version as a single, and it went to #1 in Norway. In 2011, their version was used in a commercial for McDonald's.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Female Singers Of The 90s

Female Singers Of The 90sMusic Quiz

The ladies who ruled the '90s in this quiz.

Rick Springfield

Rick SpringfieldSongwriter Interviews

Rick has a surprising dark side, a strong feminine side and, in a certain TV show, a naked backside. But he still hasn't found Jessie's Girl.

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn YankeesSongwriter Interviews

Revisit the awesome glory of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees: cheesily-acted videos, catchy guitar licks, long hair, and lyrics that are just plain relatable.

Boz Scaggs

Boz ScaggsSongwriter Interviews

The "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" singer makes a habit of playing with the best in the business.

Randy Newman

Randy NewmanSongwriting Legends

Newman makes it look easy these days, but in this 1974 interview, he reveals the paranoia and pressures that made him yearn for his old 9-5 job.

Sugarland

SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Meet the "sassy basket" with the biggest voice in country music.