Lil Yachty Revives McDonald's 'Menu Song' Across Canada

You want some nostalgia with those fries?

Lil Yachty supersizes the deal in a Canadian campaign from Cossette, revamping the McDonald’s “Menu Song.”

That wordy track—which name-checks dozens of items—was a staple of commercials from 1989 through the mid-90s. And it’s enjoyed a recent renaissance of sorts across social.

Meanwhile, at the counter, Yachty’s a tad hungry:

“We thought it was the right time to revive this classic in a way that was relevant to our Gen Z audience, while at the same time allowing Gen X to hear this remix and remember something that resonated in their own formative years,” says client marketing director Rebecca Smart.

Of course, nostalgia always sells. This is just the latest such play from McD’s, which has excelled in the space. Most recently, its Aussie ops brought back the beloved “Two All-Beef Patties” jingle. Elsewhere, in something of the same style, Papa Johns stuffed ads with pop-culture goodies.

“We had to go beyond the usual screens and channels and do something that reflected how our fans were already hacking and customizing existing McDonald’s menu items,” says Andrew Chisholm, ECD at Cossette. “So, we turned to social to find out what a few top faves were, and in response, created a new limited-time menu with remixed icons inspired by fans.”

The “Menu Song” remix will run in English and French on TV, Spotify, Twitch, OOH and digital media. Be on the lookout for merchandise, too.

As for the inspo: “We had been seeing tons of videos of Gen Z McDonald’s fans singing their orders at restaurants and drive-thrus, and posting them on social,” Chisholm tells Muse. “So many of them were super clever and funny. A member of our McDonald’s Canada team with some fond memories dug up the original ‘Menu Song’ commercial from 1989—and then it was the classic lightbulb moment. Not only was the original an earworm, the entire integrated campaign was so rooted in fandom. They actually mailed vinyl records of the Menu Song all over the U.S. and Canada.”

Lil Yachty was cast because “he had worked at McDonald’s in his teens, his style is constantly evolving and he’s an all-round nice person,” Chisholm says.

“After his very first take, which he nailed in one go, all of us in video village erupted like we had won a championship. Maybe we sort of did.”