"Chow Down (at Chick-fil-A)" is a song by American singer and drag queen

Willam Belli Willam Belli (, born June 30, 1982), mononymously known as Willam, is an American drag queen, actor, singer-songwriter, reality television personality, author, and YouTuber. Willam came to prominence as a contestant on the fourth season of ' ...

, featuring Detox and Vicky Vox (known collectively as DWV). The song was released on March 18, 2012, following Willam's elimination from the fourth season of ''

RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, VH1 (season 9–14) and, beginning with the f ...

''. Upon release, the song's music video went viral online.

Background and composition

"Chow Down (at Chick-fil-A)" was written by Willam Belli, Detox, and Vicky Vox as a parody of " Hold On" by

Wilson Phillips Wilson Phillips is an American pop group formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The group consists of Carnie Wilson and Wendy Wilson, the daughters of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, and Chynna Phillips, the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of ...

. The song was produced by Markaholic. It also features a rap by Detox as an homage to "

Waterfalls A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several w ...

" by TLC. The song was released as the second single from Willam's first studio album '' The Wreckoning''. "Chow Down" addresses the 2012

Chick-fil-A same-sex marriage controversy In June 2012, following a series of public comments opposing same-sex marriage by Dan T. Cathy, Chick-fil-A's chief executive officer, related issues have arisen between the international fast food restaurant and the LGBT community. This foll ...

and the opening of a Chick-fil-A restaurant in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

Reception

Within three days of its release, the YouTube page for the music video had been viewed over 400,000 times. Hugh Merwin, writing for ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

''s ''Grub Street'' commented, "It's amazing how oddly and efficiently the drag queen trio in this video approach the notoriously anti-gay, foundational agenda of the Georgia-based fried chicken franchise Chick-fil-A in this video."

Music video

The music video for "Chow Down (at Chick-fil-A)" was directed by Michael Serrato. Serrato is a writer for the '' Neil's Puppet Dreams'', in which Willam has appeared. ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' pit crew member Jason Carter appears in the music video. In the music video, Willam dresses as

member

Chynna Phillips Chynna Gilliam Phillips (born February 12, 1968) is an American singer and actress, and a member of the vocal group Wilson Phillips. She is the daughter of the Mamas & the Papas band members John and Michelle Phillips and half-sister of Macken ...

, Detox dresses as Wendy Wilson, while Vicky Vox appears as

Carnie Wilson Carnie Wilson (born April 29, 1968) is an American singer and television personality. She is the daughter of Brian Wilson and in 1989 co-founded the pop music trio Wilson Phillips with her younger sister Wendy. From 1995 onwards, she has also ...

. The music video's rap scene was filmed at the

Electric Fountain The Electric Fountain is a water fountain with public art sculptures and evening lighting, surrounded by mosaic pavement, seating, and landscaping. It is located in Beverly Gardens Park on the corner of Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevards ...

in Beverly Hills. Upon release, the music video went viral online.

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2012 singles Chick-fil-A Comedy songs LGBT-related songs Willam Belli songs Viral videos 2012 YouTube videos