Fast Food Rockers

Total songs:
16
Total releases:
6

The Fast Food Rockers were a British Bubblegum pop/dance act. They are best known for their hit single "Fast Food Song," which was written by Mike Stock and Sandy Rass. The chorus dates back to a traditional folk melody "A Ram Sam Sam" and was the first release of independent record label, Better The Devil Records.

The Fast Food Rockers consists of members: Lucy Meggitt, Martin Rycroft, and Ria Scott. Click here to read their profiles. The band had its own mascot, a giant blue dog called "Hotdog" who followed the band around, and appeared in all three music videos.

The Fast Food Rocker's album is very popular amoungst fans, due to the catchy melodies and well-produced songs. Due to the small number of copies produced, the album has now become very rare.

2004 Split

Their second single, "Say Cheese (Smile Please)" reached #10 in the charts, a disappointment considering the success of Fast Food Song. After their Christmas single, "I Love Christmas," which only reached #25, and an album that failed to make the top 200, their management company decided to drop the band in March 2004.

After the split, the band members found jobs outside of the music industry. In 2006, former band member Martin Rycroft was poached from his bar tending job, to take part in the Channel 4/E4 show, Boys Will Be Girls, where three former male popstars (including Russ Spencer from Scooch) tried to convincingly create a new girl band by former Brother Beyond star, Nathan Moore. Martin has since returned to his bar-tending job.

Name to Blame?

Some fans believe that it wasn't their music that let the Fast Food Rockers down, but their name. "Fast Food Rockers" gives off undeniably foolish connotations, and as a result many people did not take them seriously as a talented pop group. It could be suggested that their name gave the impression that they were soley aimed at children, and that all of their music would sound like the extremely cheesy "Fast Food Song". This is a shame as the Fast Food Rockers music is very good, well-produced, catchy pop. If the group went by a more 'acceptable' name, they might have experienced the success they deserved.

Members' Profiles

Below are the official profiles of the Fast Food Rockers. These profiles were lifted directly from their old Official Web site. Additional information was typed from the CD Booklet.

Lucy

"I eat onions with everything..."

Martin

"I really don't like turnips..."

Ria

"I always bring sweets..."

Hot Dog

"When I was young I was a slush puppy..."

The Fast Food Song

Their most successful hit was their 2003 release, "The Fast Food Song," originally an American children's song parodying the traditional folk melody "A Ram Sam Sam". A Dutch version of the song, "De Pizzadans," by DJ Eric Dikeb had been a hit in Europe in 2002 for the Belgian band Dynamite. It also topped charts with the German version, "Burgerdance," by DJ Otzi.

The Fast Food Rockers' version, adapted by Mike Stock and Sandy Rass, was the first release of independent record label Better The Devil Records. The song managed to reach #2 in the UK charts in June 2003 (beaten to the top spot by Evanescence's Bring Me to Life) despite the criticism of cultural analysts who lamented the "collapse of culture into product placement."

The following information was lifted from the Fast Food Rockers official Web site, which was taken offline in 2005.

The exact origin of the song is unknown. However for decades children have been singing the refrain around the world, regardless of the country's language, in playgrounds and around campfires. In the same way that the words Barbie, Ferrari, Pokemon, Mickey Mouse, and David Beckham are recognised the world over as an international language, fast food brands are also part of the common language.

Whilst brands are in the chorus of the Fast Food Song, the Fast Food Rockers are also keen to promote healthy eating and, when touring, will be raising the issue of healthy alternatives to fast food. This web site will also feature a section on healthy eating including recipes for creating fast and healthy food. Fast Food Rockers are not promoting fast food, they are promoting a catchy poppy song, with an infectious and easy to learn dance. As far as nutrition is concerned they will be ensuring that their audiences are left in no doubt as to the importance of healthy eating. The group also hope that their appearances will serve as a catalyst and encourage people to discuss diet.

Nil Legal Action

The song mentions by name, Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) , and McDonald's. It is believed that, although none of the companies gave permission for their names to be used, they declined to take action since the song mentions them in a positive way. This in sharp contrast to the attitude taken by Mattel against the song "Barbie Girl" by Aqua/project/">Aqua in 1997, whose legal action, and resultant negative publicity may also have contributed to the fast food firms' decision not to act.

Singing Rumour

In 2003 there were rumours circulating that the band did not sing on their own records, and that other artists did the singing for them. However, in an interview with CBBC Newsround, Lucy stated she "trained for three years at a performing arts school, Ria's been in the business for a long time, Martin's been in the business for a long time and we're very proud to say we do sing on [this] song."

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