Pharrell Williams was fired from three different McDonald’s locations before becoming a fixture in hip-hop, R&B and pop music for decades. But that didn’t stop fast-food chains from turning to him when they needed a catchy jingle.
“I thought it was ironic and funny,” Williams, 51, said on an episode of “First We Feast.” “Popular” was published in October. “They brought it to us and asked us to make a song…. I didn’t wake up one day and say, ‘Oh, I have an idea for McDonald’s.
Originally, “I’m Lovin’ It” was developed by a German advertising agency called Heye & Partner. Williams and his former bandmate Chad Hugo were then tapped to produce a new version. This version became a core product of McDonald’s Longest running ad campaign.
Williams is often credited with making it a pop culture staple of the 2000s – singing the song with Justin Timberlake and recording a music video for it. show Timberlake reportedly made $6 million.
Williams, a 13-time Grammy Award winner, said his shortcomings as a McDonald’s employee were mainly because he wasn’t interested in the job.
“There’s a reason I’m lazy, because I’m uninspired,” Williams told reporters hollywood reporter September. “But when I get inspired, I’m a workaholic now, man.”
Overcome “boredom and burnout”
Doing a job you don’t enjoy can lead to decreased motivation, decreased productivity, poor mental health, stress, and an overall lack of fulfillment in life. Burnout management coach Emily Ballesteros says a lack of inspiration at work is known as “boredom burnout.”
“If you told someone who was exhausted from boredom, ‘Your life is going to be exactly the same in a year as it is now,’ they would be completely devastated because they would be so dissatisfied,” Ballesteros Tell CNBC Make It in 2021.
Williams began pursuing his musical dreams after he and his friends were discovered by music producer Teddy Riley at a high school talent show in his hometown of Virginia Beach. Not everyone is so lucky, but Williams said that shouldn’t stop people from finding ways to pursue their chosen industry.
“Think about something you love to do,” Williams said. “If you could do it for the rest of your life and never make a penny from it, you would still do it as long as your bills were paid.
“Suppose this is football but you’re not physically suited for football, or you might be too small, or you might be too young – could you do a job related to that? Maybe you could be a coach? Can you? Are you a sports therapist?
“If you can find a way to do work that’s related to something you love, you’ll love showing up every day,” Williams added. “That’s the key.”
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