Jewel, the several-times reinvented singer-songwriter of '90s fame, is a big Walmart fan. That is, according to a YouTube video posted by the retailer showing the multi-platinum artist performing a special Walmart-themed version of a song from her newest children's album.
Performing at one of the chain's monthly weekend meetings this spring, the singer, born Jewel Kilcher, sang the ditty to the tune of the "Supermarket Song," a track off of her new album "The Merry Goes 'Round."
This "very special version," however, includes a fairly comical litany of the various products sold at the store:
"They have stacks of candy in every aisle/ and every kind of cereal that goes on for miles/ flour and milk that can be made into brown gravy for supper Sunday/ They have 50-pound bags of chicken nuggets/ yummy yogurt by the bucket/ shelves and shelves of homemade stuffing/ oh what a treat."
And the list goes on.
"That's what I love about the Walmart store/ they have everything that you could need and so much more," Jewel croons.
Despite accusations the singer had sold out with the performance, (Jezebel headlined their post, "Who Will Save Her Soul?" an ironic reference to Jewel's 1995 hit single, "Who Will Save Your Soul") manager Virginia Davis told The Huffington Post that Jewel did not receive any compensation for the performance and is not a Walmart spokeswoman in any capacity.
When Jewel goes on tour she often will "make up songs on the spot," Davis told HuffPost in a telephone interview. "It happens when you're an intelligent writer and can just make stuff up."
Jewel does of course love the retailer, Davis is quick to add, and she has partnered with them on all of her album releases, including "The Merry Goes 'Round."
The singer's shopping preferences aside, AdWeek notes the connection between this "Walmart Song" and the opening lyrics of her 2010 ballad "Fading," which also include a reference to the retailer.
"Fading," a track from her 2010 country album "Sweet and Wild," is a nod to the star's humble beginnings. The daughter of two musicians, Jewel says she picked up the guitar as a teenager to support herself as she hitchhiked through Mexico.
The Walmart in that song, however, is a far cry from the cornucopia of delights described for the company executives. "Fading" described an experience Jewel had as a young singer struggling to "make it," staring into the mirror of a Walmart bathroom and feeling like she was starting to go crazy.