Everyone loves tacos, and you can’t trust anyone who doesn’t. Everyone loves Doja Cat — at least, 19.7 million do on Instagram, 4.3 million do on Twitter, and 17.6 million do on TikTok. Everyone loves the Super Bowl – or they like the commercials, the food, or the Halftime show. So, what happens when you take Doja Cat, Taco Bell, the title track to Hole’s sophomore album, and the Big Game? You get one of the best commercials of the year. At the start of Taco Bell’s ad for the Feb. 13 game, Doja is one of the many clowns attending a drab, dull, and sleepy clown college.
Lunchtime comes with a dig at McDonald’s (“The ice cream machine is still broken”) and some bland burgers. Yet, Doja discovers something magical underneath her clown hat. Cue her version of “Celebrity Skin,” an Alternative chart-topping hit initially recorded by Courtney Love’s band in 1998, and things get CRAZY. Doja and her friends steal a clown car. Makeup starts evaporating. Clothes go flying Doja’s hair turns purple. Everyone runs for the border and the day is SAVED. Back at the college, the remaining clowns investigate what caused Doja’s metamorphisis. And what magical thing freed Doja Cat from this life of banality? A packet of Taco Bell’s Fire sauce, of course.
Like many of Taco Bell’s products, this commercial has layers of goodness. At the center is Doja’s cover of “Celebrity Skin,” which includes rewritten lyrics that were worked on by both Doja Cat and Courtney Love. And for those who think Doja isn’t rock enough, she proved cred years ago. During the 2020 MTV European Music Awards, Doja turned her chart-topping hit, “Say So,” into an early 2000’s-style nu-metal headbanger.
The whole production was a horror-themed rock show, with Doja emerging from the TV like Sadako/Samara of The Ring before delivering a harder, punkier version of the song with a band of scary creatures. It turned heads, with many wondering if Doja would release a full-length nu-metal project (maybe one that features this version of “Celebrity Skin,” which will be available on streaming platforms on 2/11.)
Taco Bell lovers should also know that the restaurant will be dropping a special in-app reward for fans to redeem at a later time. The reward will be made available to all users who sign up for Taco Bell Rewards before 11:59 PM PT on Sunday, February 13. Fans should keep an eye on Doja Cat and Taco Bell’s social channels, including TikTok, for updates.
Doja first hinted at…well, something was coming in February with a cryptic tweet she sent out at the start of the month. The “Say So” singer tweeted a string of emojis: Clown, School, Car, Siren, Shirt, Pants, Shoes, Stars, Road, Burrito, Taco, Bell. 2/13/2022 #ad.” Some had theories, but the “Taco” and the “bell” kind of gave it away. However, Doja forgot to include the music note emoji since this commercial featured the Hole cover. The song was chosen to capture the Live Más philosophy that Taco Bell fans have come to love and embody.
Actually, Doja Cat’s collab with Taco Bell is years in the making. The seeds of this partnership were first planted in September 2020. “Please @tacobell, bring back Mexican pizza and spicy potato soft taco. I’m asking you nicely first.” Taco Bell responded. “Umm, that wasn’t part of the deal,” the official Taco Bell Twitter account tweeted. A fan also noted that Doja could talk with Taco Bell’s Chief Impact Officer – aka Lil Nas X. “I believe that he’s a friend of yours,” said the fan. Taco bell replied with a smile as if it would love a Doja-Nas X collab, but it seems we’ve gotten just a Doja Taco Bell commercial. (Maybe next year, Nas X and Doja can headline the halftime show?)
🤡🏫🚙🚨👚👖👞✨🛣🌯🌮🔔 2/13/2022 #ad
— doja cat (@DojaCat) February 2, 2022
Please @tacobell bring back Mexican pizza and spicy potato soft taco. I’m asking you nicely first.
— doja cat (@DojaCat) September 3, 2020
👁👄👁
— Taco Bell (@tacobell) November 22, 2021
A year after that first interaction, Taco Bell began running commercials that featured her song, “Get Into It (Yuh).” The song, a staple of TikTok, soundtracked a spot featuring two people catching a late-night train, presumably after a comic con. Both the lonely nerds are cosplaying as the same character, making this the dorkiest meet-cute ever. Except, when the woman clangs her shield on a nearby trash can, it makes the Taco Bell gong, prompting her to make a run for the border. Romance can wait. This woman had to “get into” a seven-layer burrito. Now, everyone can get into Doja’s version of “Celebrity Skin” while getting some Taco Bell.