Some of the best songwriting happens when you make big statements with subtle lyrics.

I recently rediscovered Mark Knopfler’s Boom Like That — a song that tells the origin story of McDonald’s from the perspective of Ray Kroc, the businessman who turned a local burger joint into a global empire.

First off, how awesome is it that this story is even a song? Not about love or heartbreak, but about franchises, contracts, and corporate takeover. And somehow, it works. It takes real craft to make business history feel powerful in a song.

But what really caught me wasn’t just the story — it was how Knopfler tells it. One lyrical shift in particular stood out.

The chorus starts like this:

Oh, my name's not Crock, it's Kroc with a K

It repeats this opening line several times. But right after it gets to the verse about getting into business with the McDonald brothers:

You gentlemen ought to expand
You're gonna need a helping hand now
So gentlemen, well, what about me?
We'll make a little business history now

The chorus changes subtly:

Oh, my name's not Crock, call me Ray

Do you see the shift? He changes that last part to show Kroc being a charming salesman. I can just see it — the man proposing the franchise business to the McDonald brothers, trying to get chummy and familiar with them.

One line, and suddenly we see the salesman, not just the name. From correcting a spelling to closing a deal — the shift is charm. Call me Ray.

The best songs have gems you can uncover time after time when you listen. Whether you hear it today or ten years from now, it offers something fresh — a feeling, an appreciation, an artistic Easter egg you didn’t catch before.