About The Song
“American Girl” is a rock song written by Tom Petty and recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for their self-titled debut album, released on November 9, 1976, by Shelter Records. Issued as the album’s second single in February 1977, with “The Wild One, Forever” as the B-side, it initially failed to chart in the US but reached No. 40 on the UK Singles Chart in May 1977 after a re-release. The album peaked at No. 55 on the Billboard 200 but gained traction in the UK, hitting No. 24. A 1994 reissue of the single, tied to a greatest hits album, charted at No. 9 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. The song later became a classic rock staple, certified gold by the RIAA in 2017 for 500,000 US sales.
Recorded in July 1976 at Leon Russell’s Shelter Studio in Los Angeles, the track was produced by Leon Russell. It features Tom Petty on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Mike Campbell on lead guitar, Benmont Tench on piano and organ, Ron Blair on bass, and Stan Lynch on drums. Roger McGuinn’s 12-string Rickenbacker guitar, a Byrds influence, inspired Campbell’s jangly riff, as Petty noted in a 2005 Billboard interview. The lyrics, written by Petty in a single night at his Encino apartment, depict a young woman’s dreams and disillusionment, possibly inspired by a University of Florida student or a view from his LA balcony, per Songfacts. The song’s driving beat and optimistic yet bittersweet tone were shaped in one take, per Rhino’s session logs.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1976, were rooted in Southern rock and 1960s jangle pop. “American Girl” was the last track recorded for their debut, rushed to meet Shelter’s deadline, as Tench recalled in American Songwriter. Its UK success, fueled by a 1977 tour with Nils Lofgren, led to heavier US radio play by 1978, per Stereogum. The band performed it live consistently, including at their 1978 Santa Monica Civic Auditorium show and 2017 Hollywood Bowl finale, Petty’s last concert before his death on October 2, 2017. The song closed nearly every Heartbreakers concert, per Rolling Stone.
Covers include Taylor Swift’s 2009 live version, The Killers’ 2018 performance, and Elle King’s 2021 tribute for Petty Country. It appeared in films like Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Silence of the Lambs (1991), and Chasing Liberty (2004), and TV shows like Scrubs (2007). The Goo Goo Dolls’ 1998 “Slide” and The Strokes’ 2001 “Last Nite” borrowed its riff, per Medium. Its urban legend about a UF student’s suicide was debunked by Petty in a 2002 Mojo interview. The track’s enduring airplay, driven by its “D-A-G-A” chord progression, was analyzed in Genius, cementing its status as a rock anthem.
Video
Lyric
Well, she was an American girl
Raised on promises
She couldn’t help thinkin’ that there
Was a little more to life somewhere elseAfter all, it was a great big world
With lots of places to run to
And if she had to die tryin’
She had one little promise she was gonna keepOh yeah, alright
Take it easy, baby
Make it last all night
She was an American girlWell, it was kinda cold that night
She stood alone on her balcony
Yeah, she could hear the cars roll by
Out on 441 like waves crashin’ on the beachAnd for one desperate moment there
He crept back in her memory
God, it’s so painful when something that’s so close
Is still so far out of reachOh yeah, alright
Take it easy, baby
Make it last all night
She was an American girl