“American Woman” is a song released by the Canadian rock band The Guess Who in January 1970, from their sixth studio album of the same name. It was later released in March 1970 as a single backed with “No Sugar Tonight”, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Billboard magazine placed the single at number three on the Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1970 list. On May 22, 1970, the single was certified as gold by the RIAA. Produced by Jack Richardson, the single was recorded on August 13, 1969 at RCA’s Mid-America Recording Center in Chicago.
The music and lyrics of the song were improvised on stage during a concert in Southern Ontario, Canada (the guitarist, Randy Bachman, recalled it being in Kitchener; Burton Cummings, the lead singer, said it was at the Broom and Stone, a curling rink in Scarborough that was used for concerts). Bachman was playing notes while tuning his guitar after replacing a broken string, and he realised he was playing a new riff that he wanted to remember.
He continued playing it and the other band members returned to the stage and joined in, creating a jam session in which Cummings improvised the lyrics. They noticed a kid with a cassette recorder making a bootleg recording and asked him for the tape. They listened to the tape and noted down the words that Cummings had extemporized, and which he later revised.
The song’s lyrics have been the matter of debate, often interpreted as an attack on U.S. politics (especially the draft). Cummings, who composed the lyrics, said in 2013 that they had nothing to do with politics. “What was on my mind was that girls in the States seemed to get older quicker than our girls and that made them, well, dangerous. When I said ‘American woman, stay away from me,’ I really meant ‘Canadian woman, I prefer you.’ It was all a happy accident.”
American Woman (1970)
American woman gonna mess your mind
American woman, she gonna mess your mind
American woman gonna mess your mind
American woman gonna mess your mind
Say A,
Say M,
Say E,
Say R,
Say I,
Say C,
Say A,
Say N,
American woman gonna mess your mind
American woman gonna mess your mind
American woman gonna mess your mind
American woman, stay away from me
American woman, mama let me be
Don?t come hangin? around my door
I don?t wanna see your face no more
I got more important things to do
Than spend my time growin? old with you
Now woman, I said stay away,
American woman, listen what I say.
American woman, get away from me
American woman, mama let me be
Don?t come knockin? around my door
Don?t wanna see your shadow no more
Coloured lights can hypnotize
Sparkle someone else?s eyes
Now woman, I said get away
American woman, listen what I say.
American woman, said get away
American woman, listen what I say
Don?t come hangin? around my door
Don?t wanna see your face no more
I don?t need your war machines
I don?t need your ghetto scenes
Coloured lights can hypnotize
Sparkle someone else?s eyes
Now woman, get away from me
American woman, mama let me be.
Go, gotta get away, gotta get away
Now go go go
Gonna leave you, woman
Gonna leave you, woman
Bye-bye
Bye-bye
Bye-bye
Bye-bye
You?re no good for me
I?m no good for you
Gonna look you right in the eye.
Tell you what I?m gonna do
You know I?m gonna leave
You know I?m gonna go
You know I?m gonna leave
You know I?m gonna go, woman
I?m gonna leave, woman
Goodbye, American woman
Goodbye, American chick
Goodbye, American broad …
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