"American Girl" | ||||
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Single by Bonnie McKee | ||||
Released | June 25, 2013 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:44 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Bonnie McKee singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"American Girl" on YouTube |
"American Girl" is a song by American singer and songwriter Bonnie McKee intended to be the lead single of her then-shelved second studio album. Epic Records first released it to McKee's SoundCloud on June 25, 2013. The song was written by McKee, Josh Abraham, Jon Asher, Alex Drury, Oliver Goldstein and Jacknife Lee, while Abraham and Oligee handled the production. The single has been described as a dance-pop and electropop track. Its lyrics address McKee's childhood and teenagehood from an American perspective. The song is included on McKee's second studio album, Hot City , which was released in 2024. [1]
"American Girl" was met with positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its sound and lyrics. The song was McKee's first entry (and the only entry to date) on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 87. It also entered the charts of Australia, Germany, New Zealand and South Korea. Two music videos were directed for the track. The first one shows McKee alongside other celebrities including Katy Perry, Kesha, and George Takei lip synching to the song. The second one, directed by Justin Francis, depicts McKee spending her time with a couple of friends. Both videos were received positively by critics. McKee performed the song on various occasions including at KIIS FM and on Good Morning America in 2013.
Following the underperformance of her debut album Trouble (2004) and an incident regarding the defacement of a Warner Records' former chairman car with lipstick, McKee was dropped from the label. [2] [3] However, due to the connection she had through her boyfriend, McKee was able to submit a song to the music publishing company Pulse Recording, which would subsequently sign her. She began working with American singers Elliott Yamin and Leighton Meester until fellow singer Katy Perry, whom McKee had already met, invited her to work for Perry's Teenage Dream (2010). [3] In a November 2010 interview with Billboard , McKee stated that she would begin working on her second album in 2011 with American record producer and songwriter Dr. Luke and she hoped to have "something" released by spring. [4]
Epic Records noticed McKee's "staggering run of hits" and according to Josh Abraham, the label was "salivating to [sign McKee]". Her performance of "Lovebird" (2012), a song she co-wrote and gave to British singer Leona Lewis, impressed former Epic Records CEO and chairman L.A. Reid who signed her to the label soon after. [3] Talking to Billboard in February 2013, McKee admitted that her solo releases were delayed because she "took offers" which she couldn't "turn down", and that the aforementioned label would release her second album in the summer. [5]
McKee revealed that the song was initially meant for Canadian singer Justin Bieber, but no one showed interest in it. She later repurposed the song for herself and rewrote most of the verses except the first line. McKee wrote "American Girl" with Abraham, Jon Asher, Alex Drury, Oliver Goldstein and Jacknife Lee, while Abraham and Oligee produced it. [6] [7] The track was issued to McKee's SoundCloud for streaming by Epic Records on June 25, 2013. [8] The label also sent the song to American contemporary hit radio stations on July 16 and released it for digital download in various countries one week later. [9] [10] "American Girl" was meant to be the lead single off her untitled second album. [11] However, the album was shelved as she chose to leave Epic Records, claiming that she felt "really unhappy" with the label. [12] In 2024, McKee independently released a reworked version of the album under the title Hot City, which includes "American Girl". [13]
Almost ten years after its original release, the single got a remixed extended play, released by McKee independently through streaming music services, following the release of Hot City album. [14] [15] Among the remixes, there is one by duo of DJs Oliver, [16] [15] that was previously released through Soundcloud [17] and also uploaded to McKee's official YouTube account. [18]
"American Girl" is a dance-pop and electropop song. [2] [6] Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times noted that the track contains "candied synth licks" and "sweet slap bass". [20] Writing for HuffPost , Kia Makarechi pointed out that "American Girl" has "a breathy, dance-inflected beat". [21] In an interview with USA Today , McKee affirmed that she wanted to write a song "about [her] experience as a teen in America". [11] She added in another interview with Billboard that it "captures [her] entire American childhood in three-and-a-half minutes". McKee elaborated how she spent time in a 7-Eleven parking lot with a boy trying to get people to buy them beer and cigarettes, and that she "was raised by television" because she learned "so many life lessons from sitcoms and music videos". [19] She further discusses in the song that she is warm-blooded, plans to "take over the world" and that "every day is a competition". [2] [20] McKee stated that the original version of the track contained a lyric about "falling in love in IKEA" and that the second verse was "racier". [6] Billboard's Matt Diehl considered the lyrics "I fell in love in a 7-11 parking lot / Drinking Slurpees we mixed with alcohol" to be "nostalgic". [19]
"American Girl" was met with positive reviews from music critics. Wood stated that it shares "its bouncy electro-pop groove with any number of hits by Katy Perry". [20] Diehl regarded the song as having "[a] relentless club groove, soaring melodic lines" and "a pop-art confection of a chorus". [19] Sam Lansky, writing for Idolator , called it "a plucky pop confection" with "clever lyrical conceit" and declared that it is "perfectly tailored to dominate radio all summer long". [22] Teen Vogue 's Casey Lewis expressed a similar opinion, claiming that the track is a "top contender" to be "song of the summer" and considered that it "couldn't be catchier". [23] Lauren Craddock of American Songwriter deemed it a "dance-pop party anthem", [6] which USA Today's Korina Lopez resounded. [11] Writing for MTV, Jenna Hally Rubenstein stated that "American Girl" is a "perfect pop song" featuring "sparkling pop production" and "a booming and surging chorus". [24]
Commercially, "American Girl" was McKee's first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 87 and selling 25,000 copies in its first two weeks. [19] [25] The track reached its highest peak on the Mainstream Top 40, where it reached number 24. [26] On the Adult Top 40, it became her second entry following "Somebody" (2004). [27] Elsewhere, it peaked at number 31 in New Zealand, 41 on South Korea's Gaon International Chart and 51 in Australia. [28] [29] [30]
The first music video was released on YouTube on June 26, 2013. [23] [31] Aside from McKee, it features several celebrities who appear via videotelephony lip synching to the song including Perry, Kesha, Becky G, Jason Derulo, Joan Rivers and George Takei. [23] [31] [32] The second music video for "American Girl" was directed by Justin Francis and premiered on McKee's Vevo channel on July 22, 2013. [33] [34] In the video, McKee is first seen spending her time with a couple of friends sitting on the curb drinking Slurpees while making eye contact with a "hunky bro". Afterwards, McKee and her friends buy food from a 7-Eleven store and then "settle in for a pool day". The video ends with them stealing a car from "a muscular, tatted-up man". [33] According to Lansky, the second video "relies heavy on quintessentially American imagery". [35]
McKee sang "American Girl" at American radio station KIIS FM on July 2, 2013. [36] She gave an acoustic performance of the track at Idolator on July 31. [37] In August of the same year, she performed the song during a studio session with Billboard and on American morning television program Good Morning America . [38] [39] On February 18, 2014 McKee sang the track at Yahoo! Music's studio. [40]
Both music videos received mainly positive reviews from critics. Lewis called it "super cool" and "rad", while Rubenstein considered it to be "a pop star #emo moment". [23] [24] Writing for MTV, Jocelyn Vena praised the celebrities which appeared in it and several of their moments, and stated that the video is "what makes the song so buzz-worthy". [31] Wood also praised the appearance of the various celebrities. [20] Conversely, Lansky opined that the video distracts from the song. [22] Vanity Fair 's Julie Miller thought it to be "the universe's most random music video". [32] Rubenstein deemed the second video to be "as worthy" as the first one, and Lansky compared it to "Tik Tok"'s (2009) visual, noting its "similar free-spirited vibe". [33] [35]
"American Girl" is featured on Just Dance 2014 as a downloadable track. [41] [42]
Credits adapted from Tidal. [7]
Chart (2013) | Peak position |
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Australia (ARIA) [30] | 51 |
Canada CHR/Top 40 ( Billboard ) [43] | 44 |
Canada Hot AC ( Billboard ) [44] | 44 |
Germany (GfK) [45] | 82 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [28] | 39 |
South Korea (Gaon International Chart) [29] | 41 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [25] | 87 |
US Adult Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [27] | 37 |
US Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [26] | 24 |
Region | Date | Format | Single | Label | Ref. |
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Various | June 25, 2013 | Streaming | original single | Epic | [8] |
July 23, 2013 |
| [10] | |||
United States | July 16, 2013 | Contemporary hit radio | [9] | ||
Various | July 4, 2024 |
| extended play | Bonnie McKee | [15] |
Bonnie Leigh McKee is an American singer and songwriter. Her debut album Trouble was released in 2004 by Reprise Records. After being dropped, she took a musical hiatus and established herself as a songwriter. She has written 10 singles that have reached number one in either the United States or the United Kingdom, which have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide combined. In 2013, she made a return to music with the single "American Girl". In 2015, she independently released the EP Bombastic.
Trouble is the debut album of American singer-songwriter Bonnie McKee, released in September 2004. The songs were written when she was aged 14–15, and reflect events in her life at the time. McKee had produced six of these in demo form in 2001, and they were broadcast on Seattle radio stations as well as the National Public Radio network.
"Teenage Dream" is a song by American singer Katy Perry. It was released as the second single from her third studio album of the same name on July 23, 2010. This song was written by Perry, Bonnie McKee, Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Benny Blanco. McKee describes "Teenage Dream" as a throwback song to the euphoric feelings of being in love as a teenager while Perry described the song as reminiscent of her youth. Musically, "Teenage Dream" is a mid-tempo pop song with a retro sound. It is styled in the genres of power pop and electropop, while taking influence from other genres such as disco and pop rock. Perry starts the song in a high-pitched voice while her vocals grow stronger as the song progresses. Lyrically, "Teenage Dream" discusses being with a lover who makes one feel young again.
"Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" is a song by American singer Katy Perry from her third studio album, Teenage Dream. The song was produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin, who also co-wrote the song with Perry and Bonnie McKee. Perry stated that she was inspired to write the track after a night of wild partying and streaking. It was released as the album's fifth single on June 6, 2011, by Capitol Records, with a remix featuring American rapper Missy Elliott released to US radio stations and digital retailers on August 8, 2011; this version was included in Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection edition. It is a dance-pop song with lyrics about drunken fun and debauchery. Some of the risqué lyrics are often censored in radio versions of the song.
"Part of Me" is a song by American singer Katy Perry, released as the lead single from Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection. It was written by Perry and Bonnie McKee, with production and additional writing by Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Cirkut. The song was not included on the original edition of Teenage Dream because Perry felt that it did not fit the composition of the album. A demo of the song leaked online in late 2010, amid speculation that the lyrics were directed to the singer's ex-boyfriend Travie McCoy. "Part of Me" was re-worked and officially released on February 13, 2012, through Capitol Records with artwork by art director Gavin Taylor and photography by Mary Ellen Matthews.
"C'Mon" is a song by American singer Kesha from her second studio album, Warrior (2012). It was released as the album's second single on November 16, 2012. The song was written by Kesha, Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, Max Martin, Cirkut, and fellow pop singer and longtime collaborator Bonnie McKee, while production was handled by Dr. Luke, Blanco, and Cirkut. Containing elements of pop rap, "C'Mon" is a techno-pop, bubblegum pop, and dance song with brash lyrics that center on partying and falling in love. Stylistically, the song follows a verse-chorus pattern typical in pop music, with Kesha adding traditional singing in the latter and the discordant enunciation and stresses of vowels to force assonance and rhyme that epitomize her rap technique in the former.
"The One That Got Away" is a song by American singer-songwriter Katy Perry from her second studio album, Teenage Dream (2010). The song was produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin, both of whom also co-wrote the song with Perry. The song is a mid-tempo pop ballad about a lost love. It features a reference to the rock band Radiohead, and compares the strength of the relationship to that of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. The song was released on September 30, 2011, by Capitol Records as the album's sixth single.
"Wide Awake" is a song by American singer Katy Perry from Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection. She co-wrote the song with Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, and its producers Dr. Luke and Cirkut. It was specifically written for Perry's autobiographical film Katy Perry: Part of Me. Capitol Records released the song onto radio stations on May 22, 2012. The track is a power ballad styled in dance-pop, and features lyrics about the reality of a break up and moving forward.
"Hurricane" is a song by American recording artist Bridgit Mendler, from her debut studio album, Hello My Name Is... (2012). The song was released as a promotional single to the iTunes Store as Single of the Week on October 22, 2012, and was later announced to be the second single from the album. On February 12, 2013, the song was released to Top 40 radio.
"Let There Be Love" is a song recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera for her seventh studio album, Lotus (2012). It was written and produced by Max Martin and Shellback, with additional writing from Bonnie McKee, Oliver Goldstein, Oscar Holter and Jakke Erixson. Having originally collaborated with other producers in her earlier works, Aguilera stated that the "full circle" her career had taken became the right time to work with Martin. The song combines dance-pop, EDM and pop music genres, and is influenced by electronica and trance. Its instrumentation incorporates synths, drums and electronics.
"Ooh La La" is a song recorded by American singer Britney Spears for the soundtrack of the 2013 family film The Smurfs 2. It was written and produced by Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, Joshua "Ammo" Coleman, Henry "Cirkut" Walter, with additional writing from Bonnie McKee, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Lola Blanc, and Fransisca Hall.
"Hello" is a song by American recording artist Kelly Clarkson, from her fifth studio album, Stronger (2011). Written by Clarkson, Josh Abraham, Oliver Goldstein, and Bonnie McKee, with production by Abraham and Oligee, "Hello" is a midtempo rock song about searching for companionship in hopes of not being lonely, in which the singer asks, "Hello? Is anybody listening?"
"Roar" is a song by American singer Katy Perry. It was released on August 10, 2013, by Capitol Records as the lead single from her fourth studio album, Prism (2013). Perry co-wrote the song with Bonnie McKee and its producers Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Cirkut. It is a power pop song containing elements of arena rock and lyrics centering on standing up for oneself and self-empowerment.
"Vacation" is the debut single recorded by American-British-Canadian girl group G.R.L. The song was written by Bonnie McKee, Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, and Henry Walter with production handled by the latter three. "Vacation" is an upbeat breakup song.
American singer and songwriter Bonnie McKee has released two studio albums, two extended plays, 15 singles, four promotional singles, and 25 music videos.
Bombastic is the second extended play (EP) by American singer-songwriter Bonnie McKee released on June 30, 2015 as digital download by McKee's independent record label. She also stated her intentions for it to be a visual EP.
"Bon Appétit" is a song by American singer Katy Perry featuring American hip hop group Migos from Perry's fifth studio album Witness (2017). It was released as the album's second single on April 28, 2017, by Capitol Records. It is a dance-pop, trap-pop, electronic and Eurodisco song, with lyrics that feature oral sex double entendres involving food. The track received mixed reviews from critics upon release. An accompanying music video followed on May 12, 2017, and features Perry being prepared and served by chefs as a dish. Commercially, the song charted within the top ten in Bulgaria and Israel, the top twenty in Canada, Panama and Wallonia, and the top thirty in Scotland, the Philippines, Slovakia, and the Netherlands.
"Stars In Your Heart" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bonnie McKee. The song was independently released to digital outlets as a standalone release on December 16, 2016, and was later included on McKee's second studio album, Hot City (2024).
Hot City is the second album and first self-published album by American singer-songwriter Bonnie McKee. Released on May 31, 2024, the album was originally recorded in 2013 when McKee was signed to Epic Records but was never released. Leading up to its release, she has described the album as an "eighties-Miami expensive prostitute vibe."