We're an American Band (song)

"We're an American Band"
Single by Grand Funk Railroad
from the album We're an American Band
B-side	"Creepin'"
Released	July 2, 1973
Recorded	June 1973
Studio	Criteria (Miami)
Genre	Hard rock [1] [2]
Length	3:26 3:31 (2002 remix)
Label	Capitol
Songwriter(s)	Don Brewer
Producer(s)	Todd Rundgren
Grand Funk Railroad singles chronology
"Rock & Roll Soul" (1972) "We're an American Band" (1973) "Walk Like a Man" (1973)
Gold vinyl issue
Limited edition release

Weekly charts Chart (1973) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report) 87 Canada RPM Top Singles [8] 4 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [9] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1973) Rank Canada [10] 21 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [11] 23

Cover versions

"We're An American Band"
Single by Poison
from the album The Best of Poison: 20 Years of Rock
Released	2006
Recorded	2006
Genre	Rock
Label	Capitol
Songwriter(s)	Don Brewer
Poison singles chronology
"Shooting Star" (2003) "We're An American Band" (2006) "What I Like About You" (2007)

• Poison (who also recorded for Capitol) covered it and released it as a single with a music video for their The Best of Poison: 20 Years of Rock (2006) compilation which peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard 200. ^[12]
• The song has also been covered by Rob Zombie, Garth Brooks, Phish, Kid Rock, Village People, Rascal Flatts, and others. ^[13]

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [14]	Platinum	1,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Tucker, Dan (February 28, 2014). "13 Classic Hard Rock Songs That Will Make You Scream "More Cowbell!"". VH1 . Viacom. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
2. Breihan, Tom (November 15, 2022). "Bon Jovi - "You Give Love a Bad Name". The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music. New York: Hachette Book Group. p. 176.
3. "We're an American Band (song by Grand Funk Railroad) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. 1973-07-28. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
4. "Grand Funk Railroad: The story behind 'We're an American Band'". al.com. October 2023. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
5. "What Really Inspired Grand Funk's 'We're An American Band'". ultimateclassicrock.com. 2 July 2023. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
6. "VH1 Top 100 Hard Rock Songs". Music.spreadit.org. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
7. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. July 14, 1973. p. 24. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
8. "RPM100 Singles". Library and Archives Canada. 20 October 1973. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
9. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN   0-89820-089-X
10. "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada. December 26, 2017.
11. "Top 100 Hits of 1973/Top 100 Songs of 1973". musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
12. "Poison - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
13. "Behind the Song: "We're an American Band," by Grand Funk Railroad". 27 February 2020.
14. "American single certifications – Grand Funk Railroad – We're an American Band". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved July 12, 2022.

External links

• "We're an American Band" by Grand Funk Songfacts