All-American Girl (song)
Encyclopedia
"All-American Girl" is a song composed by country pop
singer Carrie Underwood
, Ashley Gorley
and Kelley Lovelace. It is the second single
from Underwood's second studio album
, Carnival Ride
, released in the United States
on December 17, 2007. (See 2007 in country music
).
that the high note during the bridge in the song is the highest note she has ever hit.
The song centers around a "beautiful, wonderful, perfect all-American girl." The first verse tells the story of a father hoping for a baby boy to continue his legacy, but "when the nurse came in with a little pink blanket, all those big dreams changed". The baby girl now has her father "wrapped around her finger", and his heart belongs to that "all-American girl." The second verse then shifts to 16 years later when the girl is now a teenager who falls for the "senior football star." Just like the girl's father, she becomes the center of the boy's world. The final bridge tells of when the girl and boy get married and are expecting "one of their own". When she asks the boy what he's hoping for he replies with "one just like you": an "all-American girl." Underwood said the song is in part her autobiography.
The video features several different scenes of Underwood in different outfits portraying what an All-American girl could be behind different backgrounds through a green screen.
Throughout the video she appeared as an American olympic swimmer, an artist/painter, a nurse, a photographer, a cowgirl, a waitress, a ballerina, a chef, a cheerleader, a veterinarian, a beauty queen, a mother, a football player, a police officer, a teacher, a graduate, a college student (wearing a sweatshirt from her sorority Sigma Sigma Sigma
), a bride, a flight attendant, a news anchor, an astronaut, a firefighter, a soldier, a surgeon, and the President of the United States
. In one scene, as a reference to Underwood's video for "Before He Cheats
", she wears the same black leather jacket and sunglasses while holding a baseball bat, with the same smashed red pickup truck in the background (whenever the newswoman is shown, along the bottom screen can be seen a scrolling news track, practically putting out an APB on Underwood for having destroyed the truck). Scenes also have her performing in a green zip-up hoodie and jeans, in an orange room.
charts.
The song reached #27 on the Hot 100, becoming Underwood's seventh career Hot 100 top forty single. "All-American Girl" debuted at #58 on the country charts. It has also reached #1 on Hot Country Songs
and spent 2 weeks at the top, making it Underwood's fourth consecutive number one on that chart and fifth overall, her sixth consecutive number one country single overall, and her seventh number one single altogether. It is her first #1 to spend less than 3 weeks at the top of the chart. It spent 5 weeks at number 1 on Canada's Country Chart proving to be a big hit there.
So far, 1,428,000 copies of "All-American Girl" were sold in the USA.http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat/ask-billboard-idol-izing-carrie-underwood-1005430162.story#/column/chartbeat/ask-billboard-idol-izing-carrie-underwood-1005430162.story?page=1
| style="text-align:center;"|2008 || style="text-align:center;"| "All-American Girl" || style="text-align:center;"| Most-Streamed Country Song of the Year ||
| style="text-align:center;"|2008 || style="text-align:center;"| "All-American Girl" || style="text-align:center;"| Songwriter of the Year (Carrie Underwood) ||
| style="text-align:center;"|2010 || style="text-align:center;"| "All-American Girl" || style="text-align:center;"| Triple-Play Songwriter (along with "So Small
", "Last Name") ||
Country pop
Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to...
singer Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
, Ashley Gorley
Ashley Gorley
Ashley Gorley is an American songwriter and producer. Gorley graduated from Belmont University in 1999, and in 2001 signed with Combustion Music...
and Kelley Lovelace. It is the second single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from Underwood's second studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, Carnival Ride
Carnival Ride
Carnival Ride is the second studio album from American country pop artist Carrie Underwood. It was released in the United States on October 23, 2007. It has been certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA. The album includes the singles "So Small", "All-American Girl", "Last Name", "Just a Dream", and "I...
, released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on December 17, 2007. (See 2007 in country music
2007 in country music
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 2007.-Events:* February 11 — It was a big night for country music artists at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, as they swept the awards in four top categories...
).
Background
"All-American Girl" is the second single for which Underwood shares a writing credit, the first being "So Small", which preceded it. The song is a mid-tempo country-pop song, with a soaring chorus. Underwood stated in an issue of Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
that the high note during the bridge in the song is the highest note she has ever hit.
The song centers around a "beautiful, wonderful, perfect all-American girl." The first verse tells the story of a father hoping for a baby boy to continue his legacy, but "when the nurse came in with a little pink blanket, all those big dreams changed". The baby girl now has her father "wrapped around her finger", and his heart belongs to that "all-American girl." The second verse then shifts to 16 years later when the girl is now a teenager who falls for the "senior football star." Just like the girl's father, she becomes the center of the boy's world. The final bridge tells of when the girl and boy get married and are expecting "one of their own". When she asks the boy what he's hoping for he replies with "one just like you": an "all-American girl." Underwood said the song is in part her autobiography.
Music video
The music video, which premiered January 23, 2008, was again directed by Roman White.The video features several different scenes of Underwood in different outfits portraying what an All-American girl could be behind different backgrounds through a green screen.
Throughout the video she appeared as an American olympic swimmer, an artist/painter, a nurse, a photographer, a cowgirl, a waitress, a ballerina, a chef, a cheerleader, a veterinarian, a beauty queen, a mother, a football player, a police officer, a teacher, a graduate, a college student (wearing a sweatshirt from her sorority Sigma Sigma Sigma
Sigma Sigma Sigma
Sigma Sigma Sigma , also known as Tri Sigma, is a national American women’s sorority with membership of more than 100,000 members. Sigma Sigma Sigma is a member of the National Panhellenic Conference and hosts chapters on more than 110 college campuses and 89 alumnae chapters in communities all...
), a bride, a flight attendant, a news anchor, an astronaut, a firefighter, a soldier, a surgeon, and the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. In one scene, as a reference to Underwood's video for "Before He Cheats
Before He Cheats
"Before He Cheats" is a song written by Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear and the third wide-release single from Carrie Underwood's debut album, Some Hearts. It was the fifth release from the album overall. It was named the 2007 Single of the Year by the Country Music Association...
", she wears the same black leather jacket and sunglasses while holding a baseball bat, with the same smashed red pickup truck in the background (whenever the newswoman is shown, along the bottom screen can be seen a scrolling news track, practically putting out an APB on Underwood for having destroyed the truck). Scenes also have her performing in a green zip-up hoodie and jeans, in an orange room.
Chart performance
The following table lists the peak positions for "All-American Girl" on the major BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts.
The song reached #27 on the Hot 100, becoming Underwood's seventh career Hot 100 top forty single. "All-American Girl" debuted at #58 on the country charts. It has also reached #1 on Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
and spent 2 weeks at the top, making it Underwood's fourth consecutive number one on that chart and fifth overall, her sixth consecutive number one country single overall, and her seventh number one single altogether. It is her first #1 to spend less than 3 weeks at the top of the chart. It spent 5 weeks at number 1 on Canada's Country Chart proving to be a big hit there.
So far, 1,428,000 copies of "All-American Girl" were sold in the USA.http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat/ask-billboard-idol-izing-carrie-underwood-1005430162.story#/column/chartbeat/ask-billboard-idol-izing-carrie-underwood-1005430162.story?page=1
| Chart (2007–2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
2008 CMT Online Awards
|-| style="text-align:center;"|2008 || style="text-align:center;"| "All-American Girl" || style="text-align:center;"| Most-Streamed Country Song of the Year ||
2008 BMI Awards
|-| style="text-align:center;"|2008 || style="text-align:center;"| "All-American Girl" || style="text-align:center;"| Songwriter of the Year (Carrie Underwood) ||
2010 CMA Triple Play Awards
|-| style="text-align:center;"|2010 || style="text-align:center;"| "All-American Girl" || style="text-align:center;"| Triple-Play Songwriter (along with "So Small
So Small
"So Small" is a song composed by fourth-season American Idol winner and country pop singer Carrie Underwood, Hillary Lindsey and Luke Laird. It is the first single from Underwood's second studio album, Carnival Ride, released in Canada on August 14, 2007, and in the United States on August 28, 2007...
", "Last Name") ||