American (Lana Del Rey song)

"American" is a song by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey, taken from her third extended play, Paradise (2012), and the reissue of her debut studio album, Born to Die: The Paradise Edition (2012). "American" first appeared in a teaser trailer posted to her official YouTube account as a snippet.

"American"
Song by Lana Del Rey
from the EP Paradise
Recorded2012
StudioThe Green Building, Santa Monica, United States
Length4:08
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Nowels
  • Haynie

Background

Lyrically, the song's lyrics focus on Del Rey's love interest, a suave, tanned American man who makes her feel as "wild as a child". In the song, Del Rey makes references to American rock singers Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Presley, the latter of which she has referenced several times in her music. The song was written by Del Rey and producers Emile Haynie and Rick Nowels, who handled production for the song.[1]

Critical reception

Since its release, "American" has received mixed to positive reviews from critics and fans alike. In 2017, Billboard ranked the song as Del Rey's 5th best song.[2] Robert Copsey of Digital Spy spoke positively of the song, calling it one of the best tracks off the EP.[3] Jesse Cataldo of Slant gave the song a lukewarm review, stating the song was "leaning too heavily on a pre-established atmospheric skeleton".[4]

Peter Tabakis wrote a negative review of the song for Pretty Much Amazing, calling the song "simply dumb".[5]

Live performances and cover versions

Del Rey performed the song live for the first time on the first date of the Paradise Tour on April 3, 2013, in Amnéville, France. The song was included as part of the setlist for a majority of the remaining dates on the 2013 leg of the Paradise Tour.

Early in their career, American pop group Fifth Harmony did a cover of the song in a video posted to their YouTube channel.

Charts
Chart (2012) Peak
position
France Singles Chart[6] 84
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[7] 151
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[8] 29

Credits and personnel
Personnel
  • Lana Del Rey — vocals, songwriting
  • Rick Nowels — songwriting, production, keyboards, Matrix 1000
  • Emile Haynie — songwriting, co-production, drums
  • Kieron Menzies — recording, mixing
  • Chris Garcia & Jordan Stilwell — additional recording
  • Patrick Warren — electric guitar, piano, synthesizer
  • Dan Heath — orchestral arrangement
  • Tim Pierce — electric guitar
  • John Davis — mastering
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References
  1. https://www.allmusic.com/song/american-mt0046023913
  2. https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/7833824/lana-del-rey-songs-best-hits-list
  3. https://www.digitalspy.com/music/album-reviews/a437881/lana-del-rey-paradise-ep-review/
  4. https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/lana-del-rey-paradise/
  5. https://prettymuchamazing.com/reviews/lana-del-rey-paradise
  6. https://lescharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Lana+Del+Rey
  7. "Zobbel.de: CLUK Update 24.11.2012 (wk46)". Zobbel.de. Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  8. "Lana Del Rey - Chart History - Rock Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
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