American Boy

"American Boy" is a song recorded by British rapper and singer Estelle for her second studio album Shine (2008). It features vocals from American rapper Kanye West. The song was written by Estelle, West, will.i.am, John Legend, Josh Lopez, Caleb Speir, and Keith Harris. It was produced by will.i.am, who also produced the album's previous single, "Wait a Minute (Just a Touch)", and uses the beat from the song "Impatient" from his own third studio album Songs About Girls (2007). "American Boy" is a breezy disco-funk song that lyrically describes a romance with an American suitor. The song's conception came after Legend, Estelle's mentor, suggested she write a song about meeting an American man.

"American Boy" was released by Atlantic Records as the album's second single on 31 March 2008. The song received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its fresh sound and production. The song reached the top five in many European and Oceanic markets, including Belgium and Estelle's native United Kingdom where it reached the chart's summit. It also achieved success in the United States, peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming Estelle's breakout song in the country. The song earned many nominations, and ultimately won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. The music video, featuring a variety of celebrity guests, earned a Video Music Award nomination for Best UK Video. As a result of the song's popularity, Estelle performed it at several award shows and venues.

American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince

American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince is a 1978 documentary directed by Martin Scorsese. Its subject is Scorsese's friend Steven Prince, best known for his small role as Easy Andy, the gun salesman in Taxi Driver. Prince is a raconteur telling stories about his life as an ex-drug addict and a road manager for Neil Diamond. Scorsese intersperses home movies of Prince as a child as he talks about his family. When talking of his years as a heroin addict, Prince tells a story about injecting adrenaline into the heart of a woman who overdosed, with the help of a medical dictionary and a Magic Marker. This story was re-enacted by Quentin Tarantino in his screenplay for Pulp Fiction. Prince also tells a story about his days working at a gas station, and having to shoot a man he caught stealing tires, after the man pulled out a knife and tried to attack him. This story was retold in the Richard Linklater film Waking Life.

The Neil Young song "Time Fades Away" is featured during the film's closing credits.

American Boy (Eddie Rabbitt song)

"American Boy" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Eddie Rabbitt. It was released in August 1990 as the fourth single from his album Jersey Boy. The song reached number 11 on country charts and was his final song to reach the top 40 on the chart.

The song was popular among United States servicemen and their families during the 1991 Gulf War and was used by Senator Bob Dole during his 1996 campaign for President of the United States. A re-recorded version of the song was later released on Rabbitt's 1997 album Beatin' the Odds

Content

In the song, Rabbitt expresses his desire to "live in a place where they name their kids Billy", "hear [his] man Willie" on the radio, cheer at Football games on Friday Night, and "go where [he] want[s] to." He states that he is a free man at this place. He then goes on to explain that he is an "American Boy" who drives a chevy, whose "older brother is a G.I. Joe, whose "little brother watched Saturday morning cartoons" and who goes to the beach to look at "pretty women." During the song, Rabbitt states: