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Total ratings: 1610
Length: 5:01
Plays (last 30 days): 2
American woman, she gonna mess your mind
Mmm, American woman gonna mess your mind
Mmm, American woman gonna mess your mind
Say A
Say M
Say E
Say R
Say I
C
Say A
N, mmm
American woman gonna mess your mind
Mm, American woman gonna mess your mind
Uh, American woman gonna mess your mind
Uh!
American woman, stay away from me
American woman, mama, let me be
Don't come a-hangin' around my door
I don't wanna see your face no more
I got more important things to do
Than spend my time growin' old with you
Now woman, I said stay away
American woman, listen what I say
American woman, get away from me
American woman, mama, let me be
Don't come a-knockin' around my door
Don't wanna see your shadow no more
Coloured lights can hypnotize
Sparkle someone else's eyes
Now woman, I said get away
American woman, listen what I say, hey
American woman, said get away
American woman, listen what I say
Don't come a-hangin' around my door
Don't wanna see your face no more
I don't need your war machines
I don't need your ghetto scenes
Coloured lights can hypnotize
Sparkle someone else's eyes
Now woman, get away from me
American woman, mama, let me be
Go, gotta get away
Gotta get away now go go go
I'm gonna leave you, woman
Gonna leave you, woman
Bye-bye
Bye-bye
Bye-bye
Bye-bye
You're no good for me
I'm no good for you
Gonna look you right in the eye
Tell you what I'm gonna do
You know I'm gonna leave
You know I'm gonna go
You know I'm gonna leave
You know I'm gonna go, woman
I'm gonna leave ya, woman
Goodbye, American woman
Goodbye, American woman
All of a sudden I'm 18 and tripping on acid while walking into the woods of a forest preserve with a group of friends. Jim and Paul had this tape on a boom box and it will forever take me back to that day. It was quite magical and that song never sounded so great.
Side story from that day: Someone asked John for his lighter and he replied, "Lighter? I can't even find my arm!" Good times.
Tripping on what?
You gotta watch out and be careful. The song's opening rifts could cause you to jump naked into a lake.
Been there. Done that. Except it was at night. Yikes.
So I was, I guess, about 13 years old and my mom brought home a bag of stuff from her friend's house. Her son moved out and left some things. I rummaged through the bag and found a cool t-shirt and a cassette tape or two. One of them was a recording of Firesign Theater's Nick Danger album which I set to memorizing. Another was this album. I have loved it ever since. It was my introduction to "grown up" music at the time. It was about 1975 or so.
The other album was Three Dog Night's "It Ain't Easy". Just FYI.
I wanna a pizza to go and NO anchovies!
Side story from that day: Someone asked John for his lighter and he replied, "Lighter? I can't even find my arm!" Good times.
Randy Bachman admits that the American Woman that the song refers to is the Statue of Liberty. Bachman and the other members of the band were up there in Canada in 1970 watching the Vietnam protests and race riots consume their southern neighbors. At the time it felt to them that America was abandoning the values that made the country an icon of freedom and democracy.
I listen to this song today and think about how a president who has no moral compass is going to lie his way out of being removed from office and 50 some senators are going to be complicit because they fear his Tweets.
Talk about a country abandoning its values...
She still hasn't found her values in 2022.
Oh those were the days. That nostalgia helps keep my rating a 10 on this one, and about 4 or 5 other tunes on that disc.
Long Live RP!!
embarassingly lame. works as kitsch I suppose
That happens to a lot of comments too.
Fixed!
thank you! I needed explanation for this song
Randy Bachman admits that the American Woman that the song refers to is the Statue of Liberty. Bachman and the other members of the band were up there in Canada in 1970 watching the Vietnam protests and race riots consume their southern neighbors. At the time it felt to them that America was abandoning the values that made the country an icon of freedom and democracy.
I listen to this song today and think about how a president who has no moral compass is going to lie his way out of being removed from office and 50 some senators are going to be complicit because they fear his Tweets.
Talk about a country abandoning its values...
Fixed!
The Statue is about EXPORTING Liberty and the plaque of doggerel about immigration is an abomination. The only part of the USA that has abandoned its values is the part that did not vote for the last saviour of the Republic.
Uh, let me guess this straight. You think T-rump is the last saviour of the, ahem, Republic? Wow.
Or am I reading your comment wrong?
Anyway, someone else else already stated this isn't a forum for politics. Especially skewed politics of the former occupant of the WH.
Canada once had the 3rd largest navy in the world: now, well you've fewer ships than the Philippines.
Canada's troops were once considered so tough they were assigned one of the worst beaches at Normandy: now, well you've got maybe a 1,000 more troops than Saudi Arabia.
Canada once had a decent air force: now, you've got 30 more aircraft than Mexico.
In every category Canada, which once boxed well outside of its weight, is hardly more capable than any third-rank country dependent on others for their defense.
So, yeah, jealous. Resentful, too.
Jealous because the US has a bigger military? Really??
Wait, you are trying to be funny, right?
Well, the song is political.
After the set, one of the audience members approached the band with a cassette recorder -- he'd recorded the song, and played the song back for them. Their response was, Hey, that actually sounds OK. And here it is, fifty years later -- a jam that they managed save.
The Statue is about EXPORTING Liberty and the plaque of doggerel about immigration is an abomination. The only part of the USA that has abandoned its values is the part that did not vote for the last saviour of the Republic.
Sorry. What?
This is a curious place to discuss politics, so I say let's not, and say we did.
Well, the song is political.
The Statue is about EXPORTING Liberty and the plaque of doggerel about immigration is an abomination. The only part of the USA that has abandoned its values is the part that did not vote for the last saviour of the Republic.
This is a curious place to discuss politics, so I say let's not, and say we did.
The Statue is about EXPORTING Liberty and the plaque of doggerel about immigration is an abomination. The only part of the USA that has abandoned its values is the part that did not vote for the last saviour of the Republic.
Agree that more people should have voted for Obama, yes.
I listen to this song today and think about how a president who has no moral compass is going to lie his way out of being removed from office and 50 some senators are going to be complicit because they fear his Tweets.
Talk about a country abandoning its values...
The Statue is about EXPORTING Liberty and the plaque of doggerel about immigration is an abomination. The only part of the USA that has abandoned its values is the part that did not vote for the last saviour of the Republic.
I won a 45 of this, winning a "Cake Walk" in my elementary school. I was 12 as well. Then again, I won a Hoyt Axton 45 as well. And some sorta German Chocolate concoction.
I listen to this song today and think about how a president who has no moral compass is going to lie his way out of being removed from office and 50 some senators are going to be complicit because they fear his Tweets.
Talk about a country abandoning its values...
Mind blowing at the time.
Burton doing his song in a bluesy style. My 3rd favourite version, if you don't watch the video. Just listen. Seriously. Don't watch.
Best version ever?
https://youtu.be/ABt8u8UDurs almost 20 minutes worth including the then required drum solo. Unfortunately the clip end abruptly. On the album it flows right into Pain Train. Such a great album.
Live at the Paramount, in Seattle I think. Huge album for me when I was a kid.
Just my two cents worth.
A different take on this classic.
Nope. It was a particular quality of singing at the time but two bands are such a different sound to my ear.
John Fogerty -CCR An American band out of the Sacramento area of California.
This song -"american woman" is by Canadian group -the Guess Who.
Burton Cummings was the singer for the Guess Who.
The other album was Three Dog Night's "It Ain't Easy". Just FYI.
Three Dog Night—great band, sadly semi-forgotten. (BillG: NO Three Dog Night on RP? WTF?). That album you scored looks pretty good and has my favorite TDN song, "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)". Randy Newman wrote that and a few others for the band, IIRC.
I always associated The Guess Who, this song especially, with schlocky K-Tel compilation records. You had to survive K-Tel's carpet-bombing ad campaigns on UHF stations to watch the good stuff like The Three Stooges or Looney Tunes. The band was better than that, but like TDN they got pigeonholed and dipped in amber.
I be the holy ghost of big stud Romeo Tuma... hope you are having a consistently marvelous time, smackiepipe...
everybody in my homeless camp loves this classic song...
I like Bill's comment about it being "Social Commentary" and I never heard this intro before.
I like the comment below ->
"Classic indeed...one that didn't need a re-do by Lenny Kravitz whatsoever!"
I think it is a good cover especially when you add Prince Rodgers Nelson --->
The other album was Three Dog Night's "It Ain't Easy". Just FYI.
After most songs.
Great song BTW.
Never gets lame asking people to guess who is playing this.
I kind of like Canadian acts, Neil Young, RUSH, Leonard Cohen,The Band,Cowboy Junkies, Daniel Lanois and William Shatner.
What, no Nickelback?
Say Boys from Canada... and every province has women who are as dofferent one from another as the scotch whiskeys or craft beers..
Every provinces and every city has a different culture. Similar at one level but very different as to individual culures..
Shall we have some B.T.O from B.C. on next-?
OTOH, the song makes sense even to American men...
not everything was better in vinyl
Right where it belongs. Let's hope that was a dumpster.
and this, still as radical and bad-assed a song now as ever...Jam it!
Great song BTW.
Never gets lame asking people to guess who is playing this.
I kind of like Canadian acts, Neil Young, RUSH, Leonard Cohen,The Band,Cowboy Junkies, Daniel Lanois and William Shatner.
For realio?
I had a laugh. I seriously hope it was supposed to be funny.
Amen, my American brother :)
The 'military-industrial complex' was identified by a US Pres, Eisenhower no less, way back in 1961. All that's changed since then is the size and influence of this system. Only yesterday Pres Obama, flanked by various bemedalled top brass and pointy-heads, announced military spending cuts and 'realignment of forces' (see BBC story) - it'll be interesting to see if the complex defeats that proposal.
Not that it's got anything to do with this song, mind - it just came to mind when I saw your post, so I thought I'd throw in my 2 cent's worth (Euro cents, naturally).
True, Ike coined the term. I'd slash that damn budget in half. Supposed to be for defense. Our defense. I'd slash all government in half, though, so I don't think you and I are speaking the same language. I do find it amusing though to hear Europeans complaining about subsidies going out of the US and abroad, smack dab into their coffers. These bases are subsidies, you know, to the host country. It's you guys sucking Uncle Sam's big ole Yankee teat. Please, ask us to leave, kick us out. I beg you! Good luck on your governments allowing that.
Monkeysdad wrote:
Classic indeed...one that didn't need a re-do by Lenny Kravitz whatsoever!
Agreed!
Everybody in my hotel room loves this song...
Romeotuma, have you ever met a song you didnt rate a 10? Isnt there another forum online somewhere you might post your countless political articles and your silly 'everybody in my hotel room....' comment that is sprinkled some 3K times on RP?
Classic indeed...one that didn't need a re-do by Lenny Kravitz whatsoever!
We'll have to disagree about the influence of the American military on American government officials. I'm not talking about deployments—and neither were you with your ship and plane numbers. I'm talking about military budgets and weapons systems. It is insanely hard to kill a weapons project because contractors and lobbyists pressure Congress and the White House to keep boondoggles alive. Contractors also spread work and jobs on a project over many states to maximize federal government support and prevent cuts.
As a recent Wired article put it: "While a relative handful of troops fight and die "downrange" in war zones, a massive bureaucracy develops strategies, spends money, and—most especially—builds weapons, all in the name of theoretical, decades-hence showdowns. It's a $500 billion perpetual motion machine."
Bush I, Clinton, Bush II and Obama have all fought to control our military budgets and taken heat for it. American military expenditures in 2010 were about 6 times larger than those of China which has the world's 2nd-largest military. Whom are we competing with now?
"The only ones you find talking about 'drawbacks to having the world's largest military' are those who want to spend that money on their own enthusiasms."
The 'military-industrial complex' was identified by a US Pres, Eisenhower no less, way back in 1961. All that's changed since then is the size and influence of this system. Only yesterday Pres Obama, flanked by various bemedalled top brass and pointy-heads, announced military spending cuts and 'realignment of forces' (see BBC story) - it'll be interesting to see if the complex defeats that proposal.
Not that it's got anything to do with this song, mind - it just came to mind when I saw your post, so I thought I'd throw in my 2 cent's worth (Euro cents, naturally).
and for the record consider Canadians pretty smart.
First off, I'm not 'snarking' about the Canadian military - the loss of its once vaunted military is a bad thing for Canada.
If you think the military tail wags the American dog, then you've been watching entirely too many silly movies and not bothering to pay attention to actual military deployments. The only ones you find talking about 'drawbacks to having the world's largest military' are those who want to spend that money on their own enthusiasms.
As for the bit about Canadians being 'jealous', that was a throw-away line about a song irritating ab initio.
Actually, your original post is pretty snarky. And too long to make the "jealous" and "resentful" summation a mere throwaway line.
Btw, a stable and prosperous democracy like Canada does not lose its military like a set of car keys. If elected Canadian governments reduced or merely maintained a level of military capability, they did so as an expression of voters' wishes. I'm not sure how its present military strength "is a bad thing for Canada." Are the Inuits on the warpath?
We'll have to disagree about the influence of the American military on American government officials. I'm not talking about deployments—and neither were you with your ship and plane numbers. I'm talking about military budgets and weapons systems. It is insanely hard to kill a weapons project because contractors and lobbyists pressure Congress and the White House to keep boondoggles alive. Contractors also spread work and jobs on a project over many states to maximize federal government support and prevent cuts.
As a recent Wired article put it: "While a relative handful of troops fight and die "downrange" in war zones, a massive bureaucracy develops strategies, spends money, and—most especially—builds weapons, all in the name of theoretical, decades-hence showdowns. It's a $500 billion perpetual motion machine."
Bush I, Clinton, Bush II and Obama have all fought to control our military budgets and taken heat for it. American military expenditures in 2010 were about 6 times larger than those of China which has the world's 2nd-largest military. Whom are we competing with now?
"The only ones you find talking about 'drawbacks to having the world's largest military' are those who want to spend that money on their own enthusiasms."
Dick Cheney, is that you?
Btw—how did you jump from a song about American women to snarking about the Canadian military?
First off, I'm not 'snarking' about the Canadian military - the loss of its once vaunted military is a bad thing for Canada.
If you think the military tail wags the American dog, then you've been watching entirely too many silly movies and not bothering to pay attention to actual military deployments. The only ones you find talking about 'drawbacks to having the world's largest military' are those who want to spend that money on their own enthusiasms.
As for the bit about Canadians being 'jealous', that was a throw-away line about a song irritating ab initio.
Neither resentful nor jealous.
I'm not Canadian.
My bad—read your post too quickly. But I'm still a bit confused as to why you think that Canadians should be jealous or resentful about the relative size of their armed forces. Most Americans these days will tell you that there are plenty of drawbacks to having the world's largest military. Too often the tail wags the dog.
Btw—how did you jump from a song about American women to snarking about the Canadian military?
Neither resentful nor jealous.
I'm not Canadian.
Nothing in the list of available tunes, would be sweet though.
The greatest piece of gobbledy-gook...
Canada once had the 3rd largest navy in the world: now, well you've fewer ships than the Philippines.
Canada's troops were once considered so tough they were assigned one of the worst beaches at Normandy: now, well you've got maybe a 1,000 more troops than Saudi Arabia.
Canada once had a decent air force: now, you've got 30 more aircraft than Mexico.
In every category Canada, which once boxed well outside of its weight, is hardly more capable than any third-rank country dependent on others for their defense.
So, yeah, jealous. Resentful, too.
My friend, if you checked out the percentage of the US federal budget going to the military (as "defense") and explored the modern-day instances of the American "military-industrial complex" that Eisenhower warned about, then you'd be neither resentful nor jealous.
Canada once had the 3rd largest navy in the world: now, well you've fewer ships than the Philippines.
Canada's troops were once considered so tough they were assigned one of the worst beaches at Normandy: now, well you've got maybe a 1,000 more troops than Saudi Arabia.
Canada once had a decent air force: now, you've got 30 more aircraft than Mexico.
In every category Canada, which once boxed well outside of its weight, is hardly more capable than any third-rank country dependent on others for their defense.
So, yeah, jealous. Resentful, too.
... A friend of mine saw Led Zeppelin around 1970 and said that they closed out the evening with this song.
That's hawt!
Well said!
It's a bunch of Canadians. They're jealous.
Ya, that's right . . . we're jealous.
Lame in 2010
If you're referring to the lame remake, I agree. The original is still the best and still cool.
Lame in 2010
You're more than welcome to them.
According to the 'Song Info' link above, the last three lines are:
"Goodbye, American woman
Goodbye, American chick
Goodbye, American broad ..."
But I like romeotuna's version better, too!
Alway's thought it was Goodbye, American bitch
I always thought it was intended to be a metaphor for America in general; I think it is this verse specifically that formed this opinion for me...
American Woman, said get away ...
I don't need your war machines
I don't need your ghetto scenes
It's a bunch of Canadians. They're jealous.
hehe :) The women are fine! The song is more about America herself, questioning some of her motives and actions.
This is a great song... it is funny how every single American radio station cuts out the last line of the song, which is "Goodbye American shit..."
According to the 'Song Info' link above, the last three lines are:
"Goodbye, American woman
Goodbye, American chick
Goodbye, American broad ..."
But I like romeotuna's version better, too!
It is funny that you said that. A friend of mine saw Led Zeppelin around 1970 and said that they closed out the evening with this song.
Often Romeo's version of reality is more entertaining....
True that. . .
Good one.
The acoustic intro to this version adds a lot.
Unless I'm mistaken, the last line is "Goodbye American chick"
Often Romeo's version of reality is more entertaining....
This is a great song... it is funny how every single American radio station cuts out the last line of the song, which is "Goodbye American shit..."
Unless I'm mistaken, the last line is "Goodbye American chick"
A little while ago, I heard this song being played at a local Safeway supermarket. Its actually shows the amazing strength of the US, at least in the past decades.
The Guess Who muster up all their outrage towards their giant neighbor to the south, and bravely and brazenly aim their musical screed at it.
The giant reacts! It yawns, scratches itself, thinks the song's kinda groovy, and simply absorbs it.
I suppose that you can see the situation this way, but I think it is more that music may have a message or meaning for one person and simply be music to another. After all, why would the Small Faces' Itchycoo Park be played over the speakers in a Seven-Eleven if anyone there cared about the lyrics? (I was bemused to hear this once while searching the beer case in such a store, considering that the subject matter is so obviously about buying drugs and consuming them, with apparent pleasure). This is one of the paradoxes of music. One can listen to the words and be moved. One can also enjoy the sound of instruments and completely miss the meaning of the words. This has little to do with the strength of America, or lack thereof. And anyway, the Guess Who was one of a number of bands with hits at the time (the Vietnam War was in the background, among other things) and this is one more of a large number of radio hits of that era. How many lyrics have been broadcast that meant a great deal to the composer and easily slipped into pablum in the minds of the listeners?