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The Penguin Discography: American Girl




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    Song Title »
American Girl
    Authors »
Tom Petty

    Year Written »
1976

    Lyrics »

Well she was an American girl raised on promises
She couldn't help thinkin' that there was a little more to life somewhere else
After all it was a great big world with lots of places to run to and if she had to die trying
She had one little promise she was gonna keep

CHORUS
Oh yeah
All right
Take it easy baby
Make it last all night
She was an American girl.

Well it was kinda cold that night
She stood alone on her balcony
She could hear the cars roll by.
Out on 441 like waves crashin' on the beach and for one desperate moment there he crept back in her memory
God it's so painful when something that's
So close is still so far out of reach

(Repeat Chorus)

    Tabs »
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    Performances »
Performance #1:
Running Time 3:50
Performers Tom Petty (6 String Electric Guitars), Tom Petty (6 String Acoustic Guitars), Tom Petty (12-String Electric Guitars), Tom Petty (12-String Acoustic Guitars), Tom Petty (Vocals), Mike/Michael Campbell (Lead Guitar), Mike/Michael Campbell (12-String Guitars), Mike/Michael Campbell (Lap Steel Guitars), Mike/Michael Campbell (Slide Guitars), Howie Epstein (Bass), Howie Epstein (Mandolin), Howie Epstein (Harmony Vocals), Ben(mont) (M.) Tench(, III) (Keyboards), Ben(mont) (M.) Tench(, III) (Vocals), Stan Lynch (Drums), Stan Lynch (Vocals), Jimmy Z(avala)/Z(anala) (Saxes), Jimmy Z(avala)/Z(anala) (Harmonica), Lee Thornburg/Thornberg/Thomberg (Trumpets), Lee Thornburg/Thornberg/Thomberg (Flugel Horn), Nick Lane (Trombones), Nick Lane (Euphonium), Pat Peterson (Backing Vocals), Pat Peterson (Percussion), Caroll Sue Hill (Backing Vocals), Caroll Sue Hill (Percussion), Doug Field (Recorded By), Mike Carver (Recorded By)
CommentsRecorded at the Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, California. Engineered in the Westwood One Mobile truck, either August 6th or 7th, 1985. With Soul Lips Horns & The Rebeletts.
Appears On
Pack Up The Plantation: Live (0000)
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Performance #2:
Running Time 3:34
Performers Tom Petty (Lead Vocals), Tom Petty (Background Vocals), Tom Petty (Guitars), Mike/Michael Campbell (Lead Guitar), Mike/Michael Campbell (Synthesizer), Ben(mont) (M.) Tench(, III) (Piano), Ron Blair (Bass Guitar), Stan Lynch (Drums), Phil Seymour (Background Vocals), Denny Cordell (Produced By), Noah Shark (Engineered By), Noah Shark (Mixed By), Max Reese (Engineered By), Max Reese (Mixed By)
CommentsRecorded and mixed at: Shelter Studios, Hollywood, CA (Gone Gator Records/MCA Records) There is a famous story that Roger McGuinn of the Byrds was driving in his car, heard 'American Girl' for the first time, and thought it was something he had recorded and forgotten. When he realized it wasn't, he cut the song himself but could not convince his record label that it was a potential hit and should be released as a single. Eventually the song became the first big FM track (it never was a 45) for the Heartbreakers. "Michael and I swear that we hadn't thought about the Byrds," Petty says. "I wrote it at home on an acoustic guitar to a Bo Diddley beat. I think we actually recorded it on the 4th of July. When we finished the record nobody said anything about the Byrds for some time. I don't think we could have been that egotistical - to think we could sound like the Byrds. That would have been too high a plateau for us. By the way, there's no twelve string guitar on that track. It's our two six-strings playing together. And that track sold more twelve-strings..."
Appears On
Playback (1995)
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Performance #3:
Running Time 4:28
Performers Roger McGuinn (Vocals), Rick Vito (Vocals), Rick Vito (Guitars), Roger McGuinn (Guitar), Rick Vito (Dobro), Rick Vito (Mouth Harp), Greg Thomas (Drums), Greg Thomas (Percussion), Charlie Harrison (Vocals), Charlie Harrison (Bass Guitar), Marty Grebb (Keyboards), Tom Scott (Sax Solo)
Appears On
Born To Rock And Roll (1991)
Roger McGuinn
Thunderbyrd (0000)
Roger McGuinn
Performance #4:
Running Time 3:40
Performers Tom Petty (Vocals), Tom Petty (Guitar), Mike/Michael Campbell (Guitar), Ben(mont) (M.) Tench(, III) (Keyboards), Stan Lynch (Drums), Howie Epstein (Bass), Jimmy Z(avala)/Z(anala) (Saxes), Lee Thornburg/Thornberg/Thomberg (Trumpets), Nick Lane (Trombones), Pat Peterson (Backing Vocals), Caroll Sue Hill (Backing Vocals)
Comments(Live)
Appears On
A Bunch Of Videos And Some Other Stuff (0000)
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

    Comments »

(C) 1976 Skyhill Pub. Co., Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved./Almo Irving BMI

    Reviews »
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    Last Modified »
2009-06-29