Wikipedia

All-American Bitch

"All-American Bitch" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo. It is the opening track on her second studio album, Guts (2023), which was released on September 8, 2023, by Geffen Records. Rodrigo wrote it with her producer Dan Nigro. A folk song that transforms into a pop-punk song midway, "All-American Bitch" was inspired by an essay written by Joan Didion that used the titular words. Its lyrics are about the societal expectations placed on women.

"All-American Bitch"
Song by Olivia Rodrigo
from the album Guts
ReleasedSeptember 8, 2023 (2023-09-08)
Genre
Length2:45
LabelGeffen
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Dan Nigro
Lyric video
"All-American Bitch" on YouTube

Background edit

After the commercial success of her debut studio album, Sour (2021),[1] Olivia Rodrigo continued collaborating with Dan Nigro, who had produced all of the tracks on it.[2] The follow-up album, Guts (2023), was conceived when she was aged 19, a year that she described as "lots of confusion, mistakes, awkwardness & good old fashioned teen angst".[3] The album and its title were announced on June 26, 2023, and its lead single, "Vampire", was released four days later.[4][5] The song reached number one in various countries,[6][7] including the United States, where it became her third number one single on the Billboard Hot 100.[8] "Bad Idea Right?" was chosen as the follow-up single.[9]

Rodrigo wrote "All-American Bitch" with Nigro.[10] She told Zane Lowe in an interview for Apple Music: "I really love the song [..] It's one of my favorite songs I've ever written. I really love the lyrics of it and I think it expresses something that I've been trying to express since I was 15 years old, this repressed pressed anger and feeling of confusion or trying to be put into a box as a girl."[11] The song began on a piano but was eventually turned into an "intense rock song". Rodrigo stated that the title was derived from an essay by Joan Didion (the titular essay in Slouching Towards Bethlehem): "[...] she wrote about hippies in San Francisco and running away from home. One of the runaways was talking about his mom back home and said that she was an 'all-American bitch.' I was like, 'Wow, that's so cool.' It's such a provocative set of words. I sat down the next day at the piano and wrote 'All-American Bitch.'... You never know the trajectory a song is going to take."[12] On August 1, 2023, Rodrigo revealed Guts's tracklist, which features "All-American Bitch" as the first track.[13] The song was released as a track of Guts on September 8, 2023. via Geffen Records.[14] A rehearsal video accompanied its release, in which Rodrigo sports a shirt with a picture of Fiona Apple.[15]

Composition edit

"All-American Bitch" is two minutes and 45 seconds long.[14] Nigro engineered the song with Sam Stewart, Sterling Laws, Dave Schiffman, and Jasmine Chen and provided production and vocal production. He plays acoustic guitar, electric guitar, percussion, bass, synthesizer, and drum programming; Stewart plays acoustic guitar and electric guitar; Laws plays drums; and Ryan Linvill plays bass. Spike Stent mixed the song, and Randy Merrill mastered it.[10]

"All-American Bitch" begins as a "wind-swept folk hymn before abruptly turning into a pop-punk thrasher" according to Billboard's Jason Lipshutz. The song's lyrics pay homage to how young women are expected never to display unhappiness, and incorporates Rodrigo's screams in its production.[16] Rodrigo starts by singing over soft guitar strums, detailing a portrayal of perfection: "I am light as a feather and as stiff as a board / I pay attention to things that most people ignore." During the chorus which features drums and guitars, her delivery gets more aggressive: "I forgive and I forget / I know my age and I act like it." Rodrigo assumes a gentle tone in the verses and a furious one in the choruses. Rodrigo includes lyrics about how women are expected to hold back their anger or be called too emotional. Some of her vocals in the song received comparisons to Avril Lavigne and Alanis Morissette.[11] The bridge contains Rodrigo screaming, while the outro lines parody the several prize acceptance speeches she has already delivered: "All the time, I'm grateful all the time / I'm sexy and I'm kind / I'm pretty when I cry."[16]

Reception edit

In a ranking of all songs on Guts, Lipshutz named "All-American Bitch" the second best track and stated: "the track is a tour de force album opener that once again demonstrates Rodrigo's singular gift for genre refraction". He compared the song to the Sour track "Brutal" and thought both of them proved her versatility.[16] Elle's Erica Gonzales believed "All-American Bitch" was a "killer opener" and "as punchy as the title suggests, though [listeners] wouldn't be able to tell from the first few notes". She opined the drums in the chorus hit "like a tantrum" and "the melody swings from sweet to sour (pardon the pun), angelic to chaotic".[11] While comparing Guts to a "soundtrack to the best early 2000s teen comedy that never existed", The A.V. Club's Mary Kate Carr felt it was a song that would have fit the 1999 10 Things I Hate About You soundtrack.[15] Following the release of "All-American Bitch", online TikTok videos compared its chorus to Miley Cyrus's 2008 single "Start All Over".[15][17]

Critics' rankings of "All-American Bitch"
Publication List Rank Ref.
BBC The Best Songs of 2023 5 [18]
Esquire The 20 Best Songs of 2023 N/A [19]

Usage in media edit

"All-American Bitch" appeared in the trailer for Apple TV+ series The Buccaneers, which premiered on November 8, 2023.[20]

Credits and personnel edit

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Guts.[10]

  • Olivia Rodrigo – vocals, background vocals, songwriter
  • Dan Nigro – producer, songwriter, engineer, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, percussion, vocal producer, bass, synthesizer, drum programming, background vocals
  • Sam Stewart – engineer, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
  • Sterling Laws – drums, engineer
  • Dave Schiffman – engineer
  • Jasmine Chen – engineer
  • Ryan Linvill – bass
  • Randy Merrill – mastering
  • Spike Stent – mixing

Charts edit

Certifications edit

Certifications for "All-American Bitch"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[36] Gold 35,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[37] Gold 40,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[38] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References edit

  1. ^ Blistein, Jon (June 13, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo Is Finally Ready to Release New Music". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  2. ^ Unterberger, Andrew (February 23, 2022). "Woman of the Year Olivia Rodrigo Is Writing New Music (and Reuniting with a Big Collaborator)". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Dailey, Hannah (June 26, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo Announces Sophomore Album Guts: Here's When It Arrives". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  4. ^ Shafer, Ellise (June 26, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo Announces Sophomore Album, Guts, Coming in September". Variety. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  5. ^ Denis, Kyle (June 21, 2023). "Fans Think Olivia Rodrigo Shared a Snippet of New Song 'Vampire': Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  6. ^ Brandle, Lars (July 7, 2023). "Taylor Swift Sets Chart Record in Australia with Top-Five Sweep". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  7. ^ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100: Week of July 15, 2023". Billboard. July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  8. ^ Trust, Gary (July 10, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo's 'Vampire' Debuts as Her Third Billboard Hot 100 No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  9. ^ Dailey, Hannah (August 7, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo Announces Next Guts Single 'Bad Idea Right?': Here's When It Arrives". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 7, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c Geffen Records (2023). Guts (Media notes). Olivia Rodrigo.
  11. ^ a b c Gonzales, Erica (September 9, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo's 'All-American Bitch' Lyrics Capture the Frustration of Being a Girl". Elle. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  12. ^ Gibson, Kelsie (September 8, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo's Guts Lyrics Explained: A Guide to All the Songs on Her New Album". People. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  13. ^ Dailey, Hannah (August 1, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo Unveils Guts Tracklist: 'All American B—h,' 'Get Him Back' & More Song Titles". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Rodrigo, Olivia (September 8, 2023). "Guts". Apple Music (US). Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  15. ^ a b c Carr, Mary Kate (September 9, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo's Guts sounds familiar in the best way possible". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  16. ^ a b c Lipshutz, Jason (September 8, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo's Guts: All 12 Songs Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  17. ^ Kickham, Dylan (September 10, 2023). "Olivia Is Facing Sampling Drama Again with 1 Miley Soundalike Guts Song". Elite Daily. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  18. ^ "Billie Eilish, Blur and SZA: The best songs of 2023". BBC News. December 29, 2023. Archived from the original on December 30, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  19. ^ McNeal, Bria (December 1, 2023). "The 20 Best Songs of 2023". Esquire. Archived from the original on December 29, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  20. ^ "Apple TV+ debuts trailer and key art for new drama, "The Buccaneers," premiering November 8 and inspired by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edith Wharton's final novel". Apple TV+ Press. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  21. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  22. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  23. ^ "Top Singles (Week 37, 2023)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  24. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  25. ^ "IFPI Charts". www.ifpi.gr. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  26. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo Chart History (Ireland Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  27. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  28. ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 08.09.2023–14.09.2023.) (in Polish). OLiS. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  29. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo – All-American Bitch". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  30. ^ "RIAS Top Charts Week 37 (8 - 14 Sep 2023)". RIAS. Archived from the original on September 19, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  31. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 37". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  32. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  33. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  34. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  35. ^ "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  36. ^ "Jan 2024 Single Accreds" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  37. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Olivia Rodrigo – All-American Bitch". Music Canada. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  38. ^ "British single certifications – Olivia Rodrigo – All-American Bitch". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
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