"American Boy” is a song by British singer and rapper Estelle featuring American rapper Kanye West from the former's second studio album Shine (2008). The song was written by the artists, alongside Ethan Hendrickson, will.i.am, John Legend (who provides additional background vocals), Josh Lopez, Caleb Speir, and Keith Harris. It was produced by will.i.am, and uses the instrumental from "Impatient" from his own third studio album Songs About Girls (2007). "American Boy" is a breezy R&B and 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 a man from the United States.
"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, and peaked at number-one in Flanders, Slovakia, and Estelle's native United Kingdom. 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. Estelle and West performed the song at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards and 2008 Grammy Awards.
Background and composition
"It's a song as breezy as air, so carefree its gorgeously channeled vocals practically float off from the grounded four-on-the-floor disco beat and Quincy-Jones-producing-Michael-Jackson funk bass. It's a pure pop gem with a joyful bounce, verdant in textures (particularly the sunglassed analogue synth stabs), contagiously catchy, danceable and singable, and lyrically devoid of depth or scope, like an aimlessly pleasant walk in the park."
— Timothy Gabriele of PopMatters commenting about "American Boy".[1]
"American Boy" was written by Estelle, will.i.am, John Legend, Kanye West, Josh Lopez, Caleb Speir, Ethan Hendrickson and Keith Harris. It was also produced by will.i.am and recorded over the instrumental of his song "Impatient", from his third studio album Songs About Girls (2007). The credits of Lopez, Speir, and Harris were the result of this sampling.[2] In a 2008 interview with Pete Lewis of Blues & Soul, Estelle explained how the song came to fruition: "We were just messing about in the studio, joking around. And John (Legend) just said to me 'Why don't you write a song about meeting an American boy?'. So I was like 'Well, that's pretty easy' - because I have a lot of male friends out there in New York. And I unwittingly ended up creating a new ladies' anthem!"[3] She also spoke about West's involvement on the song, commenting "Kanye basically just brought his own cheeky self to the track, his own sense of humour. At first he was like 'How can you rap over a dance beat?' - and now he's DONE it!"[3] Instrumentation on the track includes drums, keys, synths, and bass; the former were provided by will.i.am while Caleb Speir provided the latter. will.i.am also co-recorded and co-engineered the song with Padriac Kerin at The Record Plant in Hollywood, Florida as well as Hit Factory Criteria and Circle House Studios in Miami. Serge Tsai mixed the song and recorded West's rap at Platinum Sound Recording Studios in New York City.
"American Boy" is an R&B, disco and funk song with a tempo of 118 beats per minute.[4][5] Estelle's vocals, which have been described as "sweet" and "flirty", ranges from B3 to E5.[2][4] Timothy Gabriele of PopMatters described Estelle's vocals as those of one connecting "with her inner soul chanteuse".[1] West's rap verse has been described by The New York Times's Jon Caramanica as "perfunctory" and idling "cool".[1][6] Lyrically, the song describes a foreign woman's interest in a male American suitor, listing places such as New York and Los Angeles as sites she wants to visit.[2] Timothy Gabriele of PopMatters found the song's lyrics to be about "the thrill of new experience, the excitement of a being in a fresh, unexplored environment while simultaneously meeting someone new."[1]
Release
"American Boy" was released as the second single from Shine on 24 March 2008.[7] "American Boy" was released on third CD single formats, as well as a promo single, a maxi single, and 12-inch picture discs. The second CD single contains a radio remix of the song by UK dance and remix group Soul Seekerz.[8] The third CD single features "Lift to Me", a song recorded by US rapper and producer Hi-Tek, featuring Estelle, for his fourth studio album Hi-Teknology 3 (2007). It also includes the music video for the single.[9] The maxi single includes several remixes of the song by Soul Seekerz and TS7 as well as the uncensored version, the version excluding West rap segment, and the song's instrument.[10] The promo single features remixes by TS7 and different versions of the single.[11] The 12-inch disc includes the TS7 remix and remixes of the previous single "Wait a Minute (Just a Touch)" by British electronic duo The Count & Sinden and British disc jockey Aaron Ross.[12] The 12-inch promo features "Wait a Minute (Just a Touch)" and instrumental versions of both songs.[13]
Mariel Concepcion of Billboard called "American Boy" "a charming duet with West".[15] Andy Kellman of AllMusic, Luke Bainbridge of Observer Music Monthly and Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine named the song as a standout on its parent album.[5][16][17] Bill Lamb of About.com gave the song a four star rating, listing the chemistry between Estelle and West, the song's beat and Estelle's vocals as the song's highlights. Lamb also added "This song is perfection for a slick, summery glide across the dance floor."[2]
Alex Fletcher of Digital Spy found "American Boy" to "boasts bags of self-confidence ("Don't like his baggy jeans but I like what's underneath 'em," she purrs at one point), a winning chorus and sultry, super-sleek production from Will.i.am and John Legend" while commenting "it shouldn't have taken a guest spot from the self-proclaimed King of Hip-Hop to make this tune a hit."[14] Timothy Gabriele of PopMatters called the song "an essential piece of ebullient summer musical manna rained down from empyreal heights and granted to us passive listeners as one final gift before the world spirals off into an inescapable vortex of cyclones, earthquakes, economic collapse, and a doom-sealing Presidential race."[1] Joshua Love of Pitchfork praised the song's hook and will.i.am's production work.[18] while Omar Jenning of The Skinny was dismissive of West's rap interlude.[19] Ben Hogwood of musicOMH lauded the song as an example of how "Estelle has added a large pinch of soul to take her music to the next level."[20]
"American Boy" was listed number 7 on the 100 Best Songs of 2008, published by the music magazine Rolling Stone.[31]Blender named it the fourth best song of 2008.[32] The song also ranked the 10th best song of 2008[33] and 238th on the Top 500 songs of the 2000s, published by Pitchfork.[34]The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop annual critics' poll ranked "American Boy" at number 2 to find the best music of 2008, after M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes". MTV listed the song fourth on its list of "Best Songs of 2008".[35]PopMatters named "American Boy" the best single of 2008.[36]BBC America listed "American Boy" at eighty-five on its list of "Top 100 British Songs of the 21st Century".[37] in 2019, Time Out included it in its list of the 50 best songs of the 2000s.[38] In 2020, The Guardian named it the eighty-fifth greatest ever UK no. 1.[39]
Chart performance
"American Boy" proved to be an international success, outperforming Estelle's previous singles in the United Kingdom and stands as her most successful single worldwide. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number 72 on 31 March 2008. It dropped out of the Top 75 the following week and re-entered at number one a week later, where it remained for four consecutive weeks.[40] It lasted thirty two weeks on the singles chart, earning a triple platinum certification for sales exceeding 1,800,000 copies.[41] It landed on the UK year end chart at number six and on the end of the decade chart at number 83. In Ireland, "American Boy" entered the singles chart number eight and rose to peak at number two one week later.[42]
In the Flanders region of Belgium, "American Boy" entered the chart at number 41 on 26 April 2008. The song advanced to the top twenty in the following week and inside the top ten three weeks later. It reached the chart's summit on 7 June 2008, where it remained for another week.[43] The song charted in the top five for eleven consecutive weeks and lasted a total of twenty four weeks on the chart.[43] "American Boy" reached number four in the Wallonia region of Belgium and lasted twenty five weeks on the chart.[44] The song also reached number one in Slovakia;[45] number three in Denmark,[46] France,[47] Hungary[48] and Italy;[49] and number five in Germany,[50] the Netherlands,[51] and Switzerland.[52]
In Australia, "American Boy" entered the singles chart at number seven, earning the title of the week's "highest debut".[53] The song rose to number three four weeks later, where it stayed for three consecutive weeks.[54] "American Boy" earned a platinum certification by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for sales exceeding 70,000 units. In New Zealand, the single debuted at number 25 on 31 March 2008 and rose to its peak position of number five four weeks later. The song remained on the chart for thirteen more weeks.[55]
"American Boy" experienced great chart success in the United States. The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on 3 May 2008, slowly rising the chart until it reached number 11 almost four months later.[56][57] It was later removed from iTunes resulting in its fall to number 37 on 6 September 2008.[58] The song was re-added to iTunes, causing a resurgence in downloads that aided its rise to its peak position of number nine on 27 September 2008, selling 91,000 downloads.[59][60] "American Boy" became Estelle's highest-charting single in the United States, ahead of "Thank You" (2011), which only peaked at number 100. It ended the year at number 39 on the Hot 100 year-end chart and as the thirty-third best selling song of 2008.[61] The song was also her best selling single there, selling 2 million downloads and earning a double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[62] As of September 2009, "American Boy" was the 25th best-selling downloaded song of all time in the UK,[63] and as of November 2011, it was the 17th best-selling digital song by a British artist in the United States.[64]
Estelle performed "American Boy" at various awards shows, where the song also earned her nominations for several categories. She first performed it on The Friday Night Project on 21 March 2008. Estelle performed the song with Kanye West at the Fête de la Musique on 21 June 2008.[67] She performed the song at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards with Kanye West singing his rap section, during an image of then newly elected United States president Barack Obama appeared on a giant screen.[citation needed] She later performed it at the 2008 World Music Awards, hosted in Monte Carlo, Monaco, with a live band.[68] Estelle performed a mash up of the song with the Ting Tings "Shut Up and Let Me Go" and "That's Not My Name" at the 2009 BRIT Awards.[69] West also performed the track at the Coke Live Music Festival in 2011.
Busta Rhymes produced a remix version of the song with Estelle, talking over Kanye West's rap section. Both Lost Frequencies and Dutch DJ Brooks also produced remixes of the song in 2019.
Pitbull remixed the song on the track "American War" from his 2008 mixtape Free Agent, changing the lyrics to be about George W. Bush and the Iraq war, and sampling Edwin Starr's 1970 hit "War" on the chorus.[70]
The song has received international parodies, with the name being changed to the synonymous countries. These parodies include Hamish & Andy's "Armenian Boy" and JoePolitics's "Ukrainian Boy".
In late 2020, a Fortnite-themed parody called "Chug Jug With You", made in late 2018 by YouTuber Leviathan, became popular on the social media app TikTok.[74][75] On November 20, 2023, the official Fortnite TikTok posted a silent clip that matched up perfectly to the song, leading to speculation that the song could be coming to the game.[76]
In 2022, the beat of "American Boy" was sampled on "Party Time", the debut single from UK comedy rap trio The Northern Boys.[77]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
طواف بولندا 2011 طواف العالم للدراجات 2011 السباق 19 من 27 السلسلة طواف العالم للدراجات 2011 رقم السباق 19 سباقات الموسم 27 التاريخ 31 يوليو – 6 أغسطس التاريخ بداية:31 يوليو 2011 نهاية:6 أغسطس 2011 عدد المراحل 7 عدد الرياضيين 176 المسافة 1113.3 كم الزمن 26 ساعة 40 دقيقة 01 ثانية البلد بولندا…
Delhi School of Professional Studies and ResearchTypePublicEstablished1999LocationNew Delhi, India28°43′52″N 77°05′46″E / 28.731°N 77.096°E / 28.731; 77.096CampusUrbanChairmanB.P. SinghAffiliationsGGSIPUWebsitehttp://www.dspsr.in Delhi School of Professional Studies and Research, is a business school located in New Delhi, India.[1] The school was established in 1998 along with the establishment of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University from which th…
Canadian soccer player Olivier Occéan Occéan with Greuther Fürth in 2012Personal informationFull name Olivier OccéanDate of birth (1981-10-23) October 23, 1981 (age 42)Place of birth Brossard, Quebec, CanadaHeight 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]Position(s) StrikerTeam informationCurrent team Urædd (assistant coach)Youth career1998–2000 Longueuil Select Rive-Sud2000 Essex County College2001–2003 SCSU Fighting OwlsSenior career*Years Team Apps (Gls)2002–2003 Vermont Vo…
Tunisian basketball player (born 1986) Salah Mejriصالح الماجريMejri while playing with Obradoiro in May 2013Personal informationBorn (1986-06-15) June 15, 1986 (age 37)Jendouba, TunisiaNationalityTunisianListed height7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)Listed weight235 lb (107 kg)Career informationNBA draft2008: undraftedPlaying career2006–2023PositionCenterNumber50Career history2006–2010Étoile Sportive du Sahel2010–2012Antwerp Giants2012–2013Obradoiro CAB2013–2…
Meistaraflokkur 1939 Competizione Meistaraflokkur Sport Calcio Edizione 28ª Organizzatore KSI Luogo Islanda Partecipanti 4 Risultati Vincitore Fram(11º titolo) Cronologia della competizione 1938 1940 Manuale La Meistaraflokkur 1939 fu la 28ª edizione del campionato di calcio islandese concluso con la vittoria del Fram al suo undicesimo titolo. Indice 1 Formula 2 Squadre partecipanti 3 Classifica finale 3.1 Verdetti 4 Collegamenti esterni Formula Nessuna modifica rispetto alla stagione p…
Romance language This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Haketia – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) HaketiaHakitia, Haquitía, Western Judeo-SpanishAn original letter in Solitreo script from Tangier, written in 1832.Native toNorth …
American actress and television presenter Alyson HanniganHannigan in 2013BornAllison Lee Hannigan (1974-03-24) March 24, 1974 (age 50)Washington, D.C., U.S.Other namesAlyson DenisofEducationCalifornia State University, Northridge (BA)OccupationsActresstelevision presenterYears active1986–presentSpouse Alexis Denisof (m. 2003)Children2Signature Allison Lee Hannigan (born March 24, 1974), known professionally as Alyson Hannigan, is an American actres…
This article is currently being merged. After a discussion, consensus to merge this article with Projectile motion was found. You can help implement the merge by following the instructions at Help:Merging and the resolution on the discussion. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Range of a projectile – news · news…
Державний комітет телебачення і радіомовлення України (Держкомтелерадіо) Приміщення комітетуЗагальна інформаціяКраїна УкраїнаДата створення 2003Керівне відомство Кабінет Міністрів УкраїниРічний бюджет 1 964 898 500 ₴[1]Голова Олег НаливайкоПідвідомчі орг…
Nuri-raja papua Kelamin (kiri betina dan jantan kanan) Status konservasi Risiko Rendah (IUCN 3.1)[1] Klasifikasi ilmiah Kerajaan: Animalia Filum: Chordata Kelas: Aves Ordo: Psittaciformes Famili: Psittaculidae Genus: Aprosmictus Spesies: A. A. erythropterus Nama binomial Aprosmictus A. erythropterusGmelin, 1788 Pesebaran nuri-raja Papua Sinonim Psittacus erythropterus Nuri-raja papua (Aprosmictus erythropterus), merupakan salah satu jenis burung paruh bengkok pemakan biji-biji…
يفتقر محتوى هذه المقالة إلى الاستشهاد بمصادر. فضلاً، ساهم في تطوير هذه المقالة من خلال إضافة مصادر موثوق بها. أي معلومات غير موثقة يمكن التشكيك بها وإزالتها. (ديسمبر 2018) الدوري البرازيلي لكرة القدم 1984 تفاصيل الموسم 1984 النسخة 14 البلد البرازيل التاريخ بداية:28 يناير 1984 …
Acara pencarian bakat sekolah diadakan di St Ninian's High School di Glasgow, Skotlandia. Acara bakat, acara pencarian bakat, atau tayang bakat merupakan acara di mana peserta melakukan talenta bernyanyi, menari, akrobat, peran, drum, seni bela diri, memainkan alat musik, atau kegiatan lainnya untuk menunjukkan keterampilan yang dimilikinya. Banyak acara bakat merupakan suatu pertunjukan daripada kontes, tetapi beberapa diantaranya sesungguhnya merupakan kontes. Dalam contoh kontes, peserta dapa…
Transport aircraft, U.S. Army Air Corps, 1934 XC-31 Role Single-engine transportType of aircraft National origin United States Manufacturer Kreider-Reisner Fairchild Aircraft First flight September 22, 1934 Primary user United States Army Air Corps Number built 1 The Kreider-Reisner XC-31 or Fairchild XC-31 was an American single-engined monoplane transport aircraft of the 1930s designed and built by Kreider-Reisner. It was one of the last fabric-covered aircraft tested by the U.S. Army Air…
1997 live album by Emerson, Lake & PalmerLive at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970Live album by Emerson, Lake & PalmerReleased1997RecordedIsle of Wight Festival29 August 1970GenreProgressive rockLength68:01LabelManticore RecordsSanctuary RecordsProducerEmerson, Lake & PalmerEmerson, Lake & Palmer chronology Live in Poland(1997) Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970(1997) Then & Now(1998) Professional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic[1]Classic Rock[…
Artikel ini sudah memiliki daftar referensi, bacaan terkait, atau pranala luar, tetapi sumbernya belum jelas karena belum menyertakan kutipan pada kalimat. Mohon tingkatkan kualitas artikel ini dengan memasukkan rujukan yang lebih mendetail bila perlu. (Pelajari cara dan kapan saatnya untuk menghapus pesan templat ini) PezotaitUmumKategoriMineral siklosilikatRumus(unit berulang)Cs(Be2Li)Al2Si6O18Simbol IMAPez[1]Sistem kristalTrigonalKelas kristalDipiramidal ditrigonal (3m) (same Simbol H…
Ralph Gonsalves Ralph Everard Gonsalves (lahir 1945) atau dikenal Comrade Ralph, adalah Perdana Menteri Saint Vincent dan Grenadine. Ia menjabat sejak 29 Maret 2001. Ia juga adalah pimpinan Partai Buruh Persatuan (Unity Labour Party) Didahului oleh:Arnhim Eustace Perdana Menteri Saint Vincent dan Grenadine2001– Diteruskan oleh:Masih Menjabat lbsPemimpin ALBA Browne Morales Díaz-Canel Skerrit Mitchell Ortega Drew Pierre Gonsalves Maduro1 1Juan Guaidó diakui oleh Majelis Nasional sebagai …
American Civil War veterans' organization for soldiers and sailors of the CSA United Confederate VeteransAbbreviationUCVSuccessorSons of Confederate VeteransFormationJune 10, 1889 (1889-06-10)DissolvedDecember 31, 1951 (1951-12-31)TypeAmerican Civil War veterans' organizationPurposeSocial, literary, historical and benevolentHeadquartersNew Orleans, LouisianaPublicationThe Confederate VeteranAffiliationsUnited Daughters of the Confederacy Unidentified Civil War veter…
Sandro Magister, all'anagrafe Alessandro Magister (Busto Arsizio, 2 ottobre 1943), è un giornalista e saggista italiano, vaticanista per diverse testate di GEDI Gruppo Editoriale. Indice 1 Biografia 2 Opere 3 Note 4 Altri progetti 5 Collegamenti esterni Biografia Dopo aver studiato teologia, filosofia e storia alla facoltà teologica di Milano e all'Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, ha conseguito la licenza in teologia nel 1967. Collabora dal 1974 al settimanale l'Espresso, trattando speci…
Brig Kapal brig Amerika Serikat Niagara[1] Jenis Kapal layar Negara asal Laut Tengah Spesifikasi Berat Tonase hingga 480 Panjang 30–165 kaki (9–50 m) Awak Bervariasi, 7 sampai 16 untuk berlayar Kecepatan Bervariasi sesuai kondisi, karakteristik lambung kapal, dan konstruksi dan proporsi laberang, kecepatan lebih dari 11 knot (20 km/h) dilaporkan Brig adalah sebuah kapal layar dengan dua tiang kapal berlaberang persegi. Semasa Zaman Layar, brig terlihat cepat dan mudah berma…
