Guess Who – American Woman

“American Woman” – Single by the Guess Who from the album American Woman
B-side: “No Sugar Tonight”
Released: March 1970
Recorded: August 13, 1969
Label: RCA Victor
Songwriters: Burton Cummings, Garry Peterson, Jim Kale, Randy Bachman
Producer: Jack Richardson
Charted No.1 in US and No.19 in UK

The Guess Who can thank a bootlegger for their first-ever chart-topping Billboard single.

“American Woman” grew out of a loose jam session while on stage, as guitarist Randy Bachman played a riff while frontman Burton Cummings – who’d been ruminating on the differences between women in the U.S. and their native Canada – sang whatever came to mind.

One of the most misinterpreted songs ever, this is often heard as a patriotic ode or a tribute to American women. It’s usually American listeners who arrive at the jingoistic conclusions, ignoring a very clear lyric: “American Woman, get away from me.”

The first time the band performed this in completed form was before 150,000 people at the Seattle Pop Festival in 1969. The crowd loved it even though they had never heard it.

Randy Bachman calls the distinctive guitar sound he used on this song “The Herzog.” To get the effect, he would overdrive the preamp (setting it to 9 or 10) while the normal volume settings are turned down. The sound does not get any louder, but gradually it grows dirtier and finally ends up creating a cello-like effect.

“American Woman” topped the Billboard charts on May 9, 1970 and remained there for three weeks. That made the Guess Who the first-ever Canadian band to reach No. 1. Ironically, the group was in the U.S. when they found out.