American Woman

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American Woman
The struggles America has dealt with have been expressed in the lyrics of popular songs, specifically issues pertaining to government, politics, the period of the Cold War and Vietnam War. Another American issue that has been expressed in popular music is the drug world and its complications, creating a strong and forceful depiction of America. The song titled “American Woman” has been expressed through many different medium of art. “American Woman” has two versions; the first version was made by the Canadian rock band the “Guess Who”, the second version was made by the American singer and composer Lenny Kravitz. “American Woman” is a successful song that has caused many controversies over the years; for example, regarding the “Guess Who” version, it refers to attacks on U.S. politics and government, especially for the Cold War and Vietnam War, while Kravitz’s version expresses his personal take on drug use and his personal battle with drug addiction.

“American Woman” is a product of the Vietnam War and its issues. When the vocalist of “The Guess Who” referred to American woman, he actually referred to The Unites States. Some lyrics of the song reflect the political and government issues of the U.S. For example, “Don’t come hangin’ around my door, I don’t wanna see your face no more, I got more important things to do, that spend my time growin’ old with you” (L.18-21). This part of the song is basically saying that Canada has its own troubles that they have to deal with, and they don’t need to get into some wars over opinion with the U.S. The “Guess Who” version also refers to America’s imperialistic attitude at the time of the Vietnam War. For instance, “I don’t need your war machine; I don’t need your ghetto scenes” (L. 35-36). This phrase is referring to the nuclear weapons that the U.S. used in Vietnam and the after math of the explosives.

During the time of the Cold War and the Vietnam War, America tried to get Canada to adopt...
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