"XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)" is a song written by Matraca Berg and Alice Randall, and recorded by American country music singer Trisha Yearwood. It was released in June 1994 as the lead single from her album Thinkin' About You. The song became her second number-one hit on the US country chart[1] and her first since "She's in Love with the Boy" in 1991. The single also peaked at number 14 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and number one on the Canadian Country singles chart. It is the theme song to her Food Network show Trisha's Southern Kitchen.
| "XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Trisha Yearwood | ||||
| from the album Thinkin' About You | ||||
| B-side | "One in a Row" | |||
| Released | June 28, 1994 | |||
| Studio | Sound Emporium (Nashville, Tennessee) | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:49 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Matraca Berg, Alice Randall | |||
| Producer(s) | Garth Fundis | |||
| Trisha Yearwood singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In co-writing the song with Berg, Alice Randall became the second African-American woman to write a number-one country hit.[2]
Content
editThe song tells the story of a young woman who has dreams and ambitions, but also discusses how she works hard and is a simple American girl who "signs her letters with XXX's and OOO's". She dreams of becoming successful in a man's world, citing her father as an example. The chorus verifies how the woman is a simple American girl. In the song, there are references to R&B/soul singer Aretha Franklin and country singer Patsy Cline. The song was also the theme to a television pilot titled XXX's and OOO's, which was pitched to CBS in late 1994.[3]
Critical reception
editDeborah Evans Price, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song unfavorably, saying that the song is obviously supposed to mean something, "with its rapid-fire scheme and assertive-woman references." She goes on to say that the song ends up "sounding like exactly what it is - the theme to a bad television show."[4]
Charts
edit"XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)" debuted at number 73 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart for the week of July 9, 1994.
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[5] | 1 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[6] | 14 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[7] | 1 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (1994) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[8] | 70 |
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[9] | 6 |
References
edit- ^ "Trisha Yearwood biography". allmusic. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
- ^ "Tracy Chapman Now First Black Woman to Hit No. 1 on Country Airplay as Sole Writer — Who Is the Only Black Male Writer to Have Achieved the Same?"Billboard, July 3, 2023, accessed March 24, 2024
- ^ Vincent Terrace. Encyclopedia of Television Pilots: 2,470 Films Broadcast 1937-2019, 2d ed. p. 275.
- ^ Billboard, July 9, 1994: Vol. 106 Iss. 28 - p. 69
- ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 2604." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. September 26, 1994. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
- ^ "Trisha Yearwood Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Trisha Yearwood Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1994". RPM. December 12, 1994. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
- ^ "Best of 1994: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1994. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
