"American Blood" is a song by Texan Red Dirt band

Reckless Kelly ''Reckless Kelly'' is a 1993 Australian comedy film produced, written, directed and starring Yahoo Serious. It co-stars Melora Hardin, Alexei Sayle and Hugo Weaving. The story is a satirical take on a modern-day Ned Kelly, a famous Australian ou ...

, for their fifth 2008 studio album, ''

Bulletproof Bulletproofing is the process of making an object capable of stopping a bullet or similar high velocity projectiles (e.g. shrapnel). The term bullet resistance is often preferred because few, if any, practical materials provide complete protecti ...

''. It is "an anti-war anthem".

Meaning

When writing the song, lead singer Willy Braun "knew some people were not going to like it". He pleads, however, that people understand that "is not an attack on them or their sons and daughters in the military, but an attempt to shed light on the cold hard truth that not everything about this war makes sense". He also comments that "there are some people in Washington making a lot of money on this war at the expense of the 30,000+ American soldiers who have been killed or injured on the frontlines."

Reception

Nick Spitzer, host of the radio program ''

American Routes American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

'', said "'American Blood' could be the song that legitimizes critiquing America while loving the country." About the song's meaning,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

notes that "People end up endlessly disappointed and frustrated when encountering the paradox of who their nation says they are and what the nation is in and of itself". On "American Blood", CMT says "Reckless Kelly isn't afraid to speak out, however this may be taken. "American Blood" has such lyrics as '''Johnny can't drink 'cause Johnny ain't 21/But he's 18 and pretty handy with a gun.'''"

Awards

"American Blood" received an honorable mention in the "

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

" section of the International Songwriting Competition.

References

2008 songs Reckless Kelly (band) songs {{2000s-country-song-stub