"XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)" is a song written by
Matraca Berg and
Alice Randall
Alice Randall (born May 4, 1959) is an American author and songwriter. She is perhaps best known for her novel ''The Wind Done Gone'', a reinterpretation and parody of the popular 1936 novel ''Gone with the Wind (novel), Gone with the Wind''.
E ...
, 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 and her first since "
She's in Love with the Boy
"She's in Love with the Boy" is the debut single by American country music artist Trisha Yearwood. It was written by Jon Ims and was released in March 1991, from her self-titled debut album. The song reached number one on the ''Billboard'' U.S. H ...
" 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
''Trisha's Southern Kitchen'' is an American cooking television series that airs on Food Network. It is presented by singer and chef Trisha Yearwood; and the series features Yearwood cooking southern-inspired meals for her family and friends.
'' ...
''.
Content
The song is narrated by Yearwood and 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
Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...
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.
Critical reception
Deborah Evans Price, of ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' 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."
['']Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'', July 9, 1994: Vol. 106 Iss. 28 - p. 69
Charts
"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.
Year-end charts
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Xxx's and Ooo's An American Girl
1994 singles
1994 songs
Trisha Yearwood songs
Songs written by Matraca Berg
Song recordings produced by Garth Fundis
MCA Records singles