"XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)" is a song written by
Matraca Berg
Matraca Maria Berg Hanna (; born February 3, 1964, in Nashville, Tennessee) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She has released five albums: three for RCA Records, one for Rising Tide Records and one for Dualtone Records, and h ...
and
Alice Randall
Alice Randall (born May 4, 1959) is an American author, songwriter, producer, and lecturer. She is best known for her contributions to country music, in addition to her novel and New York Times bestseller '' The Wind Done Gone'', which is a rein ...
, and recorded by American
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
singer
Trisha Yearwood
Patricia Lynn Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is an American country singer. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single "She's in Love with the Boy", which became a number one hit on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Hot Country Songs ...
. 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" in 1991. The single also peaked at number 14 on the
Bubbling Under Hot 100
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...
chart and number one on the Canadian Country singles chart. It is the theme song to her
Food Network
Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...
show ''
Trisha's Southern Kitchen
''Trisha's Southern Kitchen'' is an American cooking show that aired on Food Network from April 14, 2012 to January 29, 2022. It is presented by singer and chef Trisha Yearwood; and the series features Yearwood cooking southern-inspired meals fo ...
''.
In co-writing the song with Berg,
Alice Randall
Alice Randall (born May 4, 1959) is an American author, songwriter, producer, and lecturer. She is best known for her contributions to country music, in addition to her novel and New York Times bestseller '' The Wind Done Gone'', which is a rein ...
became the second African-American woman to write a number-one
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
hit.
Content
The song tells the story of a young woman who has huge 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. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...
and country singer
Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline (born Virginia Patterson Hensley; September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963) was an American singer. One of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century, she was known as one of the first country music artists to successfully Cross ...
. The song was also the theme to a television pilot titled ''XXX's and OOO's'', which was pitched to
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
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 advertis ...
'' 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 advertis ...
'', 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
Certifications
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