"The All American Boy" is a 1958 talking blues song written and sung by Bobby Bare, but credited by Fraternity Records to Bill Parsons, [1] with songwriting credit to Bill Parsons and Orville Lunsford. [2] While Bare was in the army, Parsons lip synced the record on television.
The song reached number 2 on the Billboard chart, [3] kept from the number one spot by " Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" by the Platters. [4] Overseas, "The All American Boy" went to number 22 on the UK Singles Chart. [1] It made the top 10 in Australia.
The song was inspired by the success and then conscription of Elvis Presley, and Jerry Lee Lewis. [3] Thus, the Pop Chronicles music documentary used it as the theme song for its episodes focused on Presley. [2] The song ends with the narrator getting drafted into the US Army. This song makes reference to the Chuck Berry song, " Johnny B. Goode", as well as the television show, American Bandstand.