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"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.

Chart performance

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.

Cover versions

Popular culture

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.

References

  1. ^ a b "Bobby Bare Bio | Bobby Bare Career". CMT. Retrieved 2013-06-18.
  2. ^ a b "Show 7 - The All American Boy: Enter Elvis and the rock-a-billies. [Part 1] : UNT Digital Library". Digital.library.unt.edu. 1969-03-23. Retrieved 2013-06-18.
  3. ^ a b Poore, Billy (1998). Rockabilly: A Forty-Year Journey - Billy Poore - Google Books. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN  9780793591428. Retrieved 2013-06-18.
  4. ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.com. Retrieved 26 April 2021.