| 1 | %% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1482502120040165600 |
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| 3 | %% |
| 4 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/american_titles.png]] |
| 5 | |
| 6 | When the demonym for the UsefulNotes/UnitedStatesOfAmerica is used as a naming convention. |
| 7 | |
| 8 | There is a certain hard-to-describe quality in the idea of something being "American". Depending on how you look at it, it could connote [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Truth, Justice]], wholesome family values, apple pies, and [[MaltShop soda shops]]; or it can imply a wild, free-spirited nature unbound by Old World traditions. So it's only natural that some American works will put "American" in their title as a way to signify the feelings they wish to invoke. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | But, as some people would notice later, there are some unfortunate implications in including the word "American" as some sort of superlative; thus, much like {{Eagleland}}, this trope has a dark underbelly. It is just as likely that you'll see an American Title in an ironic fashion, subverting the original meanings, or revealing the darker undersides of the bright ideology. This is often done in reference to the USA's dark past (if historical) or the more controversial aspects of American culture and politics (if modern). |
| 11 | |
| 12 | It's also possible that the term "American" refers only to the subject's place of origin and not any larger message. Generally, it's easy to tell by the context of the work which flavor they're going for. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | Compare ItCameFromBeverlyHills. Contrast EagleLand - this trope refers to titles that try to induce that American idea...''in America''! |
| 15 | |
| 16 | Not to be confused with MarketBasedTitle, though some of such titles do retitle some films with "American" in it. |
| 17 | ---- |
| 18 | !!American examples: |
| 19 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 20 | |
| 21 | [[folder:Of the wholesome or free-spirited variety]] |
| 22 | [[AC:FanWorks]] |
| 23 | * ''Fanfic/AllAmericanGirl'' (Literally describes the main characters nationality, but her intense pride in being American, Catholic, and Republican as an alien brought to Earth is an important facet of her character) |
| 24 | |
| 25 | [[AC:[[AnimatedFilms Films — Animated]]]] |
| 26 | * ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail'' |
| 27 | |
| 28 | [[AC:[[{{Film}} Films — Live-Action]]]] |
| 29 | * ''Film/AmericanAnthem'' |
| 30 | * ''Film/AmericanCousins'' |
| 31 | * ''Film/AmericanDreamer'' |
| 32 | * ''Film/AmericanGraffiti'' |
| 33 | * ''Film/AmericanHotWax'' |
| 34 | * ''Film/AmericanJustice'' |
| 35 | * ''Film/AmericanMovie'' |
| 36 | * ''Film/TheAmericanPresident'' |
| 37 | |
| 38 | [[AC:{{Literature}}]] |
| 39 | * ''[[http://www.eharlequin.com/store.html?cid=244 American Romance]]'' |
| 40 | |
| 41 | [[AC:[[{{Series}} Live-Action TV]]]] |
| 42 | * ''Series/TheAmericanEmbassy'' (which was set in London - ironically, the series was never screened on British television) |
| 43 | * ''Series/TheAmericanGirls'' (about two correspondents for a newsmagazine called ''The American Report'' - this series aired in the UK as ''Have Girls, Will Travel'') |
| 44 | * ''Series/LoveAmericanStyle'' |
| 45 | * Creator/MargaretCho's short-lived sitcom ''Series/AllAmericanGirl1994'' was mostly Column A, though its comedic elements touched on Column B at times. |
| 46 | |
| 47 | [[AC:[[AlbumsIndex Music]]]] |
| 48 | * ''Music/AmericanBeauty'' (album by Music/TheGratefulDead) |
| 49 | * ''American Eulogy'' and ''Last of the American Girls'', both from Music/GreenDay's ''Music/TwentyFirstCenturyBreakdown''. |
| 50 | ** See also ''Music/AmericanIdiot'', which was the title song on an earlier album by the band. |
| 51 | * Music/DonMcLean's [[Music/AmericanPie "American Pie"]] (Song and LP) |
| 52 | * ''American Spirit'' |
| 53 | * American Recordings (Record label) |
| 54 | * "American Secrets", a song off of the Parachute album ''The Way it Was'' |
| 55 | * "American Girls", a single off of the Music/CountingCrows album ''Hard Candy'' |
| 56 | * "American Honey" by Music/LadyAntebellum |
| 57 | * "American Heart" by Music/FaithHill |
| 58 | * ''American Heartbreak'' by Music/ZachBryan. |
| 59 | * Recording group Jay and the Americans. |
| 60 | * "American" by Music/LanaDelRey. |
| 61 | * "American Bad Ass" by Music/KidRock |
| 62 | * The PostRock band ''The American Dollar'' |
| 63 | * Two songs from ''Theatre/TheBookOfMormon'': "All-American Prophet" (the actual story of Mormon origins) and "Joseph Smith: American Moses" (the horribly-off version by the Ugandans based on Elder Cunningham's improvised teachings). Both can be considered straight examples since the Ugandans do believe in the latter's optimism, even if it includes "magical fuck frogs" curing AIDS and clit-faces. |
| 64 | * "American Beautiful" by [[BandofRelatives The Henningsens]], from the compilation album "American Heartland" - both this and describing nationality (the [[FlyoverCountry Heartland]] being American). |
| 65 | * Several of Music/TobyKeith's songs, including "American Ride", "Drunk Americans", "Made In America", "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)", and "American Soldier". Most of them can be considered to have subversive elements, showing less glamorous aspects of America, but Toby still celebrates them as part of the American way of life. |
| 66 | * ''American Pride'' by Music/{{Alabama}} (album and song) |
| 67 | * Wrestling/HulkHogan's entrance themes, "Real American" (performed by Rick Derringer) and "American Made". |
| 68 | * "American Girl" by [=Bonnie McKee=] |
| 69 | * "American Oxygen" by Music/{{Rihanna}} |
| 70 | * "American Boy" by Estelle featuring Music/KanyeWest |
| 71 | |
| 72 | [[AC:ProfessionalWrestling]] |
| 73 | * Wrestling/DustyRhodes' RedBaron is "The American Dream". [[WrestlingFamily His son]] Wrestling/{{Cody|Rhodes}}'s is "The American Nightmare". |
| 74 | * Wrestling/TheGreatAmericanBash |
| 75 | |
| 76 | [[AC:{{Radio}}]] |
| 77 | * ''Radio/ThisAmericanLife'' |
| 78 | |
| 79 | [[AC:{{Western Animation}}]] |
| 80 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTheAmericanRabbit'' |
| 81 | |
| 82 | [[AC:Other]] |
| 83 | * American Greetings - a greeting card company. |
| 84 | * American Beauty - a hybrid rose species, and usually the first image people conjure when they think of roses. |
| 85 | * American Express - a credit card company. |
| 86 | * American [[RougeAnglesOfSatin Pharoah]] - Triple crown winning racehorse. Owned by an Egyptian but brought up and bred in America. |
| 87 | [[/folder]] |
| 88 | |
| 89 | [[folder:Of the subversive variety]] |
| 90 | [[AC:ComicBooks]] |
| 91 | * ''American Century'' |
| 92 | * ''ComicBook/AmericanFlagg'' |
| 93 | * ''ComicBook/AmericanSplendor'' (both the comic books and the film adaptation) |
| 94 | * ''ComicBook/AmericanVirgin'', in the first issues |
| 95 | * ''ComicBook/AmericanVampire'' |
| 96 | * ''ComicBook/AmericasGotPowers'' |
| 97 | |
| 98 | [[AC:[[AnimatedFilms Films — Animated]]]] |
| 99 | * ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailFievelGoesWest'': Despite being more comedic, it shows darker sides of living in America than the first film. |
| 100 | |
| 101 | [[AC:[[{{Film}} Films — Live-Action]]]] |
| 102 | * ''Film/AmericanAnimals'' |
| 103 | * ''Film/AmericanBeauty'' |
| 104 | * ''Film/AnAmericanCarol'' |
| 105 | * ''Film/AmericanDream'' |
| 106 | * ''Film/AmericanDreamz'' |
| 107 | * ''Film/AmericanFiction'' |
| 108 | * ''Film/AmericanGangster'' |
| 109 | * ''Film/AmericanGigolo'' |
| 110 | * ''Film/AmericanGun'' |
| 111 | * ''Film/AmericanHistoryX'' |
| 112 | * ''Film/AmericanHustle'' |
| 113 | * ''Film/AmericanMary'' |
| 114 | * ''Film/AmericanMe'' |
| 115 | * ''Film/AmericanMovie'' |
| 116 | * ''American Nightmare'' was the French title of ''Film/{{The Purge|Universe}}''. |
| 117 | * ''Film/AmericanPie'' (Movie) |
| 118 | * ''Film/AmericanPimp'' |
| 119 | * ''Film/AmericanPsycho'' |
| 120 | * ''Film/AmericanScarecrow'' |
| 121 | * ''Film/AmericanSniper'' |
| 122 | * ''Film/AmericanSplendor'' |
| 123 | * ''Film/AmericanUltra'' |
| 124 | * ''Film/AmericanWedding'' |
| 125 | * ''Film/TheAmerican'' |
| 126 | * ''Film/CitizenKane'', whose working title was simply ''American''. |
| 127 | * ''Film/MythOfTheAmericanSleepover'' |
| 128 | |
| 129 | [[AC:{{Literature}}]] |
| 130 | * ''Literature/AnAmericanTragedy'' |
| 131 | * ''Literature/AmericanPsycho'' |
| 132 | * ''American Savage'' by Creator/DanSavage |
| 133 | * ''Literature/TheQuietAmerican'' |
| 134 | * ''Literature/AmericanPastoral'' |
| 135 | * ''Literature/AmericanPop'' by Snowden Wright |
| 136 | |
| 137 | [[AC:[[{{Series}} Live-Action TV]]]] |
| 138 | * ''Series/AmericanCrime'' (unlike most crime dramas this follows the victims' family rather than the cops or the criminal) |
| 139 | * ''Series/AmericanDreams'' |
| 140 | * ''Series/AmericanGothic1995'' |
| 141 | * ''Series/AmericanGothic2016'' |
| 142 | * ''American Greed'' (MSNBC true-crime series; not all of the con-artists are American (see Creator/AnneHathaway's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raffaello_Follieri Italian ex-boyfriend]]) but they all get rich in America... for a while) |
| 143 | * ''Series/AmericanHorrorStory'' |
| 144 | ** And its spin-off ''Series/AmericanCrimeStory'' |
| 145 | * ''Series/AmericanHousewife'' |
| 146 | * ''Series/TheAmericans'' (they're Soviet spies under deep cover) |
| 147 | * ''Series/AmericanVandal'' is a {{Mockumentary}} series [[AffectionateParody affectionately parodying]] TrueCrime docuseries |
| 148 | |
| 149 | [[AC:[[AlbumsIndex Music]]]] |
| 150 | * ''Music/AmericanIdiot'' - Music/GreenDay (song and album), though WordOfGod says the album is only anti-war, not anti-American. |
| 151 | * "American Jesus" - Music/BadReligion (song) |
| 152 | * ''Music/AmericanLife'' by Music/{{Madonna}} is her most political album, critical of America's celebrity culture and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan under impulse of UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush. |
| 153 | * "America" - Music/SimonAndGarfunkel (song) |
| 154 | * "American Tune" - Music/PaulSimon (song) |
| 155 | * "The American Nightmare" - Music/IceNineKills |
| 156 | * "American Tune" - Music/AndrewJacksonJihad |
| 157 | * "American Woman" - The Guess Who (song) |
| 158 | * "American Girl" - Music/TomPetty (song) |
| 159 | * ''American Doll Posse'' - Music/ToriAmos (album) |
| 160 | ** Later, also "America" (song) |
| 161 | * ''Music/YoungAmericans'' - Music/DavidBowie (album) |
| 162 | * "American Roulette" - Robbie Robertson (song) |
| 163 | * ''American Gangster'' - Music/JayZ (album) |
| 164 | * "American Dream" - Doria Roberts (song) |
| 165 | * ''American Beauty/American Psycho'' - Music/FallOutBoy (song and album); the title is a ShoutOut to [[Film/AmericanBeauty the film]] and [[Literature/AmericanPsycho the book]]. |
| 166 | * ''American'' - Creator/RuPaul, album and song, both of which were influenced by UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump's election in 2016. |
| 167 | * "American Dream" by Music/SamanthaFish |
| 168 | * "ADD" by System of a Down stands for "American Dream Denied". |
| 169 | |
| 170 | [[AC:{{Theatre}}]] |
| 171 | * ''American Dream'', play by George O'Neil |
| 172 | |
| 173 | [[AC:VideoGames]] |
| 174 | * ''VideoGame/AlanWakesAmericanNightmare'' |
| 175 | * ''VideoGame/AmericanArcadia'' |
| 176 | * ''VideoGame/AmericanFugitive'' |
| 177 | |
| 178 | [[AC:WesternAnimation]] |
| 179 | * ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' |
| 180 | * ''WesternAnimation/AmericanPop'' |
| 181 | * ''WesternAnimation/UglyAmericans'' |
| 182 | |
| 183 | [[AC:Other]] |
| 184 | * ''American Television'' |
| 185 | [[/folder]] |
| 186 | |
| 187 | [[folder:Examples where the name only describes a nationality]] |
| 188 | [[AC:{{Art}}]] |
| 189 | * ''{{American Gothic|Couple}}'', a painting named after the architectural style American Gothic, which is the style of the house featured. |
| 190 | |
| 191 | [[AC:ComicBooks]] |
| 192 | * ''American Jesus'' by Creator/MarkMillar |
| 193 | * ''ComicBook/AmericanVirgin'', in the later issues |
| 194 | * ''ComicBook/SupermanAmericanAlien'' |
| 195 | |
| 196 | [[AC:[[{{Film}} Films — Live-Action]]]] |
| 197 | * ''An American Crime'' |
| 198 | * ''Film/AmericanNinja'' |
| 199 | * ''Film/AmericanSamurai'' |
| 200 | * ''Film/AnAmericanWerewolfInLondon'' |
| 201 | * ''Film/AmericanHardcore'', a documentary of the American punk scene |
| 202 | * ''Film/DayForNight'' is named after the movie-making trick that TV Tropes calls HollywoodDarkness, but it's a French film, and the French title uses the French film term for "day for night", namely, "Nuit Américaine." |
| 203 | * ''Film/WetHotAmericanSummer'' |
| 204 | |
| 205 | [[AC:Food]] |
| 206 | * A ''Cafe Americano'' is espresso watered down to approximate drip-brewed coffee. This could theoretically be read as a put-down at Americans not being able to "handle" espresso, but anyone except the most sneering European coffee snob can tell that it's just an indication that drip-brew-strength is the usual American method of consuming coffee. |
| 207 | * "American cheese" refers to processed cheese designed to melt easily, rather than the various real cheeses that originated in the US, such as cream cheese or Monterey Jack. |
| 208 | |
| 209 | [[AC:{{Literature}}]] |
| 210 | * ''Literature/AmericanGirl'' |
| 211 | * ''Literature/AmericanGods'' |
| 212 | * ''Literature/TheUglyAmerican'', in which the title character is physically unattractive but one of the nicest people (not to mention Americans) in the book |
| 213 | ** Joe Bing also qualifies as the title character, not because he's ugly but because he's racist, culturally insensitive, ignorant of the country he's supposed to be representing the USA to and generally obnoxious to anyone not "Caucasian, western-educated, and decently dressed". |
| 214 | |
| 215 | [[AC:[[{{Series}} Live-Action TV]]]] |
| 216 | * ''Series/AmericanGladiators'' (But both British series have managed to get away with just been entitled ''Gladiators'') |
| 217 | * ''Series/{{American Gods|2017}}'' (adapted from the novel of the same title) |
| 218 | * ''Series/AmericanIdol'', to contrast with Britain's ''Pop Idol'' and the {{foreign remake}}s that came later. |
| 219 | * ''Series/AmericasGotTalent'' (''every'' country with a version of this show has ''[Nation]'s Got Talent'' as its title) |
| 220 | * ''Series/AmericanNinjaWarrior'', as a spinoff of the original Japanese show with the dub name ''Series/NinjaWarrior''. |
| 221 | * ''Series/AmericanOdyssey'' (originally just called ''Odyssey''; about an American servicewoman's quest to get out of extremely hostile territory in the Middle East) |
| 222 | * ''Series/AmericanPickers'' |
| 223 | * ''Series/CafeAmericain'': About an American-style café in Paris that mostly caters to expats. |
| 224 | * ''[[Series/TheOfficeUS The Office: An American Workplace]]'': when aired in the UK anyway, to differentiate from the [[Series/TheOfficeUK original British version]]. |
| 225 | * ''Series/WorstCooksInAmerica'' |
| 226 | |
| 227 | [[AC:[[AlbumsIndex Music]]]] |
| 228 | * ''American Bollywood'', an album by Music/YoungTheGiant |
| 229 | |
| 230 | [[AC:{{Sports}}]] |
| 231 | * UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball, though "gridiron football" as a more neutral term has become preferred as the sport grows internationally. |
| 232 | |
| 233 | [[AC:{{Toys}}]] |
| 234 | * ''Literature/AmericanGirlsCollection'', with a hint of free-spirited mixed in. The dolls are intended to teach the real history of American women and their stories. |
| 235 | |
| 236 | [[AC:{{Webcomics}}]] |
| 237 | * ''[[http://jjrowland.com/archive/20070413.html American]]'' ''[[http://www.wigu.com/tvnc/?date=20050124 Platypus]]'' |
| 238 | * ''Webcomic/AmericanElf'' |
| 239 | |
| 240 | [[AC:WebOriginal]] |
| 241 | * ''[[Creator/DavidGonterman American Kitsune]]'' |
| 242 | * The Website/YouTube video ''American Manga/{{Akira}}'', intended as a parody of [[{{Macekre}} what Warner Bros. will do to Akira]]. |
| 243 | |
| 244 | [[AC:WesternAnimation]] |
| 245 | * ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong'' |
| 246 | [[/folder]] |
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