Chords + Lyrics | American Boy
Intro
| Em/B | B/F# | Am7 | Am13 Am7 Am9 |
| Em/B | B/F# | Am13 Am7 Am9 | Am9 |
Verse 1
| Emaj9 | Cmaj7 |
Just another one champion sound (yea), yeah, Estelle, we ’bout to get down (get down).
| Am7 | Am7 Fmaj7/D |
Who the hottest in the world right now (ha), just touched down in London town (ha).
| Emaj7 | Cmaj7 |
Bet they give me a pound (ah), tell them put the money in my hand right now (yes).
| Am7 | N.C Fmaj7/D |
Tell the promoter we need more seats, we just sold out all the floor seats.
Chorus 1
| Emaj7 | Cmaj7 |
Take me on a trip, I’d like to go someday.
| Am9 | Am9 Fmaj7/D |
Take me to New York, I’d love to see L.A.
| Emaj7 | Cmaj7 |
I really want to, come kick it with you (oh-oh-oh-oh).
| Am9 | N.C Fmaj7/D |
You’ll be my American boy.
Verse 2
||: E5 | C5 | A5 | A5 D5 :||
He said “Hey, sister, it’s really, really nice to meet ya”,
I just met this 5’ 7” guy who’s just my type.
I like the way he’s speaking, his confidence is peaking,
don’t like his baggy jeans but I’m ma like what’s under-
| Emaj7 | Cmaj7 | Am9 | Am9 Fmaj7/D |
neath them, and no I ain’t been to M.I.A, I heard that Cali never rains and New York’s heart awaits.
| Emaj7 | Cmaj7 |
First, let’s see the west end, I’ll show you to my brethren,
| N.C | N.C |
I’m liking this American boy, American boy.
Chorus 2
Take me on a trip, I’d like to go someday.
Take me to New York, I’d love to see L.A.
I really want to, come kick it with you.
You’ll be my American boy, American boy.
Instrumental
| Emaj7 | Cmaj7 | Am9 | Am9 Fmaj7/D |
La la la la la li la. La la la la la li la.
| Emaj7 | Cmaj7 | Am9 | N.C |
La la la la la li la. Would you be my American boy? American boy.
Verse 3
||: Emaj9 | Cmaj7 | Am7 | Am7 Fmaj7/D :||
Can we get away this weekend? Take me to Broadway.
Let’s go shopping, baby, then we’ll go to a café.
Let’s go on the subway, take me to your hood.
I never been to Brooklyn and I’d like to see what’s good.
Dress in all your fancy clothes, sneakers looking fresh to death, I’m loving those Shell Toes.
Walking that walk, talk that slick talk,
I’m liking this American boy, American boy.
Chorus 3
Take me on a trip, I’d like to go someday.
Take me to New York, I’d love to see L.A.
I really want to, come kick it with you.
You’ll be my American boy, American boy. Tell ’em wagwan blud!
Verse 4 (rap)
| Emaj9 | Cmaj7 |
Who killing ’em in the U.K. Everybody gonna say, “You, K”
| Am9 | N.C Fmaj7/D |
Reluctantly ’cause most of this press don’t fuck with me.
| E5 | C5 |
Estelle once said to me, “Cool down, down, don’t act a fool now, now”
| A5 | A5 D5 |
I always act a fool, oww, oww, ain’t nothing new now, now.
| E5 | C5 |
He crazy, I know what ya thinking. Ribena I know what you’re drinking.
| A5 | A5 D5 |
Rap singer, Chain Blinger, holla at the next chick soon as you’re blinking.
| Emaj7 | Cmaj7 |
What’s your persona? About this Americana?
| Am7 | Am7 Fmaj7/D |
Brama, am I shallow, ’cause all my clothes designer.
| Emaj7 | Cmaj7 |
Dressed smart like a London bloke, before he speak his suit bespoke
| N.C | N.C |
And you thought he was cute before, look at this peacoat, tell me he’s broke.
| Emaj7 | Cmaj7 |
And I know you ain’t into all that, I heard your lyrics, I feel your spirit.
| Am7 | Am7 Fmaj7/D |
But I still talk that ca-ah-ash, ’cause a lot wags wanna hear it.
| Emaj7 | Cmaj7 |
And I’m feeling like Mike at his baddest, like The Pips at they Gladys.
| Am9 | N.C Fmaj7/D |
And I know they love it, so to hell with all that rubbish.
Breakdown
| E5 | C5 |
Would you be my love, my love? (Would you be mine?)
| A5 | A5 D5 |
Would you be my love, my love? (Would you be mine?)
| E5 | C5 |
Could you be my love, my love? (Ooh-oh-oh.)
| A5 | A5 D5 |
Would you be my American boy? American boy.
Chorus 4
| Emaj7 | Cmaj7 |
Take me on a trip, I’d like to go someday.
| Am9 | Am9 Fmaj7/D |
Take me to Chicago, San Francisco Bay.
| Emaj7 | Cmaj7 |
I really want to, come kick it with you. (Ooh-oh-oh.)
| Am9 | N.C Fmaj7/D |
You’ll be my American boy, American boy.
Chorus 5 (as chorus 4)
Take me on a trip, I’d like to go someday.
Take me to New York, I’d love to see L.A.
I really want to, come kick it with you. (Ooh-oh-oh.)
You’ll be my American boy, American boy.
Outro
||: Emaj7 | Cmaj7 | Am9 | Am9 Fmaj7/D :||
||: La la la la la li la :||
Would you be my American boy?
American Boy Chords: A Deep Dive into the Harmonic Structure
Few guitarists in pub and event bands manage to get the chords right for American Boy. We need to change this trend—this song is clearly here to stay.
Let’s start with the intro. While it’s probably best left to the keyboard player, if you don’t have one, here are the chords:
| Em/B | B/F# | Am7 | Am13 Am7 Am9 |
| Em/B | B/F# | Am13 Am7 Am9 | Am9 |
The only familiar chord here is Am7, which we keep resolving to. Notice that the Em is minor, not major—this will become clearer in the next section.
Verse
Now, for the verse chords of American Boy:
| Emaj9 | Cmaj7 | Am7 | Am7 Fmaj7/D |
We start with an E major, but Cmaj7 creates the illusion of shifting from E to Em. This then resolves to Am7, which somehow feels like home. The final chord, Fmaj7/D, adds tension before leading us back to Emaj9, or if Emaj7—every note is just a semitone away!
Some prefer to call that Fmaj7/D an Am/D, and there’s a case to be made for either.
The real question is; what do we play using all these chords in a working band this Saturday at Debbie’s wedding? And what about if there’s no rap and the singer wants you to solo?
To answer all these questions, I need to give you TAB, here’s a link: American Boy – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Chorus
The chorus is almost identical to what you just witnessed in the verse, except Emaj9 is Emaj7.
Aside from these chords, American Boy features one more harmonic trick: it breaks down to just the bass line.
With a song this repetitive, dynamics and stops are crucial to keeping it fresh.
Trying to follow all the changes on a chord chart can feel overcomplicated. Perhaps the best approach is to memorise the chords—then watch your bandmates for cues!
American Boy Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
I have never played this tune in a different key than the original so using just the PDF should be fine I imagine. However, the iRealPro file may be more suitable if you use that app to organise you charts.
Also, because this is such a great tune to practise soloing using modes, you could change the key just for the sake of testing your limits. Here are both frmats for you to download:
American Boy TAB | Course Preview
In the course, we investigate how to play the intro, several ideas for the verse and chorus as well as discuss how to use modes to play a solo that makes sense – all much easier said than done! I’ve lost count of how many people have crashed when attempting to solo over this tune!
As a preview, here’s the starting point for the verse, we will later play Emaj7 – Emaj9, remove strings and move this part around the neck.
When you play the TAB above, use your fingers so you can play all notes at the same time. Even try adding an F on string 5 (fret 8), for the last chord.
Still played almost two decades later
American Boy is a single by British singer Estelle, featuring American rapper Kanye West.
Produced by will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas—who also contributed to the backing track—the song was an instant success. Not only did it top the charts in the U.K. and U.S., as referenced in the lyrics, but it also performed well worldwide in 2008.
To this day, American Boy remains a radio staple and, perhaps surprisingly, is still a popular choice for cover bands—where the rap is often replaced with a solo.
With its simple, looping chord progression, the song is easy for a band to pick up quickly. The lyrics—especially the rap—might take a little longer to master!
American Boy Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: American Boy (Estelle) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
