THE HIT HAMMER: Grand Funk's "We're an American Band"

(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)

Grand Funk - "We're an American Band"

Hit Number 1: September 29, 1973

Stay at Number 1: 1 Week

The name Grand Funk Railroad, (sometimes just Grand Funk), was always funny to me. This band could not be further from the definition of funk. But they originated from Flint, Michigan, and that was an area where the Grand Trunk Western Railroad operated, so the name Grand Funk Railroad was a play on words. They were into music, and they were also shameless as hell, so that's what they decided to name their band. But of course, the name Grand Funk is misleading, as their genre could best be described as being "arena rock." They liked to play hard rock songs, and they liked to put on intense, crazy live shows. And behind the scenes, they loved to live the hard rock band lifestyle, and that's a lot of what "We're an American Band" is about. It's a loose song about the band recalling some of their favorite memories of touring.

Grand Funk was proud of being an American band. Their drummer, Don Brewer, was bragging once about some of the most iconic figures in American rock history, such as Elvis Presley and Little Richard, and stood up and shouted "We're an American band!" After that, he was inspired to write the song, and wanted to point out some of the fun things they'd done in the past while on the road. It only took him less than a day to write the song. In it, he shares his time playing poker with blues legend Freddie King, partying with four female groupies who snuck into their hotel in Omaha, and traveling through Little Rock while on tour. It's exactly what you'd expect from a band like Grand Funk, except they turned their experiences into an absolute banger of a song.

Again, Grand Funk were never "funk," but "We're an American Band" has a little bit of funk in it. The guitar riffs weave and wah the whole way through the song, which gives it some kind of a funk impression. But mostly, it's hard arena rock, a genre that probably sounded fresh and exciting to people in 1973. I love the drum intro to the song; I think it foreshadows the song. When that drum intro begins, you know you're about to hear a great rock and roll song. Brewer sings lead on the song, one of those rare talented artists who played the drums and sang at the same time. While you certainly can't forget about the contributions of the rest of the band, (there's a wicked guitar solo and a thumping bass line), "We're an American Band" is all Brewer. He's having lots of fun singing the song, and adds his own special dose of swagger to it through his voice and his drum pattern. He's part of an American band, and he's damn proud of it. It's an ultimate party song about partying in America.

There was also a video made for the song, which only adds to the fun party atmosphere. It shows the band playing the song, as well as them riding dirt bikes and playing basketball and watersports. The main impression I get from everything on "We're an American Band" is that Grand Funk were a group of shameless guys, but they loved to party and they'd welcome everyone on the planet to party with them. Oh yeah, and they loved touring America. "We're an American Band" is everything you would want in an arena rock song, and I'd imagine it still kicks ass in live shows today.

GRADE: 8/10