"All-American Boy" is a song by American singer-songwriter Steve Grand. It was released on August 2, 2013 as Grand's debut single. The song's music video was uploaded to YouTube on July 2, 2013 and immediately went viral; just eight days later, the video had more than 1,000,000 views.
Music video
On July 2, 2013, Grand uploaded a music video for his song "All-American Boy" to YouTube—producing it himself at a cost of US$7,000. The video almost immediately went viral. Just eight days later, "All-American Boy" had more than 1 million views. The song, set against a backdrop of country roads, an American flag and friends around a campfire, tells the story of a young manin love with a heterosexual male friend. Grand recorded the vocals in his parents’ basement and maxed out his credit card to self-fund the groundbreaking video. The video was directed and edited by Chicago filmmaker Jason Knade.
Criticism
Although Grand has received mostly positive reaction to the song, some gay activists have criticized its content, with one stating that its message is that "Gay men drink too much, feel sorry for themselves, and come on to straight dudes when their girlfriends aren't around." Writing for Slate, J. Bryan Lowder had an even harsher take on the video, describing it as "woefully out-of-tune with the times. It's like something out of a homo smut story from before Stonewall", and adding "this particular narrative of the tantalizing straight guy and lovesick queen is so hackneyed in gay culture as to be laughable." Grand has said that he appreciates different perspectives regarding his work. In an interview with The New Civil Rights Movement, he also said: “When I made that video, I did not set out to make any statements about gay people other than what we share in common with our straight brothers and sisters — that sometimes you love someone you can’t have. I know that especially rings true for gay people who grow up in a heterosexual world.”
Live performances
Grand's first public performance of "All-American Boy" was held live at The Joynt in Chicago on July 6, 2013. He performed the song at his final two gigs at The Joynt on July 12 and 13. On July 18, Grand performed "All-American Boy" on the Chicago morning talk showWindy City Live.
