American Girls (Harry Styles song)

Did You Know?

• The music video, directed by James Mackel, shows Styles performing stunts on a film set, driving under a truck that later explodes during a wake.
• Near the end of the video, Styles is revealed to be watching the video from a director's chair.
• The video also features Styles going on a joyride with a stunt double.

Background and composition

Styles began teasing a new release in December 2025, and on 15 January 2026 confirmed his fourth album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, for release on 6 March 2026. The track listing, revealed on 23 January, placed "American Girls" as the second track. In an interview with Zane Lowe, Styles said the song was inspired by seeing three close friends marry and his own desire to settle down. Written by Styles, Kid Harpoon, and Tyler Johnson, the song was produced by Kid Harpoon and Johnson. Recording took place at Hansa Studios in Berlin, RAK Studios and Abbey Road Studios in London, and Ridgemont Studio. Critics described the song as having an 80s music sound, specifically Italo disco and house music, and compared it to the sounds of the 1975, James Blake, and David Bowie.

Release and reception

Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally was released on 6 March 2026 through Erskine and Columbia Records, and was released to Italian radio on 20 March 2026. Critics received "American Girls" somewhat well, applauding its levity and production while challenging its simplistic nature. Emma Swann of DIY noted the "pleasant" contrast of synthesisers to the song's "warm and infectious" cadence, likening the bassline to David Bowie's "Sound and Vision". NME's Rhian Daly called the song fun but "easily forgettable". Ed Power of The Irish Times found the chorus annoying and "vacuous", while Matt Mitchell of Paste commented that Styles's voice pales in comparison to the production.

Commercial performance

"American Girls" debuted atop the UK Singles Chart dated 13 March 2026, while its parent album debuted atop the UK Albums Chart, marking Styles's second 'official chart double' after "As It Was" and Harry's House in 2022. The song became Styles's fourth number-one single in the UK, following "Sign of the Times", "As It Was", and "Aperture". It also started at number one on the Billboard Global 200 and its companion chart excluding the United States, becoming Styles's third and second number-one on those charts respectively. In its first week, the song led the Global 200 with 50.9 million streams and 3,000 copies sold worldwide; excluding the US, it earned 30.6 million streams and 1,000 sales.