American Title: Difference between revisions

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{{trope}}
{{trope}}
{{quote|''"I just wanna say one thing: God bless America."''|'''Biff Tannen''', ''[[Back to The Future (Film)|Back to The Future]]''}}
{{quote|''"I just wanna say one thing: God bless America."''|'''Biff Tannen''', ''[[Back to the Future (film)|Back to The Future]]''}}


The United States is somewhat popular.
The United States is somewhat popular.


There is a certain hard-to-describe quality in the idea of something being "American". It means wholesome values, hard-working Protestantism, apple pies and [[Malt Shop|soda shops]]. So, it's only natural that some American works will put "American" in their title as a way to signify what they are all about.
There is a certain hard-to-describe quality in the idea of something being "American". It means wholesome values, hard-working Protestantism, apple pies and [[Malt Shop|soda shops]]. So, it's only natural that some American works will put "American" in their title as a way to signify what they are all about.
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Compare [[It Came From Beverly Hills]]
Compare [[It Came From Beverly Hills]]


Contrast [[Eagle Land]] -- this trope refers to titles that try to induce that American idea...''in America''!
Contrast [[Eagle Land]]—this trope refers to titles that try to induce that American idea...''in America''!


Not to be confused with [[Market-Based Title]].
Not to be confused with [[Market-Based Title]].
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= American Examples =
= American Examples =


== Of the straightforward variety ===
== Of the straightforward variety ==


=== [[Film]] ==
=== [[Film]] ===
* ''American Cousins''
* ''American Cousins''
* ''[[American Graffiti]]''
* ''[[American Graffiti]]''
* ''[[American Movie]]''
* ''[[American Movie]]''
* ''[[The American President]]''
* ''[[The American President]]''
* ''[[Coming to America (Film)|Coming to America]]''
* ''[[Coming to America]]''
* ''[[Hilarious in Hindsight|In America]]''.
* ''[[Hilarious in Hindsight|In America]]''.
* ''[[Once Upon a Time In America]]''
* ''[[Once Upon a Time in America]]''
* ''Made In America''
* ''Made In America''




=== [[Literature]] ===
=== [[Literature]] ===
* ''[http://www.eharlequin.com/store.html?cid=244 American Romance]''
* ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20110918004955/http://www.eharlequin.com/store.html?cid=244 American Romance]''




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* ''American Beauty'' (the Grateful Dead album)
* ''American Beauty'' (the Grateful Dead album)
** One presumes the pasta brand and the flower (a type of rose, and the ultimate namesake of all the others) are also intended to be interpreted in a straightforward fashion.
** One presumes the pasta brand and the flower (a type of rose, and the ultimate namesake of all the others) are also intended to be interpreted in a straightforward fashion.
* Don [[Mc Lean]]'s "American Pie" (Song and LP)
* Don McLean's "American Pie" (Song and LP)
* ''American Spirit''
* ''American Spirit''
* American Recordings (Record label)
* American Recordings (Record label)
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=== [[Western Animation]] ===
=== [[Western Animation]] ===
* The civics parts of [[School House Rock]], "America Rock"
* The civics parts of [[Schoolhouse Rock]], "America Rock"




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* ''American Dream''
* ''American Dream''
* ''American [[Xtreme Kool Letterz|Dreamz]]''
* ''American [[Xtreme Kool Letterz|Dreamz]]''
* ''American Gangster''
* ''[[American Gangster]]''
* ''American Gigolo''
* ''[[American Gigolo]]''
* ''American Gun''
* ''American Gun''
* ''[[American History X]]''
* ''[[American History X]]''
* ''American Me''
* ''American Me''
* ''[[American Pie (Film)|American Pie]]'' (Movie)
* ''[[American Pie]]'' (Movie)
* ''American Pimp''
* ''American Pimp''
* ''[[American Psycho]]''
* ''[[American Psycho]]''
* ''American Wedding''
* ''American Wedding''
* ''Angels in America'' (The subversion is of the whole title.)
* ''[[Angels in America]]'' (The subversion is of the whole title.)
* ''Wet Hot American Summer''
* ''[[Wet Hot American Summer]]''
* ''Team America: World Police''
* ''[[Team America: World Police]]''



=== [[Literature]] ===
=== [[Literature]] ===
* ''An American Tragedy''
* ''An American Tragedy''
* ''[[American Psycho (Literature)|American Psycho]]''
* ''[[American Psycho]]''




=== [[Live-Action TV]] ===
=== [[Live-Action TV]] ===
* ''[[American Dreams (TV)|American Dreams]]''
* ''[[American Dreams]]''
* ''[[American Horror Story]]''
* ''[[American Horror Story]]''


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=== [[Western Animation]] ===
=== [[Western Animation]] ===
* ''[[American Dad (Animation)|American Dad]]''
* ''[[American Dad]]''
* ''[[The Adventures of the American Rabbit]]''
* ''[[The Adventures of the American Rabbit]]''


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* ''An American Crime''
* ''An American Crime''
* ''American Ninja''
* ''American Ninja''
* ''[[An American Werewolf in London (Film)|An American Werewolf in London]]''
* ''[[An American Werewolf in London]]''
* ''American Hardcore'', a documentary of the American punk scene
* ''American Hardcore'', a documentary of the American punk scene


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== [[Literature]] ==
== [[Literature]] ==
* [[American Girl]]
* [[American Girl]]
* ''[[American Gods (Literature)|American Gods]]''
* ''[[American Gods]]''
* ''The Ugly American'', in which the title character is physically unattractive but one of the nicest people (not to mention Americans) in the book
* ''The Ugly American'', in which the title character is physically unattractive but one of the nicest people (not to mention Americans) in the book


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* ''[[American Gladiators]]'' (But both British series have managed to get away with just been entitled ''Gladiators'')
* ''[[American Gladiators]]'' (But both British series have managed to get away with just been entitled ''Gladiators'')
* ''[[Series/American Idol|American Idol]]'', to contrast with Britain's...''Pop Idol''
* ''[[Series/American Idol|American Idol]]'', to contrast with Britain's...''Pop Idol''
* ''[[Hells Kitchen (TV)|Hells Kitchen]] USA''
* ''[[Hell's Kitchen|Hells Kitchen]] USA''
* [[The Office (TV)|The Office: An American Workplace]]: when aired in the UK anyway, to differentiate from the original British version.
* [[The Office|The Office: An American Workplace]]: when aired in the UK anyway, to differentiate from the original British version.




== [[Video Games]] ==
== [[Video Games]] ==
* ''[[Cruisn USA]]''
* ''[[Cruisn USA]]''
* ''"Super Mario USA"'' is a subversion since the game describes the version of [[Doki Doki Panic (Video Game)|Doki Doki Panic]] that came out in that country, where it's known as ''[[Super Mario Bros 2 (Video Game)|Super Mario Bros 2]]''. This was to distinguish it from the [[Super Mario Bros the Lost Levels (Video Game)|Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2]].
* ''"Super Mario USA"'' is a subversion since the game describes the version of [[Doki Doki Panic]] that came out in that country, where it's known as ''[[Super Mario Bros. 2]]''. This was to distinguish it from the [[Super Mario Bros the Lost Levels|Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2]].




== [[Web Comics]] ==
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* ''[http://jjrowland.com/archive/20070413.html American]'' ''[http://www.wigu.com/tvnc/?date=20050124 Platypus]''
* ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20090618154510/http://jjrowland.com/archive/20070413.html American]'' ''[http://www.wigu.com/tvnc/?date=20050124 Platypus]''
* ''[[American Elf]]''
* ''[[American Elf]]''


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== [[Web Original]] ==
== [[Web Original]] ==
* ''[[David Gonterman|American Kitsune]]''
* ''[[David Gonterman|American Kitsune]]''
* There's a [[YouTube]] video called ''American [[Akira (Manga)|Akira]]'', intended as a parody of [[Macekre|what Warner Bros. will do to Akira]].
* There's a [[YouTube]] video called ''American [[Akira]]'', intended as a parody of [[Macekre|what Warner Bros. will do to Akira]].




== [[Western Animation]] ==
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* ''[[American Dragon Jake Long (Animation)|American Dragon Jake Long]]''
* ''[[American Dragon: Jake Long]]''
* ''[[An American Tail]]''
* ''[[An American Tail]]''


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[[Category:Title Tropes]]
[[Category:Title Tropes]]
[[Category:American Title]]
[[Category:American Title]]
[[Category:Trope]]
[[Category:Indexed States of America]]
[[Category:Naming Conventions]]

Latest revision as of 18:58, 25 May 2023
"I just wanna say one thing: God bless America."
—Biff Tannen, Back to The Future

The United States is somewhat popular.

There is a certain hard-to-describe quality in the idea of something being "American". It means wholesome values, hard-working Protestantism, apple pies and soda shops. So, it's only natural that some American works will put "American" in their title as a way to signify what they are all about.

But, as some people would notice later, there are some Unfortunate Implications in including the word "American" as some sort of superlative. So, nowadays, it's more likely that you'll see an American Title in an ironic fashion than not, subverting the original meaning.

Of course, there's always the less popular American idea that the term "American" refers only to the place of origin of the described term, and is not related to a truckload of ideology, but thanks to Misaimed Fandom, it might be hard to convince others of this. It also raises the question of why no-one else does it.

Compare It Came From Beverly Hills

Contrast Eagle Land—this trope refers to titles that try to induce that American idea...in America!

Not to be confused with Market-Based Title.

Examples of American Title include:

American Examples

Of the straightforward variety

Film


Literature


Live-Action TV

  • The American Embassy (which was set in London - ironically, the series was never screened on British television)
  • The American Girls (about two correspondents for a newsmagazine called The American Report - this series aired in the UK as Have Girls, Will Travel)
  • Love, American Style


Music

  • American Beauty (the Grateful Dead album)
    • One presumes the pasta brand and the flower (a type of rose, and the ultimate namesake of all the others) are also intended to be interpreted in a straightforward fashion.
  • Don McLean's "American Pie" (Song and LP)
  • American Spirit
  • American Recordings (Record label)
  • "American Secrets", a song off of the Parachute album The Way it Was
  • "American Girls", a single off of the Counting Crows album Hard Candy


Radio


Western Animation


Real Life

  • American Greetings

Of the subversive variety

Comic Books


Film

Literature


Live-Action TV


Music


Other

  • American Television
  • Americano (the implication of the name is that Americans can't handle espresso unless it's watered down)


Theatre

  • American Dream, play by George O'Neil


Video Games


Western Animation

Examples where the name only describes a nationality

Art

  • American Gothic, a painting named after the architectural style American Gothic, which is the style of the house featured.


Comic Books

  • American Virgin, in the later issues


Film


Literature

  • American Girl
  • American Gods
  • The Ugly American, in which the title character is physically unattractive but one of the nicest people (not to mention Americans) in the book


Live-Action TV


Video Games


Web Comics


Web Original


Western Animation

Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/American_Title?oldid=2014440"