American Ride (song)
"American Ride" is a song written by Joe West and Dave Pahanish and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released in July 2009 as the first single and title track from Keith's 2009 album of the same name. The song became Keith's 19th number one hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of October 10, 2009. Content The song is an up-tempo song in which the narrator lists off various politically oriented issues in the United States, such as illegal immigration ("Tidal Wave comin' 'cross the Mexican border"), political correctness ("Don't get busted singin' Christmas carols"), lawsuits ("Spill a cup of coffee, make a million dollars"), rising gasoline prices ("Why buy a gallon when it's cheaper by the barrel?"), climate change ("Winter gettin' colder, summer gettin' warmer"), and the decreased importance of religion ("Plasma gettin' bigger, Jesus gettin' smaller"), but states that he is still proud to live in America ("That's us, that's right / Gotta love this American ride"). It also references Donald Trump's outlash at the 1996 Miss Universe winner, Alicia Machado's slight weight gain. Dave Pahanish and Joe West, the writers, had originally titled the song "American Life"