US Girls’ Funky ‘4 American Dollars’ Video Critiques America’s Unattainable Ideal Of Self-Made Fortune

Canadian duo US Girls are preparing for the release of Heavy Light, their seventh studio album. After debuting the emotive lead single “Overtime,” US Girls are giving fans another taste of the forthcoming project with the groovy track “4 American Dollars.”

In their usual fashion, US Girls use “4 American Dollars” to critique an aspect of our culture. In this case, the tongue-in-cheek track emphasizes the absurdity of the common “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” narrative. Lyrics like, “No matter how much you get to have / You will still die and that’s the only thing” and “You gotta have boots if you wanna lift those bootstraps,” highlight how fortune is often inherited or pre-determined by class rather than the fruits of hard work.

The disco-inspired track uses emotive synths, back-up vocals, and clapping percussion to embellish the track’s vintage sound. The accompanying video, directed by Emily Pelstring and vocalist Meg Remy, colorfully highlights the track’s whimsical elements. Lips appear on screen to sing along to the track’s lyrics, an homage to the 1975 film Rocky Horror Picture Show. Figures then appear in the visual, expressively dancing with a super-imposed image of a dollar on their bodies.

Watch “4 American Dollars” above.

Heavy Light is out 03/06 via 4AD. Pre-order it here.

×