American Teenager
"American Teenager" is a song by American singer-songwriter Ethel Cain. It was released as the third and final single from her debut album, Preacher's Daughter (2022). A heartland rock anthem, it illuminates both nostalgia for teenage life in the South and disillusionment with the American Dream. Background 
The sound of "American Teenager" has been compared by The Guardian to the works of Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen. The song's lyrics contains references to American military interventions ("the neighbor’s brother came home in a box / but he wanted to go so maybe it was his fault"), alcoholism, ("head full of whiskey but I always deliver") and inter-generational trauma. On making a song with a more mainstream sound than the rest of her discography, Cain described herself as "scared that if I made pop music, I wouldn’t be taken seriously for the non-pop songs," but later felt as if she was "getting to the point where I don’t care." She explained the song as being critical of expectations placed on American youth, writing that "what they don’t tell you is that you need your neighbour more than your country needs you." Music video 
The music video for "American Teenager" was shot in Cain's hometown of Perry, Florida. Cain wore her mother's cheerleading uniform to the town's high school football field, shooting the video on the same camera used for the "God's Country" music video. The video pays homage to the midwest emo band American Football, and contains footage of the September 11 attacks. Critical reception 
"American Teenager" has been listed by Insider, Atwood Magazine, Rolling Stone, and Pitchfork as one of the best songs of 2022. The song was listed as one of former President Barack Obama's favorite songs of 2022, which prompted surprise from Cain and the media due to the song's anti-war message. Credits 
As per Tidal:

Ethel Cain – production, songwriter
Steven Mark Colyer – songwriter

References 

2022 songs
AWAL singles
Heartland rock songs
Songs about the United States
Songs about teenagers
Songs about nostalgia
Songs about Florida
Songs about alcohol
Songs about the military
Anti-war songs
Barack Obama controversies