56 Years Ago, 'American Woman' by The Guess Who Hit No. 1 Before Being Banned by the White House

Exactly 56 years ago today, a rock song hit No. 1 before going on to become iconic. Despite enjoying massive and lasting success, The Guess Who's song "American Woman" became so controversial during the 1970s that it was banned by the White House.

56 Years Ago Today, ‘American Woman' by The Guess Who Hit No. 1

Originally released in March 1970, it didn't take long for "American Woman" to become a major hit. The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart on March 21, 1970 and would ultimately remain on it for a total of 15 weeks. It topped the chart for three weeks, first hitting No. 1 on May 9, 1970.

"American Woman" would become one of the biggest hits of the year as it was ranked No. 3 on the year-end US Billboard Hot 100 for 1970. It would also be certified gold by the RIAA and has continued to hold a place in pop culture history to this day. It has been memorably heard in a long list of movies, including Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and shows like The Simpsons, Blue Bloods, The Big Bang Theory, The Wire, and more. Other metrics of its success include the song being inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame and getting more than 6.1 million views on YouTube.

The Forgotten Scandal - Why 'American Woman' Was Banned From the White House

Recorded and released by the Canadian rock band The Guess Who, "American Woman" became controversial as some perceived it as a rejection of America during the time of the Vietnam War. Some of the lyrics were especially seen as a commentary on the state of urban America, the war, and the then-ongoing draft. "I don't need your war machines / I don't need your ghetto scenes."

As an article from Ultimate Classic Rock chronicled, The Guess Who was invited to perform at the White House just over three months after "American Woman" hit No. 1. When the band performed for President Richard Nixon, his family, and guests on July 17, 1970, one song was notably absent. The Guess Who's drummer, Garry Peterson, told Mike Morsch what happened for his book Vinyl Dialogues: Stories Behind Memorable Albums of the '70s as Told by the Artists. According to the rock star, the First Lady at the time, Pat Nixon, learned about the song's controversial lyrics and remarked, "We can't have this." She then asked the band not to play the song, and they complied.

"I think someone in the White House, and you can be assured that it wasn't Mrs. Nixon, pointed out, and they were right, that 'American Woman' was a bit controversial because it wasn't about American women, it was about commentary. But I guess Mrs. Nixon found out, and she said, 'Well, this is not appropriate, we can't have this.' So they came to our people and said, 'We would rather you not play this song.'"

Peterson continued, "Our attitude was, 'Fine. We're here to entertain people and make them feel good. We're not here to cause problems. So if you're hiring us and paying us and you don't want us to play our biggest hit, that's up to you.' We're a Canadian band. We weren't getting on a soapbox and saying, 'You shouldn't be in this war!'"

Next: 60 Years Ago Today, A 1966 No. 1 Hit Became One of the Most Controversial Songs to Top the Charts

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 12:00 PM.