Synopsis

Set in the Mojave Desert, the video plays more like a sun-baked rock gathering than a conventional narrative. Lenny Kravitz performs on a large outdoor stage while bikers, skaters, and dancers drift into the scene, creating the atmosphere of a spontaneous desert concert. Kravitz sings before a glowing American flag as women in leather outfits dance around him. Near the climax, Heather Graham arrives in a Corvette, joins the party, and adds a glamorous Austin Powers connection before the spectacle erupts in fireworks.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed as a daylong party in the Mojave Desert, with dust and a large group of extras contributing to its loose, improvised atmosphere.

• Kravitz described the concept as being more about a vibe than a tightly constructed storyline: people gathering around a stage, with bikes, dancers, and other performers filling out the scene.

• Heather Graham appears in the video shortly after starring as Felicity Shagwell in *Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me*. Her arrival in a Corvette directly connects the clip to the film that supplied the song's soundtrack placement.

• Kravitz recorded the cover after being approached about contributing a song to *The Spy Who Shagged Me*. He made an initial version before the arrangement was formally settled, and that recording became the version used for the film and soundtrack.

• The song was originally recorded by the Guess Who. Kravitz's version was released as a single in 1999 and later added to a reissue of his album *5*.

• Unlike the Guess Who recording, Kravitz's interpretation is slower and softer and leaves out the original's signature guitar solo.

• The video shifts the song's visual emphasis away from its original political edge and toward fashion, celebrity glamour, performance, and sexual imagery.

• The cover reached No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 and performed particularly well in several other countries, including Australia, Finland, Iceland, New Zealand, and Spain.

• "American Woman" received a nomination for Best Pop Video at the 2000 MVPA Awards.