"I'm Afraid of Americans" is a song by the English musician David Bowie, released as a single from his album Earthling on 14 October 1997 through Virgin Records.

An industrial and techno track, it presents a critique of America through the eyes of a stereotypical "Johnny" and is characterised by drum patterns, synthesisers, various loops and vocal distortions.

According to biographer Chris O'Leary, recording took place in late 1994 at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland and the early weeks of 1995 at the Hit Factory in New York City.

[2][3] During the sessions for Bowie's next album Earthling (1997), he decided to remake the song with his current band—guitarist Reeves Gabrels, pianist Mike Garson, bassist Gail Ann Dorsey and drummer Zack Alford.

"[4] Recording for the remake took place between August[2] and October 1996[5] at Looking Glass Studios in New York City with engineer Mark Plati, who had extensive experience there.

"[2] Bowie revised the lyrics, changing "Dummy" to "Johnny", and transposed verses while the band provided additional overdubs.

[3][20][21] The project was instigated by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor, continuing his and Bowie's association following the Outside Tour.

Reznor, who stated that he "tried to make it a bit darker",[3] stripped the production to its roots to create what biographer David Buckley calls "an eerie, psychotic track".

"[3] Commercially, the single reached number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained on the chart for 16 weeks, becoming Bowie's biggest hit in the country since "Day-In Day-Out" ten years earlier.

[6] Reznor also starred as the titular Johnny in the Dom and Nic-directed music video,[11] which was shot in New York City in October 1997 during the American leg of the Earthling Tour.

[3] The video depicts Bowie as a man who is chased around the streets of New York by a stalker portrayed by Reznor,[8] reflecting the song's theme of a frightened European in an American city.

[5][25] Reviewing Earthling on release, Mojo's Andy Gill considered "I'm Afraid of Americans" the "most direct" track on the album.

[7] Upon release of the single, Billboard writers Larry Flick and Shawnee Smith praised Reznor's remix as an improvement on the "already deeply moody and largely sharp" original.

[26] Reviewing the maxi-single for AllMusic, Christian Huey criticised it as "too derivative of Downward Spiral-era Nine Inch Nails" to please Bowie's fans.

"[27] A year later, Consequence of Sound placed "I'm Afraid of Americans" at number 66 on their list of Bowie's 70 best songs, writing:[28] Many aging rock stars may have been sunk by toying with industrial electronic or having a song feature in the Showgirls soundtrack, but David Bowie excels in even the most theoretically ill-fitting suits, looking sleek and charming.

He’s telling tales of humans in ruin, of futility and idealism, and while the original version that appeared in the schlocky midnight movie was afraid of 'the animals,' the eventual final take changed it to 'Americans,' an electro-crunchy slab of sardonic delight.In 2017, Vice's Jill Krajewski commented on the song's relevance during the presidency of Donald Trump, stating: "'I'm Afraid of Americans' has a darker resonance today not through its chorus, but in a context that gives it unnerving prescience: a snapshot of the [era we live in today].

"[12] She argued that the "working-class everyman" (Johnny) were responsible in sharpening the political divide and widespread hate on the internet, presenting a sense of unease living in America as she concludes, "I am afraid of Americans".

[2][3] He first performed the track ahead of Earthling's release on 9 January 1997 at his fiftieth birthday concert in New York City with the band Sonic Youth.