An American Hero

Dion's 2024 album, Girl Friends, is a celebration of American music through the lens of female artists. It finds the Bronx singer teaming up with 12 established and rising blues singers for a collection of duets. When describing the album, Dion explained his desire to showcase "the feminine genius – the undeniable difference that's in women and the difference that they make in the world."

Writing with women in mind changed things for Dion. "Some of them are like a dialogue and that was an interesting way to write as I'd always written from a male point of view," he told Uncut magazine. "I wanted women to sing on it, but I didn't want a Tony Bennett thing where they sing a verse, so I wrote songs like I Aim To Please and Do Ladies Get The Blues. Women are amazing. They transform men. Men change as soon as a woman enters the room."

This song is a duet with Carlene Carter. "I wrote 'An American Hero' because everybody in America is so divided," explained Dion. "They all watch these different cable news channels that play to the base, and they call each other names which aren't true. I wanted to write a song saying, 'look at your hearts and stop pointing fingers.' The true patriot isn't political, it's personal, it's being a better neighbor and friend and looking after the people around you."