"Americano" is a song influenced by the repeal of California Proposition 8, which prohibited same-sex marriage, and the struggles of Mexican immigrants. Lady Gaga, who wrote and produced the song with DJ White Shadow, Fernando Garibay, and Brian Lee for her album Born This Way, was inspired to write it around the time Proposition 8 was overturned. Lyrically, the song also expresses Gaga's infatuation with a woman. It blends mariachi, house, and techno genres with Latin music elements, creating a unique sound. At its heart, the song plays like a vibrant anthem for love and identity against a backdrop of social change.