The melody of American Girl by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers runs 256 notes across 43 bars, 3:21 long in D at 240 beats per minute. The tab sits almost entirely in the first two frets, one note at a time — no chords to barre and no strumming pattern to keep up with. A piano backing track plays the chords and bass underneath, so the line you are learning sounds like the record even at half speed.
Prefer to strum and sing it instead? American Girl chords and lyrics.