Four years after the success of his Rhapsody in Blue in 1924, George Gershwin began work on his tone poem An American in Paris while touring that city and meeting musical luminaries such as Milhaud, Ravel,and Poulenc. Upon his return to New York, he made his conducting debut before an audience of 15,000 at Lewisohn Stadium, including both of these works. Gershwin's excursion into the realm of art music was the result of his brief visit to Paris in 1926, during which he returned with a French taxicab horn and the sketch of a melody, and a longer stay in 1928. During his second visit, he utilized both the horn and the melody while writing this piece, calling it a "rhapsodic ballet."

In his program notes, Gershwin stated, “I have not endeavored to present any definite scenes in this music. The rhapsody is programmatic in a general impressionistic sort of way, so that the individual listener can read into the music such episodes as his imagination pictures for him.” The opening section is followed by a rich "blues" with a strong rhythmic undercurrent, where our American friend, perhaps after strolling into a café, has suddenly succumbed to a spasm of homesickness. The blues rises to a climax followed by a coda in which the spirit of the music returns to the vivacity and bubbling exuberance of the opening part with its impressions of Paris.

There are loose sections of the piece that are extremely episodic, the first including two main "walking" themes and a slower, third theme. The style of this section is inspired by the French style of composers like Debussy, Milhaud and Poulenc, with the sound of taxi horns emulating the feeling of strolling down the streets of Paris. The second section is an homage to the musical styles of America, including a statement of the twelve-bar blues, and a solo trumpet entry that conveys nostalgia and homesickness. The next section extends the bluesy melodic ideas previously introduced, using the saxes, trumpets and snare drum. This is followed by a restatement of the walking themes and a full "Grandioso" finale. Gershwin's unique writing style included more modern musical expressions and a freer style of composition, making An American in Paris a beloved and innovative addition to the world of art music.

– Program notes from Program Notes for Band, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Wind Orchestra concert program, May 17, 2003, and SUNY Fredonia Wind Symphony concert program, March 12, 2020