1
Welcome to the FutureBrad Paisley

• Sociology Unit 2
• Music American Culture Assignment Example

2
Song Lyrics

• When I was ten years old,I remember thinkin how
  cool it would be,When we were goin on an eight
  hour drive,If I could just watch T.V.
• And Id have given anythingTo have my own PacMan
  game at homeI used to have to get a ride down to
  the arcadeNow Ive got it on my phone.
• He-e-ey .Glory glory hallelujahWelcome to the
  future
• My grandpa was in World War II,He fought against
  the Japanese.He wrote a hundred letters to my
  grandmaMailed em from his base in the
  Philippines
• I wish they could see this now,Where they say
  this change can goCause I was on a video chat
  this morningWith a company in Tokyo

3

• He-e-ey .Everyday is a revolution.Welcome to
  the future.
• He-e-ey .Look around its all so clearHe-e-ey
  .Wherever we would go and well weHe-e-ey
  .So many things I never thought Id
  seeHappening right in front of me
• I had a friend in school,Running-back on a
  football team,They burned a cross in his front
  yardFor asking out the home-coming queen
• I thought about him today,Everybody whos seen
  what hes seen,From a woman on a busTo a man
  with a dream
• He-e-ey .Wake up Martin LutherWelcome to the
  futureHe-e-ey Glory glory hallelujahWelcome
  to the future

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American Values

• Progress
• Efficiency and Practicality
• Science
• Material Comfort
• Racism Group Superiority
• Equal Opportunities

5
Progress

• The title Welcome to the Future illustrates the
  concept of Progress
• Americans are optimistic about the future and
  believe that the future will be better than the
  present
• We associate the words glory hallelujah with
  good things
• Hey .Glory glory hallelujahWelcome to the
  future

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Progress (continued)

• Americans see progress as having the latest
  greatest thing
• And Id have given anything
• To have my own PacMan game at homeI used to
  have to get a ride down to the arcadeNow Ive
  got it on my phone.

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Efficiency and Practicality

• Americans value activity that gets things done in
  the least amount of time and most efficient way
• Better technology allows us to do more in more
  places in a more expedient manner

• He wrote a hundred letters to my grandmaMailed
  them from his base in the Philippines
• Cause I was on a video chat this morningWith a
  company in Tokyo

8
Science

• American look for new technology to improve our
  lives
• Video chats allow us to communicate real time no
  waiting for news or time with our loved ones
• He wrote a hundred letters to my grandmaMailed
  them from his base in the Philippines
• I wish they could see this now,Where they
  say this change can goCause I was on a video
  chat this morningWith a company in Tokyo

9
Material Comfort

• Americans value material things and how these
  things entertain us
• We define ourselves by the things we have
• Portable tv and dvd players
• Cell phones with game applications

• When we were goin on an eight hour drive,If I
  could just watch T.V.
• And Id have given anythingTo have my own PacMan
  game at homeI used to have to get a ride down to
  the arcadeNow Ive got it on my phone.

10
Racism Group Superiority

• The song discusses how a black American was
  discriminated against for asking out a white girl
• I had a friend in school,Running-back on a
  football team,They burned a cross in his front
  yardFor asking out the home-coming queen

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Equal Opportunities

• The song explains how the actions Martin Luther
  King and Rosa Parks have moved the United States
  toward equality
• Their actions have resulted in the United States
  currently having a Black President

• I thought about him today,Everybody whos seen
  what hes seen,From a woman on a busTo a man
  with a dream
• He-e-ey .Wake up Martin LutherWelcome to the
  futureHe-e-ey Glory glory hallelujahWelcome
  to the future

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Meaning of the Song

• Americans look to the future optimistically with
  hope
• We believe that tomorrow will always be better
• The song gives examples of how things have
  changed for the better
• New technology, more equality