Welcome to the Future
Encyclopedia
"Welcome to the Future" is the title of a song written by Chris DuBois and co-written and recorded by American
country
artist Brad Paisley
. It was released in July 2009 as the second single from his studio album, American Saturday Night
. It is the twenty-fourth chart single of his career. In July 2009, Paisley played the song at the White House
for President Barack Obama
.
, with a synthesizer
in the intro. The lyrics describe the changes that the narrator has seen in his lifetime, including the advances in technology and inter-cultural relationships.
In the first verse, he tells of how he wanted to be able to watch television in the car as a child, or have his own video game system instead of having to go to the video arcade
. The second verse addresses advances in international relationships, by telling of how his grandfather fought against Japan
in World War II
, but the narrator "was on a video chat this morning / with a company in Tokyo." Verse three addresses the issue of racism
after recalling a black friend who had a cross burned
in his front yard by the Ku Klux Klan
. This verse also alludes to the anti-racism movements of Rosa Parks
and Martin Luther King, Jr.
in the line "From a woman on a bus / to a man with a dream."
Paisley told Country Weekly
magazine that he was inspired to write the song after hearing the announcement that Barack Obama
would become President of the United States
who he endorsed, and realizing that the first President in his children's lives would be an African American
. This thought also led him to include memories of his own childhood in the song, as well as those of his grandparents: "If you went back in time and told me, waiting in line for Pac-Man, or [my grandfather] that his grandson would be playing Japan[…] that is just something." Paisley also said that he included the allusion to Dr. King's "I Have a Dream
" speech in the final verse because he thought that King's "dream of racial equality" was realized by Obama's election.
and heartland rock
-like acoustic guitar
strumming." He considered the theme similar to Paisley's 2007 single "Letter to Me
" and said, "It’s an interesting direction to take a song as it describes how life changes over time." Stephen Thomas Erlewine
also described the song favorably in his Allmusic review, saying that it was the "first country anthem of the Obama
era" and that it showed "Paisley's uncanny knack for capturing the casual contemporary details of American life at the tail-end of the 2000s." Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone
also described this song favorably, saying that it and the album's title track showed a sense of optimism
in his music.
Paisley gave his first live performance of the song at the White House
on July 21, 2009.
for "Welcome to the Future" was directed by Jim Shea and released in mid-August. It was filmed in New York City
, Washington D.C., Los Angeles
, Tokyo
and Kumamoto, Japan.
chart for the week of July 11, 2009. Having peaked at number 2 on that chart, the song became Paisley's first single to miss Number One since 2005's "Alcohol
" and ending a streak of ten consecutive Number One hits for Paisley.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley
Brad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional country music and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references....
. It was released in July 2009 as the second single from his studio album, American Saturday Night
American Saturday Night
American Saturday Night is the seventh studio album by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It was released on June 30, 2009, by Arista Nashville. Like all of his previous studio albums, it is produced by Frank Rogers. The first single, "Then," has become his fourteenth Number One on the Hot...
. It is the twenty-fourth chart single of his career. In July 2009, Paisley played the song at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
for President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.
Content
"Welcome to the Future" is a mid-tempo song, with a production featuring percussion and steel guitarSteel guitar
Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
, with a synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
in the intro. The lyrics describe the changes that the narrator has seen in his lifetime, including the advances in technology and inter-cultural relationships.
In the first verse, he tells of how he wanted to be able to watch television in the car as a child, or have his own video game system instead of having to go to the video arcade
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
. The second verse addresses advances in international relationships, by telling of how his grandfather fought against Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but the narrator "was on a video chat this morning / with a company in Tokyo." Verse three addresses the issue of racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
after recalling a black friend who had a cross burned
Cross burning
Cross burning or cross lighting is a practice widely associated with the Ku Klux Klan, although the historical practice long predates the Klan's inception...
in his front yard by the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
. This verse also alludes to the anti-racism movements of Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress called "the first lady of civil rights", and "the mother of the freedom movement"....
and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
in the line "From a woman on a bus / to a man with a dream."
Paisley told Country Weekly
Country Weekly
Country Weekly is an American tabloid style weekly magazine established in 1994. The magazine focuses on country music stars and events, and regularly features exclusive interviews with recording artists and country music news...
magazine that he was inspired to write the song after hearing the announcement that Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
would become President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
who he endorsed, and realizing that the first President in his children's lives would be an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
. This thought also led him to include memories of his own childhood in the song, as well as those of his grandparents: "If you went back in time and told me, waiting in line for Pac-Man, or [my grandfather] that his grandson would be playing Japan[…] that is just something." Paisley also said that he included the allusion to Dr. King's "I Have a Dream
I Have a Dream
"I Have a Dream" is a 17-minute public speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered on August 28, 1963, in which he called for racial equality and an end to discrimination...
" speech in the final verse because he thought that King's "dream of racial equality" was realized by Obama's election.
Reception
The song has received positive reviews from music critics. Matt Bjorke of Roughstock described the song's intro as reminiscent of video game music, but said that it "quickly gives way to steel guitarSteel guitar
Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
and heartland rock
Heartland rock
Heartland rock is a genre of rock music that developed in the 1970s and reached its commercial peak in the 1980s, when it became one of the best-selling genres in the United States. It was characterized by a straightforward musical style, a concern with the average, blue collar American life, and a...
-like acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
strumming." He considered the theme similar to Paisley's 2007 single "Letter to Me
Letter to Me
"Letter to Me" is a single by American country music singer Brad Paisley. It is the third single released from his 2007 album 5th Gear. The song spent four weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in February 2008, becoming his sixth consecutive Number One on that chart, as...
" and said, "It’s an interesting direction to take a song as it describes how life changes over time." Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
also described the song favorably in his Allmusic review, saying that it was the "first country anthem of the Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
era" and that it showed "Paisley's uncanny knack for capturing the casual contemporary details of American life at the tail-end of the 2000s." Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
also described this song favorably, saying that it and the album's title track showed a sense of optimism
Optimism
The Oxford English Dictionary defines optimism as having "hopefulness and confidence about the future or successful outcome of something; a tendency to take a favourable or hopeful view." The word is originally derived from the Latin optimum, meaning "best." Being optimistic, in the typical sense...
in his music.
Paisley gave his first live performance of the song at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
on July 21, 2009.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Welcome to the Future" was directed by Jim Shea and released in mid-August. It was filmed in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Washington D.C., Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and Kumamoto, Japan.
Chart performance
"Welcome to the Future" debuted at number 59 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country SongsHot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart for the week of July 11, 2009. Having peaked at number 2 on that chart, the song became Paisley's first single to miss Number One since 2005's "Alcohol
Alcohol (Brad Paisley song)
"Alcohol" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Brad Paisley. It was released in May 2005 as the first single from Paisley's 2005 album Time Well Wasted, reaching number 4 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. It also peaked at number 28 on the U.S...
" and ending a streak of ten consecutive Number One hits for Paisley.
| Chart (2009) | Peak Position |
|---|