Video Overview
This video is a live performance of country artist Brad Paisley’s song “Welcome to the Future” on the Late Show with David Letterman.
The Song and Its Theme “Welcome to the Future” is a mid-tempo country rock song with a production that features a mix of traditional country instruments like steel guitar and acoustic guitar with a modern synthesizer intro. The song is noted for being ambitious and socially-conscious, moving beyond typical entertainment to deliver a message of hope and progress.
Lyrical Content and Meaning The lyrics describe the monumental changes the narrator has seen in his lifetime, contrasting past experiences with the reality of the present day. The song progresses through three main themes:
- Technological Advancements: The first part marvels at technology, comparing childhood dreams of having a TV in the car or a video game system to the modern reality of playing games on a cell phone.
- International Relations: The middle section contrasts the World War II service of the narrator’s grandfather, who fought the Japanese, with the modern-day ability to be on a “video chat… with a company in Tokyo”.
- Social and Racial Progress: The final, most emotionally charged verse addresses social change and racial issues. It recounts a story of a black friend in school who had a cross burned in his front yard for dating the white homecoming queen. The verse climaxes with allusions to Rosa Parks (“a woman on a bus”) and Martin Luther King Jr. (“a man with a dream”), celebrating the progress exemplified by the election of the first Black President, Barack Obama, an event that directly inspired the song.
Context of the Performance The single was released in July 2009 from Paisley’s album American Saturday Night. The performance on the Late Show with David Letterman took place around November 2010. Paisley has played the song for President Obama at the White House and has explained that the song was “the glue” that brought his entire album together.