Do you want to
Ride in a big limousine?
Tell me do you want to
Take a little bite of the fame machine?
If you wanna be discovered
And end up on the cover of every star-studded supermarket magazine
You can do it
Stick right to it
It could happen tonight
You wanna be famous (famous)
You wanna be the one who’s living the life
You wanna be famous (famous)
You wanna be the one who’s taking a free ride
Do you want to
Cut to the front of the line?
Baby, do you need to
See your name in lights just like the Hollywood sign?
Come on, we gotta work harder
Fight the fight together
Take it to the top
We’ve got the winning team
It’s your moment
You can own it
It’s the American dream
I was listening to a throwback playlist in my car when “Famous” by Big Time Rush came on. The lyrics referencing the American Dream instantly caught my attention and I decided to take a deeper dive into the lyrics. The band equates the concept of the American Dream with fame, fortune, and ultimate stardom. While this may have happened to the (non)fictional band, it demonstrates that the concept of the American Dream has been skewed into something of overnight superstardom, rather than hard work leading to success. Likewise, this is many children’s first time even hearing about the American Dream in a way that caters to their age group. Understandably, this is merely children’s programming but is it appropriate to equate a once-in-a-million event (becoming a superstar overnight) to a concept many Americans actively strive for?