The context of Toby Keith's "American Ride" video is quite satirical. The video makes a very obvious jab at the life of Americans and the things that happen in our nation. A sample of the lyrics, "Plasma gettin bigger, Jesus gettin smaller/Spill a cup of coffee, make a million dollars/Customs caught a thug with an aerosol can/If the shoe don't fit, the fit's gonna hit the shan," makes a very obvious point at some of the political things that are happening in our nation. As this particular section of lyrics is playing, the video shows a huge television screen and then zooms into a tiny Jesus figurine hanging from a rearview mirror, screaming. It then switches to some man who spills coffee on his lap and then has lawyers appearing everywhere throwing money and various legal documents in his direction. Toby Keith is making a blatant political statement showing viewers how ridiculous life in the United States has gotten. Keith is bringing various situations to the eye (and ear) of the listeners/viewers and making fun at it.
He goes into a sequence about a beauty queen who gains some weight, loses her crown, gets plastic surgery, and then begins a singing career even though she “can’t even sing a note.” This is a situation that seems to happen more and more all the time. We have many teen, even adult, singers who don’t really have any talent, they just have a recording studio that can alter their voice and make it sound amazing for a radio hit. A live performance, however, is not so appealing. This is a jab at the pop culture of today. We have so many talented people out there who will never get recognized, but if you are the son or daughter of a successful performer, you get a record deal by the time you are eight, whether you can sing or not. This video is a visual statement that is trying to bring attention to what is going on in our nation. Some of the things that occur these days are getting out of hand and all he has to say about it is, “Gotta love this American Ride.”
