My American Dream

Hi,

My name is Cody Sorensen and I have an experiment that I would like to conduct regarding the idea of the American Dream. The question I hope to answer during this journey is this: "Is the American Dream alive or is it dead?" I want to find out if it's still possible in the United States of America for an individual to dream up something in their head and have that dream materialize.

My dream is to take a song that I wrote and get it to be #1 on the radio in the U.S.A. before the next presidential election.  I know this is a lofty goal, but they say that a person can succeed in this country with an idea and a lot of hard work so why not me? Does hard work really pay off the way it should in America? I believe that it can, but you have to start with a good idea and then never give up. I think my song is a good idea.

The song is a patriotic song that I wrote in 2001 while I was trying to process the thoughts and emotions I felt after the twin towers came down in New York City, New York. It is now 2015 and I've rewritten the song several times and changed the melody over the last 14 years to bring the song to a level that I believe is good enough to fight for the #1 position on top 40 radio.

I've also studied a lot about the music business during this time to get an idea of what I'm up against. This studying has lead me to understand that it's not going to be easy to get a song to #1 on the radio. The most important thing I've learned is that it can't be done alone. I need other Americans to believe in my dream too. There are a lot of things to consider and execute such as recording the song, promoting the song and selling the song, but the most important thing to bring this dream to life will be converting other Americans to rally support for the song.

I'll be honest, it's a little scary putting a dream out into the world for all to see. What if the world makes fun of me? What if I'm persecuted for the song I release? What if I'm criticized? I probably will be, but I think it would be worse to keep the dream to myself. Dreams that stay in our heads are only dreams, but the ones we allow to venture out of our heads have the potential of changing the world.

I hope my song inspires others to take action. America is strongest when we work together. I don't really care if my song tops out at #1. What I really care about is that I just have what it takes to follow through. I don't want to give up half way through. I don't want to give up before I start. I just want to finish what I start. I like to think out loud, it helps me process my ideas and that's the purpose this blog will serve. It's also my way of sharing my process with those who might stumble onto my project.  My hope is that you'll follow my story as I strive to share it with you.

I plan on using every tool out there to share this adventure with those who might support it. Social media is a very powerful tool that can really make the difference when someone is trying to make their American dream come true. I hope others share my story and spread the word about my song. If you'd like to volunteer to help spread the word, please contact me and we'll chat.