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5 Foreign Songs That Have Influenced American Culture
But right now on college campuses around America, the tables have been turned. One of the most popular songs at the moment is an import from South Korea. It's Gangnam Style, by PSY, which has been making a splash worldwide.
In the U.S., this song has found its way into some quintessentially American institutions, including the U.S. Naval Academy, where a group of students recorded their own take on the music video:
It's even been incorporated into American college sports. Here's the University of Oregon marching band performing Gangnam Style at one of the university's football games.
But Gangnam Style isn't the first foreign song to take over American pop culture. Here are four other non-English songs that have made a big impact on U.S. culture.
Dragosteia din tei, by O-Zone - Romania
Americans will almost certainly recognize this song, but they might know it better as "The Numa Numa Song." This song gained popularity in the U.S. thanks to a viral video of a slightly dorky kid dancing along to it in his bathroom (the kid was Gary Brolsma from New Jersey). According to the BBC, as of 2006 the video had been viewed 700 million times, and the song became a staple at American parties for several years.
Here's the video that set off the trend...
And an example of how it made its way into American culture.
Jai Ho, by A.R. Rahman - India
It's probably no surprise to hear that Americans know this Bollywood song, which was featured in the 2008 movie Slumdog Millionaire and went on to win an Oscar AND a Grammy. A remix by the Pussycat Dolls called "Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)" made it into the top 20 of the Billboard charts.
The song also inspired flash mobs across the U.S.. Here's one by the University of Mississippi ("Ole Miss").
While we're on Bollywood songs, Americans would almost definitely recognize, but almost certainly not be able to name, "Mundian To Bach Ke" by British Indian hiphop artist Panjabi MC. Most have heard the version featuring Jay-Z, released in 2003 as "Beware of the Boys."
99 Luftballons, by Nena - Germany
This song by German artist Nena didn't need a viral video or an English language remake to make its way into American pop culture. The song did get an English remake, called 99 Red Balloons, but it was the original German version that rose the U.S. charts in the early 1980s. Today you can still find Americans who don't speak any German, but can confidently sing along to 99 Luftballons.
Here's the song being featured in an episode of "Scrubs" from 2003:
Ue O Muite Aruk? by Kyu Sakamoto - Japan
Ue O Muite Aruk? was probably one of the first-ever foreign songs to catch hold in American pop culture - at least since there have been pop music charts - all the way back in 1963. The song went to number one under the title Sukiyaki. Apparently the title Sukiyaki was chosen for the single's UK release because it sounded Japanese and the original title was too difficult for English-speaking audiences. The song has turned up in U.S. pop music several times since, with a 1981 version by disco group A Taste of Honey, and a sample in a 1985 song by Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh.
Unfortunately, few young Americans today would recognize this song that made such a splash for their parents.
Here's the original song for your listening pleasure:
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College tuition has fallen significantly at many US schools, research finds
The cost of college keeps spiraling ever higher, right?
Not necessarily. New research indicates students are paying significantly less to attend public universities than they were a decade ago. And tuition increases at private colleges have finally slowed after years of hefty rises.
Figures compiled by the nonprofit College Board indicate the average student attending an in-state public university this year faces a tuition bill of $11,610, which is down 4% from a decade earlier when taking inflation into account. But the real savings come in what the average student actually pays after getting grants and financial aid. That's down 40% over the decade, from $4,140 to $2,480 annually, according to the data.
That reduced cost means less borrowing. Just under half of students attending in-state public universities are graduating with some debt, down from 59% a decade earlier, according to the College Board figures. And among those who do borrow, the average loan balance has fallen by 17%, to $27,100.
Meanwhile, at private colleges, tuition continues to rise, but at a much slower rate. It has increased 4% over the past decade, when taking inflation into account, to an average $43,350, according to the College Board. That's a big change from the two decades prior, when tuition increased 68%.
Costs are coming down as Americans question whether college is worth the price. Surveys find that Americans are increasingly skeptical about the value of a degree, and the percentage of high school graduates heading to college has fallen to levels not seen in decades, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Yet research still finds that, over time, a degree pays off. Americans with a bachelor's degree earn a median of $2.8 million during their careers, 75% more than if they had only a high school diploma, according to research from Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce.
COVID effect
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a big factor in the cost reductions, said Jennifer Ma, an executive research scientist at the College Board and lead author of the study.
"We know that during COVID, a lot of institutions — public and private — froze tuition," Ma said.
As states and the federal government responded to the pandemic, Ma said, they increased higher education funding, allowing colleges to reduce the cost of attendance. Some of that money has since expired, however, including an infusion of federal pandemic aid that was mostly used up by the end of 2022.
Cost was a major consideration in Kai Mattinson's decision to attend Northern Arizona University. It would have cost her about $39,000 annually to attend the public university but discounts and scholarships bring that down to between $15,000 and $20,000 for the 22-year-old senior from Nevada.
"I originally wanted to go to the University of Arizona, but when it came down to tuition and other cost, Northern Arizona University was the best option," said Mattinson, a physical education major who also works as a long-term substitute at a local elementary school.
Many institutions have tried to limit cost increases. Purdue University in Indiana, for example, has frozen its annual in-state tuition at $9,992 for the past 13 years.
Mark Becker, the president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, said he was pleased to see the new data.
"Institutional efforts to control costs, combined with many states' efforts to increase investments in public universities and federal investment in the Pell Grant, have increased college affordability and enabled significant progress on tackling student debt," Becker said in a statement.
Costs for those attending public two-year community colleges have fallen even more, by 9% over the past decade, according to the College Board data, which is broadly in line with federal figures collected by the National Center for Education Statistics.
Still, for parents paying for their children to attend out-of-state public universities or private colleges, the costs remain daunting — as much as $95,000 annually, in some cases. However, many institutions offer significant discounts to the sticker price for middle- and lower-income students.
Some private colleges have been expanding their financial aid, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which in November announced undergraduates with a family income below $200,000 would no longer need to pay any tuition at all starting in the fall.
Other private colleges are discounting tuition as a marketing move in an increasingly difficult environment. They face a dwindling pool of young adults, and students who are more wary of signing up for giant loans. Recruiting students is crucial for staying afloat as operational costs rise. After temporary relief thanks to federal money during the pandemic, many colleges have cut programs to try to keep costs under control.
As regional schools struggle to survive, AI could provide hope
Declining enrollments are causing problems for some smaller, regional colleges struggling to survive.
But schools that embrace artificial intelligence and customer experience could be at an advantage, Eric Skipper writes in Times Higher Education. (December 2024)
Universities move away from DEI initiatives
Diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives have fallen out of favor in higher education recruiting and hiring in recent years, but even more colleges and universities are moving away from the programs now, Thea Felicity reports in University Herald.
In addition to political opposition to the programs, there are concerns that DEI initiatives hinder free speech, affect ideological balances and discourage academic freedom. (December 2024)
‘College Deserts’ leave many communities without higher education options
“College Deserts” – areas where high schools are located more than 30 miles away from the nearest community college – leave large groups of people unable to pursue higher education because of transportation problems, Lexi Lonas Cochran writes in The Hill.
Most college deserts are in the Southern U.S., with a recent study in Texas showing that long commuting distances discourage many potential students from attending college. (December 2024)
Analysts say rate of college closures likely to increase
If current trends continue, the rate of college closures is expected to increase, according to a new study reported in Forbes.
Closures are more likely to affect private institutions, and while the number of closures might seem small on a national level, it could cause serious problems for the smaller and mid-sized communities where those colleges are located. (December 2024)
