
The motif in Carrie Underwood’s music video “Two Black Cadillacs” is, as the title suggests, a black Cadillac. The Cadillacs represent betrayal in this video, as the man is cheating on two women who each own a black Cadillac. When “two black Cadillacs meet for the first time”, Carrie Underwood is singing about when the two women find out about each other, and that they are being cheated on. The Cadillacs in the story then are used to evoke a sense of pain onto the man who hurt them.

The first scene in Carrie Underwood’s video, from 0:00 to 0:21, sets the tone for the music video. The camera points at the Cadillac from many different angles, while the car is in both stationary and moving conditions. This is to show that the Cadillac will be a main focus in the plot of the music video. A blue hue is used, and the image is also slightly faded – likely to show mystery, or even sorrow. Since this first scene does not include any people, the observer has no idea who the characters are or what they are singing about, further inducing a sense of mystery. They are only able to see a woman walking towards the Cadillac in a pair of high heeled black boots. 

The second scene that evokes emotion and intrigues the reader begins at 3:44 on the video. It begins with the Cadillac sitting stationary with a woman (Carrie Underwood) sitting in it, with her hands on the wheel. She looks as though she is ready to drive. The camera then focuses on the Cadillac again, however this time with a man in front of it. The man is waving his arms in the air, worried he is going to be hit by the car. Suddenly, the car lights flash, Carrie Underwood steps on the gas pedal, and the car begins moving. The camera angle at this point is over the shoulder of the driver, and the person watching the video is able to see the man through the front window, showing the man’s fear. Finally, the screen flashes a bright white, then goes dark. The observer can infer that the man gets hit with the car, which is further proved in the next scene when the Cadillac’s front end is shown to be crumpled from an accident. This is significant because the Cadillac, which clearly represents the hurt and betrayal that Carrie Underwood is feeling, is then turned around and used to plot revenge on the very man who hurt her.  

Although it is obvious that the two black Cadillacs are a motif in the song “Two Black Cadillacs” by Carrie Underwood, the observer of the music video is initially unclear about what these Cadillacs represent. After further watching the video and observing each scene, they are able to see that they represent the two women who were betrayed by their boyfriend or husband. The Cadillac then changes themes in its meaning, going from a weak, betrayed woman to a potential weapon to make sure that the man gets the revenge that he deserves.