
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. At this point in the music video, the Cadillac represents sadness, hurt, and betrayal, which is seen in the way that the Cadillac is portrayed on camera. Very dark, and almost black and white, tones are used, representing depression or some type of sadness. As the music video progresses, the Cadillacs in the story are used to evoke a sense of pain onto the man who hurt them, turning them into a power tool used to seek revenge. In the beginning, the viewer of the music video may not be able to understand the significance of the Cadillac, however, as the story unfolds, the viewer is able to see what the Cadillac truly represents to the protagonist of the story.

The first scene in Carrie Underwood’s video, from 0:00 to 0:21, sets the tone for the entire first half of 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. The background contains a dirt road, with a lot of trees blowing in the wind. The season looks to be fall or winter, as the leaves are also falling off of the trees. The fact that this is a cold winter day relates to the introduction shown in the music video because it also portrays sadness or despair. Since this first scene does not include any people, the observer has no idea who the main character of the music video is or what she is singing about, further inducing a sense of mystery and question. The viewer is only able to see a woman walking towards the Cadillac in a pair of high heeled black boots. This woman portrayed is likely the protagonist.

The image of the black Cadillac definitely has the ability to appeal to the viewer’s emotions. The introduction of the music video, including the black Cadillac, gives off a dark, depressing tone. As the music video keeps progressing, the viewer might go from feeling sad and lonely to feeling empowered. Not only do the images affect the viewer’s emotions throughout the music video, but the music does as well. The song begins soft and slow, and eventually progresses into a loud anthem that would likely change the listener’s mood in an instant. Therefore, someone who’s emotions are significantly affected by viewing this music video would likely be young women who went through a similar experience as the protagonist of the video – being cheated on. This anthem written by Carrie Underwood is likely also directed to those types of young women as well.

The second scene that evokes emotion and intrigues the viewer begins at 3:44 in 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 angry at something, and 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 apparent accident. The observer can also assume that this man was Carrie Underwood’s boyfriend or husband. 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 very 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 and how exactly they are significant in the overall plot of the music video. 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 representing a weak, betrayed woman to eventually becoming a potential weapon to make sure that the man gets the revenge that he deserves. Overall, the Cadillac relates to a larger message given in the music video, which is that revenge will occur on those who do the protagonist wrong. 
