At first, the clip for Carrie Underwood’s “Just A Dream” seems like it’s going to be an homage to Paula Abdul’s “Rush Rush,” with its ’50s-style fashions and semi-audible conversations layered over the music. (Also: eyelashes. Crazy eyelashes.) But then, as Underwood is walking down the aisle in her wedding gown, the dress–and its attendant veil–crudely morphs into a dress that’s more suitable for a funeral. And the whole tone of the clip shifts, and the reason for the video being set in a more “innocent” moment in this country’s history–i.e. the war in which her beloved is killed in isn’t the current conflict, because setting it in the present day might cause the more lunatic fringes of this nation to think that Underwood’s love song to a fallen soldier is actually a statement against the current war, the troops fighting it, and the mere notion of America–is made crystal clear. And that only serves to make the clip even sadder. [YouTube]
Carrie Underwood Brings Us The Year’s Most Depressing Video
August 6th, 2008 // 7 Comments
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a) you don’t want to alienate your Toby Keith base by even suggesting anything anti-military (although, there is nothing anti-military about grieving for the unncessary lost of the heroes serving… but try incorporating logic into that conversation with some nutbars and you’ll just go cross-eyed.)
b) the wedding/funeral juxtoposition worked quite well for Axl & Co. in November rain.
She’s probably gonna catch grief from the wingnuts, anyway.
@ClaudiaJean: In re point b: You’re right, it did. However, the morphing here does not quite reach “You Could Be Mine” territory.
Surprisingly effective fake crying. See also: Duffy’s new video.
Maura, either I am more hungover than I thought, or that last sentence is very difficult to read. I had to read it 3 or 4 times.
Maura, I can’t watch/hear the video now, but great points about the fine line country performers must walk when they choose to write war-themed songs. And Carrie’s idea of setting the video during an earlier military conflict is not new. Two other excellent examples:
1) The Dixie Chicks’ sublime “Travelin’ Soldier” — about a high school girl in Texas who falls for a soldier with whom she’s been pen-pal-ing, and later finds out he’s died when she heard his name announced over the PA — was written in 1996 but set during Vietnam; and
2) Brad Paisley & Alsion Krauss’ “Whiskey Lullaby” — about a soldier who returns from war to find his wife has hooked up with another man, and he drinks himself to death, and then so does she out of guilt and remorse — was written in 2003 but had a video set during World War II.
Bonus fun fact #1: “Travelin’ Soldier” — which never had an official video — was written by the husband of one of the Chicks for himself, but of course know remembers that. Bonus fun fact #2: The video for “Whiskey Lullaby” starred Rick Schroeder as the returning soldier, and it won the CMA Award for Music Video Of The Year.
@Rob Murphy: Sorry, left out some context for “Travellin’ Soldier”. The Dixie Chicks recorded it for their 2002 album Home, and it was the track they were actively promoting to country radio when Natalie Maines made her comments about President Bush.