Two Black Cadillacs Metaphor
Engwr 101/102
17 April 2013
Word Count: 1279
Two Black Cadillacs In the summer of 2004, Carrie Underwood auditioned for American Idol in St. Louis, Missouri. Her audition impressed the judges, and she was quickly catapulted into stardom, welcome to Hollywood! Carrie had dominated the voting poles, winning each week effortlessly. Simon Cowell even made the prediction she would win the entire competition. On May 5, 2005, Underwood won and became season four’s American Idol. She gained a healthy fan base during the course of the show, and the winnings included a recording contract. Today Carrie Underwood, worldwide, has sold nearly thirty million singles and more than fifteen million albums, in addition to her extensive collection of awards received. Her most recent chart topping single Two Black Cadillacs is a narrative, more on the dark side, with a dramatic yet thrilling metaphor. Underwood’s song, Two Black Cadillacs, exhibits the actions of two women scorned, the lengths they will go to acquire personal vengeance, and their ability for keeping a secret, secret. We are introduced to the song right as important events are unfolding. “Two black Cadillacs driving in a slow parade. Headlights shining bright in the middle of the day” (Underwood), are the first two lines in the song. Right off the bat I made the assumption that this was a funeral procession in progress. Its the middle of the day, two black cars are driving in a slow parade, what else could it be? This answered my question of where these cars were headed. “Ones for his wife. The other for the woman who loved him at night. Two black Cadillacs meeting for the first time (Underwood).” As this concludes the first verse, with the information provided it is obvious that the wife and mistress are each in a Cadillac. The fact that they were meeting for the first time really stood out to me. The women have never met before but, they both are attending the same ceremony, in the same type
17 April 2013
Word Count: 1279
Two Black Cadillacs In the summer of 2004, Carrie Underwood auditioned for American Idol in St. Louis, Missouri. Her audition impressed the judges, and she was quickly catapulted into stardom, welcome to Hollywood! Carrie had dominated the voting poles, winning each week effortlessly. Simon Cowell even made the prediction she would win the entire competition. On May 5, 2005, Underwood won and became season four’s American Idol. She gained a healthy fan base during the course of the show, and the winnings included a recording contract. Today Carrie Underwood, worldwide, has sold nearly thirty million singles and more than fifteen million albums, in addition to her extensive collection of awards received. Her most recent chart topping single Two Black Cadillacs is a narrative, more on the dark side, with a dramatic yet thrilling metaphor. Underwood’s song, Two Black Cadillacs, exhibits the actions of two women scorned, the lengths they will go to acquire personal vengeance, and their ability for keeping a secret, secret. We are introduced to the song right as important events are unfolding. “Two black Cadillacs driving in a slow parade. Headlights shining bright in the middle of the day” (Underwood), are the first two lines in the song. Right off the bat I made the assumption that this was a funeral procession in progress. Its the middle of the day, two black cars are driving in a slow parade, what else could it be? This answered my question of where these cars were headed. “Ones for his wife. The other for the woman who loved him at night. Two black Cadillacs meeting for the first time (Underwood).” As this concludes the first verse, with the information provided it is obvious that the wife and mistress are each in a Cadillac. The fact that they were meeting for the first time really stood out to me. The women have never met before but, they both are attending the same ceremony, in the same type
Cited: Underwood, Carrie. “Two Black Cadilliacs.” Blown Away. ARISTA, 2012. CD. Fitzgerald