Carrie Underwood: Blown Away

Carrie Underwood’s new hit, Blown Away, is a track newly released from her album of the same name.
The official music video for the song was released on July 30, 2012.

The song’s lyrics tell the story of a girl with an abuse father and affectionate mother, who wishes to flee her father’s physical and mental abuse. When a storm rips through her home, she finally sees her chance to escape the grip of her father, and remembers their past as the storm rages through their home.

The newly released music video struck me as being odd for several different reasons. Based on the lyrics, I imagined a young girl dealing with a fragile home, but the music video shows Carrie as she appears now, nearly 30. The music video begins with her doing her homework, with her father asking for help. Why a thirty year old woman needs help with history homework is beyond me, but she refuses his help and he lashes out. The video continues to show Underwood’s home being damaged by a storm as her father lay sleeping upstairs.

The video has many references to The Wizard of Oz including a yellow brick road leading to Underwood’s home, a scarecrow stashed in the basement, a pair of sparkly red boots, and even a puppy running by her side. I haven’t quite figured out how The Wizard of Oz ties into the meaning of the lyrics, but it could be that Underwood’s character is looking for an escape, just like Dorothy.