The Modern Amelia Earhart

The Modern Amelia Earhart

            Cam is one of the breakout female names in country music. Her album Untamed reached the number 2 spot in country music albums. Mayday is a single that debuted shortly before it was released with the album Untamed. The music video is centered around Cam dressed as what appears to be Amelia Earhart. The video is set in thee 1930s and shows as Cam (or Amelia) gets interviewed, takes off in her plane, and ultimately crashes. Aside from Cam`s storyline it also shows clips of a young girl who is following along with Amelia`s story. She is there at the interview, watches as Cam takes off, and is watching the TV as the news reveals Cam and her plane are missing.
One of the overarching themes in the music video is female oppression- which being set in the 1930s is not surprising. But Cam also uses it as a message to show that maybe things have not changed that much. For example, she is one of the few women who have made it in the country industry. In the video, before she leaves on her flight it shows ads from the time period which are a good representation of how women were viewed: as subservient to men and in charge of cooking and cleaning. This is shown alongside Cam`s interview in which signs are displayed criticizing her because flying across the ocean is not a task for a women. Even further, her boyfriend is alongside her the whole time, always looking mad despite the amazing things she is doing. She even appears to be afraid of him constantly checking back while she talks to the crowd.

         This goes along with lyrics that show a similar message, such as “You are overbearing, I'm not in love, But I don't wanna tell you,” “I said I'm moving on, 'cause things were getting rough, But here I am in your bed.” She is stuck in an unhealthy relationship but for some reason she can never get herself to leave. Until now that is. Taking the plane and being free. Despite his anger and the disbelief of those around her, she leaves him and goes off on her own adventure. The boyfriend in the video is a pretty clear symbol of an overbearing even abuse boyfriend/ relationship. The plane is the freedom she has been seeking.

       Another major part of the video is the young girl. She looks up to Cam. She is inspired by the way Cam breaks out of norms. She plays with toy planes in her house and watches the news of Cam`s disappearance. But long after the disappearance she looks in amazement as the T.V shows how women are starting to make a new name for themselves in a society traditionally run by men.

      There are a lot of symbols and messages in this music video. First, the title is very loaded. Mayday is a term used as a distress signal in emergencies. She is stuck in this unhealthy relationship and although she keeps calling for help the only person that can free her is herself. The plane symbolizes this freedom. She is all by herself without help from anyone else. Even when she crashes, she is truly free. While a large storm and a crash traditionally are negatively viewed icons, in Cam`s video it is seen as a positive. Even though it did not end well for her, she is free of the negative relationship she was in. And not only that, but she started a whole movement amongst other women as well. 

       In behind the scenes clips, Cam talks about how her past relationships inspired the song. One of the most memorable things in her past is an ex-boyfriend who told her that “No one’s going to love you like I loved you.” It takes a lot of bravery and strength to force yourself to leave a relationship like that, which is the point of this song. It is not an easy thing to do but Cam makes it clear that nothing is impossible and it can be done. Personally, I love this message. So many people are afraid of leaving unhealthy relationships and this is a very powerful message to encourage women. Because even though she may not have made it all the way to where she wanted, she started a domino effect.