Is Anyone Else Still Traumatized By Carrie Underwood’s “Just a Dream” Music Video?

Why on earth did CMT insist on playing this music video every morning before I went to school? The one time that breaking down into tears would have been extremely inconvenient.

But, seriously, I was traumatized by the “Just a Dream” music video the first time I watched it as a kid.

I loved Carrie Underwood and all of her music videos growing up, especially “All-American Girl” because she reminded me of Barbie with all of the outfits and careers. I also adored “Wasted,” so I wasn’t like totally ignorant or adverse to sad songs. I was a dramatic kid who enjoyed drama. It’s really sad how often I would act out “Stay” by Sugarland.

“Just a Dream” though . . . that music video and plot twist absolutely scarred me.

The video starts with Carrie Underwood in a car with her boyfriend, and they’re talking about this ambiguous thing that’s happening tomorrow. When the video cuts to Carrie in a wedding dress, walking down the aisle, we all assume that their conversation was about them getting married tomorrow.

Then, the first chorus ends, and the look are on her face isn’t joyful. The words “just a dream” feel way more ominous than they did a moment ago when we could all hope she means that marrying this man doesn’t feel real. The entire ceremony feels off at that point, and as more and more flashbacks are revealed, we realize that her boyfriend is a soldier and that ambiguous thing was not a wedding, it was his deployment.

I’m sure you can all see where this is going because we all know lots of sad soldier songs…

Well, then the part that absolutely destroyed me as a kid happens. Carrie Underwood’s white dress and veil slowly turn black, everyone’s heads bow, and the man at the end of the aisle becomes a coffin.

Turns out, the man in the car died during his deployment, and we are now at a funeral. Instead of the dream being a wedding, it’s more of a nightmare because Carried Underwood is grieving and can’t believe that he’s really gone. At this point, Carrie Underwood is crying, I’m crying, and my mom is staring at me with her school bag in one hand and my backpack in the other as she tries to shoo me out the door.

But, like… I’m fine. This music video only traumatized me . . . a little bit. No therapy needed.

Carrie Underwood Kicks Off ‘Sunday Night Football’ 2025

Carrie began performing the Sunday Night Football theme song back in 2013, and in 2016 debuted the “Oh, Sunday Night” theme song, which was a spinoff of her 2016 duet with Miranda Lambert, “Somethin’ Bad.”

And then in 2018, Carrie debuted another new theme song, “Game On,” which she co-wrote with Brett James and Chris DeStefano. However that song resulted in a copyright lawsuit and Sunday Night Football reverted back to the original theme song, “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night,” which was adapted from Joan Jett’s 1988 hit “I Hate Myself for Loving You.”

This season was once again filmed at The Resorts World Theater, where Carrie’s Las Vegas REFLECTION residency took place, and as is the norm with the SNF opener, the video itself always looks a bit different each weekend depending on the game’s location and what the matchup is. The lyrics also change slightly each week depending on the teams featured.

Tripp Dixon, creative director of the SNF show open for each of the past 13 years, says this year’s SNF open will be extra special as they celebrate the 20th season:

“For the 20th season of SNF, we wanted to set the tone for the night by reimagining the anthem sound in a way that plays to Carrie’s powerhouse vocals, while visually creating a seamless blend of stylized shots and behind-the-scenes moments evoking the national roadshow that is Sunday Night Football, week after week in the fall.”

Carrie says it was a blast to shoot, and she can’t wait for everyone to see it pretty soon:

“We had a blast shooting the new opening at The Resorts World Theatre again. As always, Tripp and the creative team continue to raise the bar, bringing the high energy and stunning visuals that the Sunday Night Football audience has come to expect year after year. I can’t wait for the world to see it!”

Of course, Faith Hill was the SNF girl for many years, belting out “Waiting All Day For Sunday Night” every weekend on TV’s across America, but I’ve loved seeing Carrie step up and carry on the torch over the last decade. If anyone is on Faith’s level in terms of vocal ability, it’s Carrie Underwood.

She nailed it once again, and I hope all of you football fans enjoyed your Sunday much more than this once again very sad and distraught Carolina Panthers fan. Carrie is just so bad***, and I love seeing her every Sunday evening on my TV screen because I love her, and also because it means football is back and fall is pretty much here.

Check it out:

Waited all day and ALL SUMMER to hear the SNF anthem! pic.twitter.com/F7G9PiM7cr

— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) September 8, 2025

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