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LGBTQ advocates and musicians have hailed the new video for Tyler Childers’ song “In Your Love” as a much-needed portrait of inclusivity.
The song is the first from Childers’ upcoming album “Rustin’ in the Rain” (out Sept. 8) and chronicles devotion to a loved one. The twist the video delivers is that the love story is between two men who fall in love in 1950s rural Appalachia, face attacks from co-workers at a coal mine, and then move together to tend a farm.
The video, which stars Colton Haynes (“Teen Wolf,” “Arrow”) and James Scully (“You,” “Fire Island”) as the two coal miners, lands amid controversy over another new country music video, Jason Aldean’s “Try That In A Small Town.”
CMT pulled Aldean’s video after many criticized it and the song for touting gun violence and lynching – and viewers noting some scenes were filmed at the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, where an 18-year-old Black man named Henry Choate was lynched in 1927.
For subscribers:Six seconds removed from Jason Aldean’s ‘Try That in a Small Town’ video amid controversy
After the video for Childers’ song hit YouTube Thursday, fellow musician Margo Price tweeted, “I hope people share it and lift up good songwriting, deep music and positive messages because we could use more of this right now.”
Singer-songwriter Jason Isbell offered his support and wrote, “Go @TTChilders go – much respect.”
Out Magazine posted: “Grab your tissues! Tyler Childers’ new music video for #InYourLove tells a beautiful story of gay Appalachian love.”
What did fans have to say about Tyler Childers’ ‘In Your Love’?
Online, many compared Childers’ video to the one from Aldean.
One reason Childers wanted to do this music video, he told Ann Powers of NPR, “was my cousin growing up, who’s like my big brother, is gay.”
On YouTube, where “In Your Love,” had been played more than 2.3 million times as of Sunday, there were 12,000-plus comments. One viewer wrote: “Seeing this song go viral immediately after ‘Try That In A Small Town’ feels good. It’s great to see left wing music listeners promoting a song to make their voices heard as well.”
“I would like to thank all the hateful ignorant ‘country fans’ screaming about this video, as I had never heard this angelic voice before,” another comment read. “Thank you for helping me find this beautiful loving soul.”
But not everyone was supportive. On Facebook, where the video has been viewed 1.8 million times, one commenter posted, “Disappointed. This could have been a wonderful opportunity to show real love and commitment.”
“Tyler Childers just budlighted himself,” another wrote, referencing a consumer boycott against Bud Light after it partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney “And that’s sad cause he was my fav.”
Tyler Childers had a personal reason for making the ‘In Your Love’ music video
Childers had some help with the video, from friend and best-selling author Silas House (“Lark Ascending”), who wrote the treatment and served as creative director. House and husband Jason Kyle Howard, a journalist and author – both are native Kentuckians, as is Childers – came up with the story idea. The video was directed by Bryan Schlam, who’s also directed videos for the Black Keys and James Bay.
Shooting ‘In Your Love,’ everyone knew ‘we were part of something special’
“Everyone on the shoot seemed to know we were part of something special but we had no idea that the video would be even more pertinent by the time it was released,” House told USA TODAY.
“One of our goals for this video was to represent rural and Appalachian people in a complex, dignified way since they are not often shown that way in visual media,” said House, who is also the Kentucky Poet Laureate.
Family stories and photos helped “create the most authentic love story we could … that could capture (the song’s) passion, beauty, and emphasis on the power of an endless love,” House said.
“We also knew that a lot of people would be seeing themselves for the first time in a country music video and it has been deeply moving to hear from many of them,” he said. “All of their love for the video and the song far outweigh the hatred that is rearing its head in response to it.”
In a news release for Childers’ album and the video, House said, “As a gay teenager who loved country music, I could have never imagined seeing myself in a video. That visibility matters. There have always been LGBTQ people in rural places and finally we’re seeing that portrayed in a country music video.”
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Childers expects some country music fans won’t appreciate the statement. “For all the ugliness that it’s going to bring out that just can’t be helped, this video is going to make real conversations possible,” he told NPR. “This is a story of two people sharing their love and living a life together and experiencing loss. That’s pretty powerful.”
Contributing: Morgan Hines, USA TODAY, and Kirsten Fiscus, Marcus K. Dowling, The (Nashville) Tennessean
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