Grab a box of Kleenex! Colton Haynes, James Scully, and country singer Tyler Childers are about to make you cry –– in five minutes or less.
The two queerties star as romantic leads in the video for Childers’ new single “In Your Love,” set to appear on his upcoming album Rustin’ in the Rain. The clip, which dropped on Thursday, is being touted as “the first-ever country music video with a gay storyline to be released by a major label.”
The visual tells the story of a 1950s gay couple, portrayed by Haynes and Scully, who meet while working as coal miners in Appalachia.
Between secret dates in the forest, the two forge an extremely tender relationship… until they’re discovered by a homophobic co-worker. But like the emotional lyrics sing –– “It’s a long hard war / But I can grin and bear it / ‘Cause I know what the hell I’m fighting for” –– the couple refuses to give up on their relationship.
After relocating to a new town, the men start their own farm and find community. We get to see Haynes and Scully share plenty of intimate moments: from making out, to adorably brushing pinkies at a bar where Childers and his band are performing.
And slight spoiler alert: As Scully’s character grows ill, Haynes stays until the tear-jerking end, as prophesied by the track: “We were never made to run forever / We were just meant to go long enough / To find what we were chasing after / I believe I found it here in your love.”
The visual finishes with Haynes’ character as an old man, maintaining their farm and reminiscing on his lover’s memory. We’ll give you a sec to emotionally prepare before watching the video below:
In a post on Instagram, Haynes praised the visual’s storytelling, calling it “easily one of my favorite projects I’ve ever been a part of.”
The video was written and creative directed by Silas House, who is currently serving as poet laureate in Childers’ home state of Kentucky. As a gay man who grew up in a rural area, House knew just how impactful this story would be.
“As a gay teenager who loved country music, I could have never imagined seeing myself in a video,” House said in a statement. “That visibility matters. There have always been LGBTQ people in rural places and finally we’re seeing that portrayed in a country music video.”
It’s a very bold (and important) statement for a heterosexual country singer like Childers to make, considering country music has been catching some flack lately. Earlier this year, Maren Morris apologized to the RuPaul’s Drag Race queens for the genre’s homophobic past, and Jason Aldean has been the recent subject of controversy after releasing a pro-gun and potentially violent video for “Try That in a Small Town.”
Thank you for telling our stories, Tyler. Now if you’ll excuse us, we need to cry again.
Check more pics of “In Your Love” cuties Colton Haynes and James Scully below.
Diplomat
The song is OK tho a bit one note Johnny, lacking range. I like Colton’s work but this is a stretch from his hard hitting action hero catalog of serials. It’ll be interesting to see how he does with it. I sense he’ll pull it off just fine.
Pietro D
Does one song really matter at al????????? What the hell would be wrong for Colton doing something different. That’s what most actors and “intelligent” viewers want. It seems you feel an actor should be doing his usual one note for the rest of his career. What you wrote is patently silly, to put it mildly! Yes, I sense as well that Colton will pull it off! Remember variety in roles is the dream of most actors.
dwick
I just bought a copy. It’s fourth on iTunes right now. That one song is number one and Nothing Compares 2U is second and some song I’ve never heard of is third.
Vera Delmar
In a world where Jason Aldean’s Country song “Try That In A Small Town”, a song tinged with the subtle odor of homophobia and racism; and which is getting plenty of airplay, it’s nice to hear a beautiful song about love and devotion between two Appalachian coal miners in the 1950’s who become farmers.
KellyRobinsonJr
As an aging 60 yr old gay man and the sole survivor of my close-knit circle of friends, this video evoked a flood of memories of my friends and their partners discovering their HIV+ status, which ultimately led to heartbreak and loss. I’ve been in a field, on my knees, crying with a friend after learning his status. It is so gratifying to witness major labels and entertainers finally truthfully acknowledge our pain and share our stories. This recognition is long overdue.
GrantS
Both the song and video are absolutely amazing!
bachy
Awesome photos of Colton, who has come to look like a cross between Ed Harris and Channing Tatum.
missvamp
such a sad video.
monty clift
This was beautifully done. There needs to be more gay art like this.