Hailey Whitters Gets Educated by ‘Janice At the Hotel Bar’
She's embracing the homespun wisdom of a life-living expert.
Hailey Whitters brings the homespun wisdom behind “Janice At the Hotel Bar” to life in the track’s new video, making for a reflective cinematic standout.
Directed by Erica Silverman with creative director Harper Smith, and shot on location in Austin, Texas, the colorful clip finds a vivid story song turned into a mini movie, with a been-there-done-that expert passing on the wisdom of her years. Lump-in-your-throat memories of days-gone-by flash on screen as the elder “Janice” enlightens a new generation, all while Whitters applies her tough-yet-tender Midwestern vocal to an intricate set of lyrics.
“Given that this song was based on a real encounter with an 80-something-year-old woman named Janice, we felt it was important to keep it as rich visually as it is lyrically,” Whitters explains in a statement. “Erica and Harper were able to capture the individual eccentricities that make up the collective female experience in living a life well-lived.”
“And stay off the pills / But get on the pill if you ain’t ready to start a family,” the rootsy hook begins, before ending with the reflective refrain, “Go on and make a good livin’ girl, but don’t forget / To make a good life.”
“Janice At the Hotel Bar” appears on Whitters’ acclaimed EP, The Dream, which features her breakout single, “Ten Year Town” and was included on a number of mid-year Best-Of lists. She was spotlighted by Sounds Like Nashville in the fall of 2019, and was recently featured on CMT’s Feed the Front Line Live event.
