Brantley Gilbert and Lindsay Ell Debut Nostalgic ‘What Happens In A Small Town’ Video

When Brantley Gilbert sings “what happens in a small town stays in a small town,” he’s speaking from experience. The country crooner learned the hard way after a [temporary] breakup with his now-wife Amber. The couple kept running into each other in their small town making for awkward and painful encounters.

This sentiment is echoed throughout the new music video for Gilbert’s current single “What Happens In A Small Town,” as a young couple sees each other at the town’s red light and begins reflecting on their past. Though the relationship has ended for the two, clips of their time together flash across the screen, through football games and date nights. As the light changes from red to green, the two drive in opposite directions, sharing a half-hearted smile.

The clip was directed by Shaun Silva in Columbia, TN, a town that shares the authenticity of the words Gilbert and his collaborator Lindsay Ell sing.

“’Cause what happens in a small town stays in a small town / Every back road, we’ve ever gone down / Friday night bleachers, Sunday pews / Ain’t a county line mile without a memory of you,” sings Gilbert.

“Every word of this is true,” the Georgia native says of the song. “You know, it’s not the big things that really get you when you break up with someone you love in a place like this: it’s the small stuff. That’s what tears into you.”

“It happened to me,” Gilbert continues. “But it happens to a lot of people out there. Whether you’ve found your way back to them or not, those feelings don’t always stop just because you’ve broken up. ‘What Happens In A Small Town’ is as much about the memories as it is the fact you’re going to keep running into each other. So maybe this song will help some people save time!”