Lainey Wilson’s ‘Dirty Looks’ Video: Behind the Scenes of Her Visual Storytelling Masterpiece

Lainey Wilson bucked the trend when she released “Dirty Looks,” the lead single from her Redneck Hollywood EP and her third album, Sayin' What I'm Thinking, in 2019. Unlike Wilson's previous music videos, which use only visual narratives, she opted for a lyric video that put her songwriting talents front and center. We take a closer look at the unique music video for “Dirty Looks” and how it brings the track's blue-collar romance to life.

Wilson's “Dirty Looks” tells the story of an openly affectionate blue-collar couple who feel the disapproving glares of patrons at a local bar. While the male character worries about the dirt on his clothes and boots, Wilson gives voice to his partner's admiration. She's unapologetic, recognizing his hard work and believing he's sexier for his rough hands. This narrative celebrates authenticity, a strong work ethic, and marching to the beat of your own drum, no matter what anyone else thinks. Wilson brings the story to life with her “bell-bottom country sound” that brings a bit of flair to country music.

Wilson was inspired to write “Dirty Looks” with Smith Ahnquist and Brent Anderson after reflecting on her own blue-collar upbringing in Baskin, Louisiana. The small town has around 200 people, so everyone knows and has an opinion about everyone else. Wilson's father, Brian, was a fifth-generation farmer and is not too far removed from the man spending his days “haulin' that hay” in the song. Her mother, Michelle, had a white-collar job working as a schoolteacher, but like the heroine of “Dirty Looks,” she never looks down on her husband, and they remain happily married to this day.

While the small-town lovebirds of “Dirty Looks” may have been inspired by Wilson's parents, it doesn't sound like her parents faced any of the same prejudice. Wilson said that the people of Baskin are a “bunch of hard-working, good-hearted people.” It seems the community accepted her parents, as Wilson noted that “all 200 people are basically my family, and if they aren't blood-related, we might as well be related.”

Although the people of Baskin loved Wilson, it was a different story when she moved to Nashville in 2011 and spent the first three years living in her camper. While she's a big star today, she was initially told that she was “too country” to have a successful career. Like the woman in the song, Wilson refused to bend to fit the mold and instead persisted with the music she believed in. Perhaps her own experience of being an outsider also played a part in shaping the narrative of “Dirty Looks.”

While Wilson has openly discussed her songwriting partnership with Smith Ahnquist and Brent Anderson, she's kept mum about the team that created the video for “Dirty Looks.” Perhaps that's because with this video, the visual elements try to draw attention to the lyrics rather than being the main focus.

The video also honors the production work of Jay Joyce and Court Blankenship, who helped shape the sound of “Dirty Looks.” Jay Joyce is best known for his work with Emmylou Harris and Little Big Town, and his unconventional approach to production works a treat here. Just like the woman in the song, the sound embraces imperfections. The instruments are slightly out of tune, but they create something beautiful in this song, just like the couple's relationship.

Unlike many lyric videos, the team behind the video for “Dirty Looks” does more than simply present the song's words. The video opens in the parking lot of a bar. A neon sign proudly displays “Dirty Looks by Lainey Wilson.” The camera pans down to capture a man going inside as the song's opening lyrics appear on the ground and the side of the building. We follow him inside, where he meets a woman at the bar.

While the shadows make it difficult to see the woman's face, her wide-brimmed hat resembles Wilson's fashion signature. The couple kiss before we see their hands reaching for drinks, then they exchange more kisses in the shadows as the lyrics beam onto the screen. The music video is careful not to let us see the characters in too much detail. We see close-ups of their hands reaching for their drinks, her shadowy silhouette, and her hat sitting on the bar. By keeping their identities hidden, these characters could be any one of us.

The creators cleverly incorporate the lyrics into the bar scene. They're on signs around the bar, the lyrics on the karaoke monitor, the graffiti outside the bathroom door, the lipstick on the mirror as she touches up her lips before returning to her man for another kiss. As we see the lyrics, we also see more of the bar. The visuals of this working-class bar echo the setting that Wilson and her co-writers created in their song.

It's more than just Wilson's hat that we see in “Dirty Looks.” While it's an actor who wears her distinctive headwear, Wilson's stamp is all over this video. Her connection to the video gives it an authenticity that suits this working-class love song.

Just as the video's stars remain ambiguous, so does its bar setting. With its classic features such as dart boards and karaoke machines, it could be anywhere in the American South, from Wilson's Louisiana birthplace to her adopted hometown of Nashville. Wilson also loves bars like this so much that in 2024, she opened her own in Nashville called Bell Bottoms Up.

The music video for “Dirty Looks” effectively sets the scene for this working-class love story. The man and the woman appear as shadowy figures, making it easy for viewers to imagine themselves in these characters and, by extension, in the song. Clearly, the approach has connected with music lovers, as the video has racked up more than 2.2 million viewers and earned 20,000 likes. Watch the video again with a new appreciation for the artistic choices that complement Lainey Wilson's “Dirty Looks.”