Sugar Coat

Album: Nightfall (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • To sugarcoat means to make something superficially attractive or acceptable. Here, Little Big Town sing from the point of view of a woman whose "home sweet home" is "pretty as a picture." But beneath the surface, she's desperate to break free from the pressure to keep up appearances.
  • The poignant track was penned by "Girl Crush" songwriter Lori McKenna along with Josh Kerr and Jordyn Shellart.
  • The song's music video was shot outside of Nashville and was directed by the brother-sister duo of Stephen and Alexa Kinigopoulos. Set in the early 1960s, it stars actress and producer Kate Bosworth (The Long Road Home, 21, Superman Returns) as a housewife struggling to maintain appearances while her marriage falls apart. Isaiah Stratton (Homeland) plays her husband.

    Said Bosworth of her character: "She is often lonely and unfulfilled – realizing that she is not getting what she needs from a partner, devastated by the choices that her husband is making. As she slowly discovers what is happening, while it's a sad moment, it is ultimately a resilient one. She finds her strength, her fortitude, and ultimately herself. It was an honor to bring this song to life with a band that I love."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular Music

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular MusicSong Writing

Starting in Virginia City, Nevada and rippling out to the Haight-Ashbury, LSD reshaped popular music.

Gilby Clarke

Gilby ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Second Wind Songs

Second Wind SongsSong Writing

Some songs get a second life when they find a new audience through a movie, commercial, TV show, or even the Internet.

David Sancious

David SanciousSongwriter Interviews

Keyboard great David Sancious talks about his work with Sting, Seal, Springsteen, Clapton and Aretha, and explains what quantum physics has to do with making music.

Harold Brown of War

Harold Brown of WarSongwriter Interviews

A founding member of the band War, Harold gives a first-person account of one of the most important periods in music history.