Sugarland and Taylor Swift Tease ‘Mad Men’-Inspired New Video for ‘Babe’
Both in the pop and country formats, Taylor Swift's music videos tend towards high drama and cinematic storytelling, and the new music video that she teased on Wednesday evening (June 6) with country duo Sugarland for their collaboration, "Babe," is no exception. Readers can press play above to watch a first taste of the video, which arrives on June 9.
The video takes its cues from the cut-throat advertising agency world of New York City in the 1960s, a la the AMC television drama Mad Men, with fastidious attention paid to matching wardrobe and scenery to the period. Decked out in a yellow dress and pearls, Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles looks every bit the perfect wife as she strolls grocery store aisles and sips a martini across the table from her husband.
But there's trouble in paradise: Dressed in red -- including a red wig -- Swift lurks in the shadows, casting a withering glance at Nettles as she brushes by. Actor Brandon Routh, who makes a special guest appearance to play the philandering husband caught in the middle of the two, even cut his hair to look the part of Don Draper, according to a Twitter post.
"Babe" was written by Swift, who offered the song to Sugarland upon their return to country music after a hiatus, as she and the country duo are long-time friends and mutual admirers. Swift subsequently went on to lend her vocals to the track as well. "Babe" will be included on Sugarland's forthcoming new album, Bigger, which is due out on June 8 and will be the group's sixth studio album, as well as their first release as a duo since 2010's The Incredible Machine.