Synopsis

Set in the years after World War II, the video follows Richard Bartlett as he returns home to find his marriage destroyed by infidelity. Unable to recover from the betrayal, he turns to alcohol and dies alone. His widow, Katherine, is consumed by guilt and follows the same destructive path. Their tragic story unfolds alongside performances by Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss, ending with a young girl witnessing the couple reunited as ghosts beneath the willow tree.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed in Nashville on June 6 and 7, 2004, and premiered on CMT on June 30, 2004.

• Actor Rick Schroder appears as Richard Bartlett, while Marisa Petroro plays his wife, Katherine.

• Schroder's real-life daughter appears as the young girl in the closing scene.

• The gravestones identify the couple as Richard Bartlett, who lived from 1916 to 1946, and Katherine Bartlett, who lived from 1919 to 1947.

• The production was presented as a mini-movie interpretation of the song rather than a straightforward performance video.

• The song's co-writer Bill Anderson said that Paisley initially believed the track would not receive a music video.

• "Whiskey Lullaby" won the 2004 Country Music Association Music Video of the Year award.

• CMT later ranked the video No. 2 on its 2008 list of the 100 Greatest Videos.