It's hard to imagine a better start for The Highwomen—the supergroup of Amanda Shires, Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris and Natalie Hemby—than debut statement of purpose "Redesigning Women" and its music video.
The song reflects Hemby's use of whip-smart wordplay as it considers the various and sometimes contradicting expectations society places on women. For the song's added visual element, the quartet literally and figuratively burns its baggage with the help of an impressive cast of guest stars.
The video begins with the group riding across a field in a fire truck while wearing uniforms from the Williamson County, Tennessee Fire Department. Once they find a good stopping place, the four-piece begins unloading boxes filled with house wares and clothing. It's not moving day, and they're not freeing up boxes for barn cat playtime.
After Carlile collaborator Tanya Tucker pulls up in an old pickup truck carrying a who's who of women on the wrong side of airplay trends, we learn the meaning of the fire truck's cargo. A cast of guests including Lauren Alaina, Kassi Ashton, Cam, Lilly Hiatt, Wynonna Judd, Catie Offerman, Cassadee Pope, Erin Rae, RaeLynn, Natalie Stovall, Anna Vaus and Hailey Whitters help the group burn items representing outdated expectations.
The song and video point eight middle fingers —two per Highwoman— at notions that women don't want to listen to other women's music or that a cutthroat business limits the sorts of friendships that shine through once the video's special guests start mingling with its stars.
It's the first single off The Highwomen's self-titled debut album, out Sept. 6. The Dave Cobb-produced album features 12 tracks by such talented co-writers as Lori McKenna, Jason Isbell and Miranda Lambert.
"Redesigning Women" Lyrics:
Full time livin' on a half-time schedule
Always tryin' to make everybody feel special
Learning when to brake and when to hit the pedal
Working hard to look good 'til we die
A critical reason there's a population
Raising our brows in a new generation
Rosie the Riveter with renovations
And always gets better with wine
Redesigning women
Running the world while we're cleaning up the kitchen
Making bank, shaking hands, driving 80
Trying to get home just to feed the baby
Skipping the bread for the butter
Changing our minds like we change our hair color
Ever since the beginnin' we been redesigning women
Pullin' up the floors and changing out the curtains
Some of us are saints and some of us are surgeons
Made in God's image, just a better version
And breaking every Jell-O mold
And when we love someone we take 'em to heaven
And if the shoe fits we're gonna buy 11
How we get it done we like to keep 'em guessing
But secretly we all know
Redesigning women
Running the world while we're cleaning up the kitchen
Making bank, shaking hands, driving 80
Trying to get home just to feed the baby
Skipping the bread for the butter
Changing our minds like we change our hair color
Ever since the beginnin' we been redesigning women
How do we do it?
How do we do it?
Making it up as we go along
How do we do it?
How do we do it?
Half way right and half way wrong
Redesigning women
Running the world while we're cleaning up the kitchen
Making bank, shaking hands, driving 80
Trying to get home just to feed the baby
Skipping the bread for the butter
Changing our minds like we change our hair color
Ever since the beginnin' we been redesigning women
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