Josh Kelley Faces Up to Heartbreak in New ‘Gone Like That’ Video

Josh Kelley's 'Gone Like That' video shows a scene that is surprisingly uncommon amongst country videos, or even country songs. There are hundreds -- if not thousands -- of relationship-gone-bad ballads to be found, but few capture the vulnerability of a man down on his knee, offering a diamond ring to the love of his life, like Kelley does. Even fewer attempt to express the suffering of a man who doesn't get the answer he's hoping for.

The uniqueness of that moment in Kelley's new video raises the clip above your typical sad-sap drama. The action closely follows the song's lyrics, with Kelley beginning the song at an upscale bar. He spots his ex across the room, and asks why he is cursed with such a coincidence. We see a series of happy memories flashing between the crushing memory of Kelley's romantic proposal. The singer spends much of the video in an empty, grey kitchen -- an effective metaphor for his character's empty, colorless heart.

Kelley tells the Boot that he didn't have to stretch his acting skills much for this video, as the song stemmed from a real life incident. "When I was in college, there was this crazy, amazing girl who I'd see from time to time, but it was always fleeting. Every time, she'd come crash at my place, then the next thing you'd know, she'd be gone. There were like forty clubs in the area, and she'd always show up at the one I was hanging out at. We'd meet up, but then she always seemed to disappear and we never had the time to explore our relationship."

That explanation seems to have only inspired the story his video tells, as the sequence of events don't follow that plot at all. At the emotional height of the song, the ex-flame approaches Kelley's character, who whispers in her ear and walks away. It's a satisfying moment to watch her wear the heartbreak this time. Kelley has done what's best for his heart in the long run.

Watch Josh Kelley's 'Gone Like That' Video