We Still Stand – A Visual Journey Through American History
By Lucy Miller, Press Manager | Wylde Chylde Records
Opening of the Music Video
When we wrote We Still Stand for Cody M. Brooks, we wanted to capture something fundamental about the American spirit: the idea that no matter how hard we fall, we always get back up. For the music video, we knew we couldn’t just say that. We had to show it to the audience. So we decided to make the video a guided journey through American history, led by Cody, focusing on the moments that tested us as a nation, the people who carried us through, and the resilience that still defines us today.
Cody wears a lot of hats in this historical adventure and he gets his hands dirty. But that’s who Cody is and that’s what Americans do. This is what that journey looked like.
The American Revolution: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage
In the 1770s, a group of ordinary people, farmers, merchants, blacksmiths, and craftsmen, did something extraordinary. They stood up to the most powerful empire on earth with little more than conviction and a willingness to sacrifice everything.
We wanted to capture that spirit in this music video. Betsy Ross sewing the flag by hand in her upholstery shop. Benjamin Franklin sketching his “Join or Die” cartoon by candlelight. Paul Revere riding through the night with a lantern held high, warning his neighbors that danger was coming. These weren’t politicians in grand halls of political power. They were people who believed in something bigger than themselves.
George Washington on horseback, leading an army with quiet determination. The Founding Fathers around a table, arguing, debating, and eventually forging a document that would change the world. Continental soldiers standing in line, facing British Redcoats with muskets in hand and fear in their eyes, but standing anyway.
This was the birth of a nation. Not perfect. Not polished. But willing to fight for an idea.
The Civil War: Brothers Divided, Hearts United
By the 1860s, that nation was tearing itself apart. The Civil War is often remembered through the lens of battles, the harshest economics and politics, but we wanted to focus on the human cost and the human moments that reminded us we were still one people.
We made a conscious choice throughout this music video to stay away from political landmines. No speeches about ideology. No debates about who was right or wrong. Instead, we focused on the people who lived through these moments and the sacrifices they made.
We showed Lincoln in his casket with coins over his eyes, the man who had held everything together under tremendous pressure and at great cost. We showed the Lincoln Memorial, where his words still echo. We showed General Lee and General Grant at Appomattox. One signing a surrender, and the other glaring quietly, his eyes speaking volumes, one signature away from an end to the violent madness and devastation that had led to that moment at the table. Soon, the war would be over, and the long work of healing could begin.
We then offered a glimpse of the Reconstruction Era. This was a turbulent time of hard work in repatriating the South.
“One of the most meaningful moments in the video was inspired by something that stayed with me from childhood. When I was a child, I remember watching a Civil War miniseries that told the story of young family members who had settled on opposite sides of the country and eventually found themselves facing one another on the Civil War battlefield. That idea was haunting and it never left me. I often wondered what those emotions must have felt like, so when we had the chance to tell some of the Civil War story in this music video, I jumped at the chance to delve into this idea of ‘brother carrying wounded brother’ away from the danger of battle, even though they each were fighting on opposing sides.”
That memory inspired one of the most unique and powerful scenes in the video. A Union soldier carries his wounded Confederate brother away from the fighting at Gettysburg. In that moment, uniforms no longer mattered. Politics no longer mattered. Two men who had grown up together under the same roof were simply trying to survive together. It became one of the most emotional scenes in the entire project because it reminds us that even in our darkest chapters, compassion still found a way.
In the music video, we explored the Gettysburg Memorial Cemetery. That scene isn’t about victory or defeat to us. It is about remembering what we owe to those who gave their lives for the idea that all men are created equal. Lincoln said it best: “We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.”
Over 50,000 soldiers died at Gettysburg during the battle. To be reminded from time to time what sacrifice really looks like may very well be the best medicine we have to ensure we don’t long to revisit past lessons that come with such a high human cost.
World War I: The War to End All Wars
World War I introduced a new kind of warfare: industrial, mechanized, and devastating. We wanted to capture the hell-on-earth feeling of the trenches in the music video. American soldiers in muddy zigzagging ditches, rifles ready, explosions in the distance, hazy smoke illuminated by a partially obscured sun.
But we also wanted to capture the human response to such hellish conditions. Soldiers flinching as explosions landed nearby. A distant soldier running across the battlefield toward the trench, not as a strategy, but as a desperate act of survival. Men with their rifles ready, waiting, hoping to make it through another day.
The bravery on display in the scene wasn’t about politics or ideology. It was about protecting the man next to you and trusting him to protect you. Over 161,000 U.S. soldiers died in World War I, which amounted to about 0.11% of the population of the U.S. at the time. Over half of them not to combat but to disease alone.
World War II: The Greatest Generation
World War II remains one of the defining moments in American history, demanding enormous sacrifice from an entire generation. We wanted to show the scope of that sacrifice: D-Day, American troops storming the beaches of Normandy, mortar rounds crashing into the surf, and chaos everywhere.
We also wanted to honor heroes who are sometimes overlooked. The Tuskegee Airmen flying their red-tailed P-51 Mustangs, holding formation in the clouds with quiet confidence. The Navajo Code Talkers who quite literally made it impossible for the enemy to intercept allied communications. These men fought two battles: one against the enemy overseas and another against prejudice at home.
We included the USS New Jersey as well. More than steel and firepower, she represented all the sailors, mechanics, engineers, and officers working together toward one common goal. Every victory was built on countless people doing their part, and the USS New Jersey was no stranger to victory with 21 years of active Navy service, she is most decorated battleship in US history.
Why We Focused on the Human Aspect
History is often told through dates, battles, and political decisions. We wanted to tell it through people.
The soldier holding his rifle in the trench.
The pilot climbing into his cockpit.
The sailor standing watch on the deck.
The hand reaching down to lift a wounded brother off the battlefield.
That’s the America we believe in. Not a nation defined by politicians or ideologies, but by seemingly ordinary people who answer extraordinary moments with courage, sacrifice, effort and hope.
History and Inspiration
The music video for We Still Stand is Cody’s guided journey through American history, but it’s also a reminder that history isn’t just about dates and events. It’s really all about the people. People who bent, who bruised, who fell, and still found the strength to remain standing. That’s something from which we can draw inspiration.
History isn’t remembered because of monuments or battlefields. It’s remembered because of the remarkable stories of the people who stood when standing was the hardest thing one could do. That human spirit is what inspired this song, this music video, and everything we hope it represents.
We still stand.
The music video premieres Friday, 6/26 on the AI Music Video Show and on the Alchemy Stream app for Roku and AppleTV.
Watch the music video here:
https://MusicVideoChannel.ai
Stream the song here:
https://wyldechylderecords.rocks/albums/outlawed-on-arrival/