The trio originally formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006 by Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals), Dave Haywood (background vocals, guitar, piano, mandolin) and Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals).
Scott is the daughter of country music singer Linda Davis, and Charles Kelley is the brother of pop artist Josh Kelley. It was these family connections and music industry ties that helped launch the band. Kelley moved to Nashville in mid-2005 from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he had been working construction with his brother John. Trying to become a successful solo country artist, Kelley convinced his old middle-school classmate, Haywood, to move to Nashville from Georgia in 2006 so they could write music together. Shortly thereafter, Scott recognized Kelley from MySpace, and they started to talk at a Nashville music club. Kelley later invited Scott to join him and Haywood in the new group, which assumed the name Lady Antebellum. The name Antebellum comes from when the group were photographing "antebellum" homes. The antebellum ('pre-war') architectural style describes the large plantation homes in the American South. While photographing the houses one of the group said that there's a great band name in there, and they adopted the Lady Antebellum name shortly after. The trio then began performing at local venues in Nashville before being signed in July 2007 to a recording contract with Capitol Records Nashville. In an interview with Sirius Satellite Radio, Scott claimed she was rejected from the hit show American Idol two times, not even making it past the first round.
Shortly after the trio signed to the label, adult contemporary artist Jim Brickman chose Lady Antebellum to sing on his 2007 single Never Alone, which reached #14 on the Billboard adult contemporary charts. In mid-2007, Lady Antebellum also wrote a song for the MTV reality television series The Hills.
Their solo debut single Love Don't Live Here was released in September of 2007, with a music video for the song following in December. This song was the lead-off single to the band's self-titled debut album. Released on April 15, 2008, Lady Antebellum was produced by Paul Worley and Victoria Shaw, a Nashville songwriter and former solo artist. Love Don't Live Here reached #3 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. The album itself was the first album by a new duo or group to debut at Number One on the Billboard Top Country Albums charts.
A second single, Lookin' for a Good Time, was issued in June 2008 and peaked at #11 in December. In addition, Lady Antebellum was signed as an opening act on Martina McBride's "Waking Up Laughing Tour" in 2008. Lady Antebellum also contributed the song I Was Here to the AT&T Team USA Soundtrack, a song which peaked at #24 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 based on downloads. In December 2008, their rendition of Baby, It's Cold Outside peaked at #3 on the same chart. Their third official single, I Run to You, was released in January 2009. It eventually became the trio's first Number One in July 2009.
On October 7, 2009 their debut album was certified platinum by the RIAA for shipments of one million copies in the United States.
In August 2009, the group released their fourth single, Need You Now, the lead-off single and title track to their second studio album. It debuted at #50 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and became their second Number One hit on the charts for the week of November 28, 2009. The song also reached a peak of #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was a number-one hit on the Hot Adult Contemporary chart, making it a crossover hit. A second single, American Honey, was released to radio on January 11, 2010 and would become their third #1 hit. Our Kind of Love was released as the third single from the album on May 31, 2010 and became a #1 single in September, 2010.
The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts for the week of Feb. 2, 2010, selling 480,922 copies in the first week. Four weeks after the album's release, it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The week of January 9, 2011, the group ventured into the studio to begin recording for their third studio album. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kelley said, "We actually just went ahead and decided we’re gonna take two, two and a half months straight in the studio to create this thing and not have all this distraction. Hopefully that will be a good thing". He goes on to say that the group has around 50 songs which they plan to choose from along with songs from other songwriters. However, he singles out a song called Dancing Away With My Heart as one the band is particularly excited about, a song that the group co-wrote with Josh Kear, who previously wrote with the group on their hit Need You Now.
On May 2, 2011, the group released the first single from their upcoming album, titled Just a Kiss. The group performed the single on stage on American Idol's result show on May 5, 2011.
On June 11, 2020, amid the George Floyd protests, the band announced they would rename themselves "Lady A" in order to avoid racist connotations with Civil War history, as the original name was based on the Antebellum South. The band stated on social media that they were "deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused and for anyone who has felt unsafe, unseen or unvalued."
All Nighter
Lady Antebellum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'ma jumping in my car
Take another left on Main Street
Heading right to where you are
I'ma rolling down my window
I'ma turn the radio on
Find a little spot to let go
'Cause this is an
All nighter
I get lost with you
Running through every red lighter
A falling and feeling like a star
Right out midnight skyer
Let the time fly by
It's finding a hand
Taking a chance
Starting the fire
This is an all nighter
We were gonna take that sunset
Make it turn a blue sky red
We can worry about tomorrow
Or watch her city live, and stare
Get a little back road busy
Let the moon shine on us
Get a little love drunk dizzy
'Till the sun still back up
'Cause we just can't get enough
'Cause this is an
All nighter
I get lost with you
Running through every red lighter
A falling and feeling like a star
Right out midnight skyer
And let the time fly by
It's finding a hand
Taking a chance
Starting the fire
This is an all nighter
Oh yeah, baby
Until we tongue kiss
Trouble Tom Cruise
Take another sip talking 'till two
'Cause this is an
All nighter
I get lost with you
Running through every red lighter
A falling and feeling like a star
Right out midnight skyer
Let the time fly by
It's not in the end
Taking a chance
Starting the fire
This is an all nighter
This is an all nighter
I'ma walking out of my front door
I'ma jumping in my car
The song "All Nighter" by Lady Antebellum is a love song that captures the thrill of falling in love and spending a carefree night with someone special. The singer begins by leaving their house and driving to see their love interest, excited at the prospect of spending time with them. They are ready to let go of any stress or worries and have a good time, indicated by their desire to find a little spot to enjoy and turning on the radio.
The chorus emphasizes the adventure of the night, with the singer feeling like they are a star in the midnight sky, lost in the moment with their partner and running through every red light. The lyrics also suggest a sense of euphoria, as they describe getting a little love drunk dizzy and not being able to get enough of the moment.
The bridge further emphasizes the passion of the night, with the singer talking until two and sharing romantic moments with their partner, completely lost in the thrill of the night. Overall, the song is an ode to young love and the excitement of finding someone special.
Line by Line Meaning
I'ma walking out of my front door
I am leaving my house
I'ma jumping in my car
I am going to get in my car
Take another left on Main Street
I am going to turn left on Main Street once again
Heading right to where you are
I am driving to the place where you are located
I'ma rolling down my window
I am going to roll down my car window
I'ma turn the radio on
I am going to turn on the car radio
Find a little spot to let go
I will find a place to relax
Get a little good time gone
I am going to have some fun
'Cause this is an all nighter
Because tonight is an all-night event
I get lost with you
I lose myself when I'm with you
Running through every red lighter
We are ignoring traffic signals and enjoying the moment
A falling and feeling like a star
We feel like we are falling but also shining brightly
Right out midnight skyer
We are under the midnight sky
Let the time fly by
We are going to let the night pass quickly
It's finding a hand
We are holding hands
Taking a chance
We are taking a risk
Starting the fire
We are igniting a passion
We were gonna take that sunset
We planned to watch the sunset together
Make it turn a blue sky red
We'll watch the colors of the sky change from blue to red
We can worry about tomorrow
We can worry about tomorrow another day
Or watch her city live, and stare
We can enjoy the city around us and just take it in
Get a little back road busy
We are going to get on a less-traveled road and enjoy ourselves
Let the moon shine on us
We want the moon to shine down on us
Get a little love drunk dizzy
We want to get a little bit tipsy on love
'Till the sun still back up
Until the sun comes back up we will continue having fun
'Cause we just can't get enough
We just can't get enough of the good time
It's not in the end
The night is not over yet
Until we tongue kiss
Until we kiss passionately with our tongues
Trouble Tom Cruise
We'll get into some trouble like Tom Cruise in his movies
Take another sip talking 'till two
We are going to keep talking and drinking until two in the morning
This is an all nighter
Tonight is an all-night event
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, Round Hill Music Big Loud Songs
Written by: Nicolle Gaylon, David Hall Hodges, Jimmy Robbins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind