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."
As You Turn Away
Lady Antebellum Lyrics
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In Lady Antebellum's song "As You Turn Away," the singer is describing a bittersweet moment of goodbye with a former love. They are face to face, wrapped in an embrace, but the other person has already mentally checked out of the relationship. The other person gives a soft, bittersweet kiss on the cheek, and the singer can read in their eyes that this is really goodbye. The singer expresses their frustration in reaching out for the other person, but knowing that it's futile because they're already turning away.
The chorus of the song repeats the sentiment of there being "nothing more to give, nothing left to take," and the singer still reaches out for the other person, hoping they'll stay. However, the other person has already let go of the singer's hand, and we get the impression that the singer is left standing there heartbroken. The bridge of the song adds more depth to the emotional turmoil, as the singer's heart is breaking and their hands are shaking with anxiety. Finally, the door to the relationship is closing and the singer admits that they can't change it.
Overall, Lady Antebellum's "As You Turn Away" captures the raw pain and frustration of a breakup, while also acknowledging the bittersweet moments of saying goodbye to someone we used to love.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing face to face
Our bodies are close, but emotionally we are far apart
Wrapped in your embrace
You are holding me, but it doesn't comfort me like it used to
I don't wanna let you go
I'm afraid of losing you and being alone
But you're already gone
You've emotionally checked out of the relationship
Now you kiss my cheek
You are saying goodbye without saying it
Soft and bittersweet
This goodbye is gentle, but it still hurts
I can read it in your eyes
I can tell that you have made up your mind to leave
Baby, this is our goodbye
This is the end of our relationship
Nothing more to say
We have exhausted all our words and arguments
Nothing left to break
We have shattered and broken our relationship beyond repair
I keep reaching out for you
I am still holding onto the hope that you will stay
Hoping you might stay
I am still hopeful that you will change your mind
Nothing more to give
We have given all we can to each other
Nothing left to take
We have taken all we can from each other
As you turn away
You are leaving me, and I can feel it
Let go of my hand
You are physically letting go of me
So I can feel again
I need to feel the pain of this loss to move on
Nothing's gonna hurt as much
This goodbye is going to be the most painful thing I've ever experienced
As that final touch
Your goodbye kiss will be the last physical contact we have
No we can't be friends
We can't continue our relationship in any capacity
'Cause I don't think I could take seeing you
Seeing you would only remind me of the love I lost
And knowing where we've been
Looking back on our relationship will only make me more heartbroken
I hope you understand
I need you to know how much this goodbye is hurting me
One step my heart is breaking
Each movement you make away from me is causing more pain
One more my hands are shaking
I can't control my physical reaction to this emotional pain
The door is closing
The end of our relationship is becoming more final
And I just can't change it
I can't change your mind or the outcome of this goodbye
As you turn away
You are leaving me, and I can't stop it
I keep reaching out for you
I am still holding onto the hope that you will stay
Reaching out for you
I am desperately trying to keep you from leaving
As you turn away,
You are walking away from me, and I am powerless to stop it
As you turn away,
You are leaving me, and I am left to deal with the pain alone
As you turn away
You are gone, and I am left to grieve the end of our love
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MONTY POWELL, DAVE HAYWOOD, CHARLES B. KELLEY, HILLARY DAWN SCOTT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind