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."
Christmas Baby
Lady Antebellum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I’m watching it fall
Lots of people all around
Baby please come home
(Christmas)
And the church bells in town
(Christmas)
(Christmas)
For the happy sound
Baby please come home
They’re singing “Deck the Halls”
But it’s not like Christmas at all
I remember when you were here
And all the fun we had last year
(Christmas)
To the lights on the tree
(Christmas)
I’m watching them shine
(Christmas)
You should be here with me
Baby please come home
They’re singing “Deck the Halls”
But it’s not like Christmas at all
I remember when you were here
And all the fun we had last year
(Christmas)
All that they worked will be heed
(Christmas)
I wrote back this to you
(Christmas)
But it’s Christmas babe
So please, please
Baby, please
Baby, please come home
(Christmas)
Oh, woh
(Christmas)
Oh, woh
(Christmas)
No, it don’t, don’t feel like Christmas at all
(Christmas)
Oh, woh
(Christmas)
Oh, woh
(Christmas)
Ah baby
Ah baby please come home
(Christmas)
(Christmas)
(Christmas)
No, it don’t, don’t feel like Christmas at all
(Christmas)
Oh woh
(Christmas)
Oh woh
(Christmas)
Ah, baby
Baby, please come home
(Christmas)
Ah, Please come home
The song "Baby, Please Come Home" by Lady Antebellum is a cover of the original 1963 song by Darlene Love. In this song, the singer is alone on Christmas and is missing their loved one who is not with them. They watch the snow fall and see people all around, reminding them of how alone they feel. The church bells ring and the singer can hear "Deck the Halls" being sung but it does not feel like Christmas without their loved one. They remember the fun they had the previous year with their partner who is not there now.
The song uses a lot of Christmas imagery, such as the snow falling and the lights on the tree shining. The repetition of "Christmas" throughout the song emphasizes the feeling of loneliness that the singer is experiencing. The use of the phrase "Baby, please come home" is a plea for their loved one to return to them and make their Christmas complete.
Overall, the lyrics of this song convey the sadness and longing that can be felt during the holiday season when you are missing someone special.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh the snow’s coming down
The singer is observing snowfall
I’m watching it fall
The singer is carefully observing the snowfall
Lots of people all around
There are many people nearby
Baby please come home
The singer is urging her significant other to come home
And the church bells in town
The church bells nearby are ringing
Are singing in song
The church bells are making a melodious sound
For the happy sound
The sound is supposed to be happy
Baby please come home
The singer continues to urge her significant other to come home
They’re singing “Deck the Halls”
The people around are singing a Christmas carol
But it’s not like Christmas at all
The singer feels that something is missing and it doesn't feel like Christmas
I remember when you were here
The singer is reminiscing about the past when her significant other was around
And all the fun we had last year
The singer is specifically remembering the good times they had during Christmas last year
To the lights on the tree
The singer is looking at the Christmas lights on the tree
I’m watching them shine
The singer is observing the bright lights
You should be here with me
The singer wants her significant other to be with her
Baby please come home
The singer reiterates that she wants her significant other to come home
All that they worked will be heed
The efforts of others will be wasted
I wrote back this to you
The singer wrote this message to her significant other
But it’s Christmas babe
It is Christmas time
So please, please
The singer is pleading for her significant other to come home
Baby, please
The singer repeats her plea for her significant other to come home
Oh, woh
The singer expresses disappointment
No, it don’t, don’t feel like Christmas at all
The singer still feels that something is missing even though it's Christmas time
Ah baby
The singer is still calling out to her significant other
Please come home
The singer completes her plea for her significant other to come home
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ELLIE GREENWICH, JEFF BARRY, PHIL SPECTOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Zandrix Funesto
Angelic Voices🙌🏻😍 so relaxing🤗 Merry Christmas🎄🎁💖
David Pascoe
I love anything they do. An amazing band.
ceeyaaa
I adore this! Just found this album and love it
Claudina Lopez
Super Awesome! ❤❤❤
brandon jodrey
A great song
brandon jodrey
Keep up the good work
Jennifer Dijames
Good job guys.
gil g
awesome !
Dennis Masters
They should have never changed their name!
Jen P
I agree, all it means is "occurring or existing before a particular war, especially the American Civil War." There is absolutely NO reason why they had to chop it off. First time I saw their name pop up on the radio with "Lady A" I thought it was a brand new group until I heard the familiar voices start singing. Truly sad world we live in where people are offended by everything so easily. You didn't hear anything about this back in the good ole days .. You don't expect the Dixie Cups to change their name to D Cups or even The Cups.