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."
Cold as Stone
Lady Antebellum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Headin' down to family in New Orleans
Said she needed to feel the sun on her face
Talk it out with herself
Try to get things straight
Lord all I know is I don't wanna breathe
I wish I was cold as stone
Wish I didn't have this heart
Then I wouldn't know the sting of the rain
I could stand strong and still
Watching you walk away
I wouldn't hurt like this
Or feel so all alone
I wish I was cold as stone
Almost turned around in Mississippi
Pulled over on the shoulder along the way
Thought by now, I'd be fine
But all these tears are blurring every line
And I think back to when you were mine
Wish I was cold as stone
Then I wouldn't feel a thing
Wish I didn't have this heart
Then I wouldn't know the sting of the rain
I could stand on my own
Letting your memory fade
I wouldn't hurt like this
Or feel so all alone
I wish I was cold as stone
Yeah, it's gonna take forever to get over you
Oh, and I don't think this pain's gonna go away
Oh, scars left when its said and done remain
I wish I was cold as stone
I wish I was cold as stone
I wish I was cold as stone
Then I wouldn't feel a thing
I wish I didn't have this heart
Then I wouldn't know the sting of the rain
I could stand strong and still
Watching you walk away
I wouldn't hurt like this
Or feel so all alone
I wish I was cold as stone
I wish I was cold as stone
The song "Cold as Stone" by Lady Antebellum is a heart-wrenching ballad about heartbreak and the desire to become numb to the pain. The lyrics describe a woman who is driving to New Orleans to see her family and clear her head. However, she realizes that she cannot escape her pain and wishes she could be "cold as stone" and not feel anything. She reflects on her past and the memories of her lost love, wishing she could forget and move on without feeling this overwhelming pain.
The chorus repeats the wish to be "cold as stone" and not feel the sting of heartbreak. The lyrics express the pain of missing someone so much that it hurts and the longing for a way to escape the pain. The song ends with the realization that moving on may take forever and that the pain may never completely go away.
Line by Line Meaning
She left town early on a Friday
She departed on a Friday, with the intention to visit family in New Orleans.
Headin' down to family in New Orleans
She's on a road trip to visit her relatives in New Orleans.
Said she needed to feel the sun on her face
She explained that she needed the warmth of the sun on her face to help her think things through.
Talk it out with herself
She wanted to have a conversation with herself to seek clarity on something.
Try to get things straight
She wanted to get her thoughts and feelings sorted out.
Lord all I know is I don't wanna breathe
She's hurting so much that she doesn't want to breathe anymore.
I wish I was cold as stone
She wishes she could be numb and not feel any emotions.
Then I wouldn't feel a thing
Being emotionally detached would eliminate the pain she's feeling.
Wish I didn't have this heart
She wished that she wasn't capable of love, so she wouldn't feel heartbroken.
Then I wouldn't know the sting of the rain
She wouldn't be affected by life's hardships if she was emotionless.
I could stand strong and still
If she didn't have feelings, she would be able to move forward without becoming emotionally overwhelmed and weak.
Watching you walk away
Referring to her past love interest, she can picture the person leaving her.
Almost turned around in Mississippi
She almost decided to turn around while driving through Mississippi.
Pulled over on the shoulder along the way
She stopped on the side of the road to deal with her emotions.
Thought by now, I'd be fine
She believed she would be okay by now and moving forward.
But all these tears are blurring every line
She's crying so much that her vision is affected.
And I think back to when you were mine
Reflecting on her past relationship, she reminisces about the time they were together.
Yeah, it's gonna take forever to get over you
She realizes that it will take a long time for her to move on from the person and the relationship.
Oh, and I don't think this pain's gonna go away
She's uncertain if she'll ever be able to heal from the heartbreak.
Oh, scars left when its said and done remain
Even after everything is over, the memories of the relationship and the hurt will remain as scars.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: HILLARY SCOTT, DAVE HAYWOOD, CHARLES KELLEY, HILLARY LINDSEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind