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 weāre 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."
Emily
Lady Antebellum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm still out here chasing all my dreams
Oh Emily,
What I'd give to have you here with me
To look into those green eyes
And wake up with the sunrise, in your arms
But always know, that wherever I go
That I keep in my soul, and never doubt
I'm the same man that loved you back home
And knowing that you're waiting, believing and praying
Is what keeps me going on
Oh Emily,
Tell your folks I hope they're doing fine
Oh Emily,
I just called to hear your voice tonight,
Girl I miss you so much,
And before we hang up, remember this
Always know, that wherever I go
There's a piece of your heart
That I keep in my soul, and never doubt
I'm the same man that loved you back home
And knowing that you're waiting, believing and praying
Is what keeps me going on
That's right
Yeah keeps me going on, yeah
Always know, that wherever I go
There's a piece of your heart
That I keep in my soul, and never doubt
I'm the same man that loved you back home
And knowing that you're waiting,
Knowing that I'm waiting
Believing and praying
Keep believing and praying
And all the dreams I'm chasing
Is what keeps me going on
The lyrics of Lady Antebellum's song "Emily" tells the story of a man who keeps the memory of an old love close to his heart as he chases his dreams. The song is addressed to Emily, the woman he loved back home, whom he misses dearly. He longs for her presence, to look into her green eyes, to wake up to her embraced by the sunrise. He tells her that wherever he goes, he keeps a piece of her heart close to his soul.
Despite the distance and his pursuit of ambition, he has not forgotten the love they shared. He reminds her that he is the same man who loved her back home and that her belief and prayers of him keep him going. He calls her to hear her voice, saying goodbye with the promise that all the dreams he's chasing are what keeps him going on.
The song carries a bittersweet sentiment of longing, hope, and resilience. It speaks of love and the emotional anchor that ties one's past to the present, constantly reminding them of their roots.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Emily,
Addressing someone named Emily
I'm still out here chasing all my dreams
Indicating that the singer is still pursuing all their aspirations
What I'd give to have you here with me
Expressing a desire for Emily's presence
To look into those green eyes
Describing Emily's eye color
And wake up with the sunrise, in your arms
Imagining a romantic situation with Emily
But always know, that wherever I go
Reassuring Emily that the singer thinks of her wherever they are
There's a piece of your heart
Metaphorically referring to Emily's love
That I keep in my soul, and never doubt
Affirming that the artist cherishes Emily's love and never questions it
I'm the same man that loved you back home
Reiterating that the artist still loves Emily despite being apart
And knowing that you're waiting, believing and praying
Recognizing Emily's support and faith
Is what keeps me going on
Admitting that Emily's love and encouragement motivates the singer
Tell your folks I hope they're doing fine
Asking Emily to pass on the artist's regards to her family
I just called to hear your voice tonight,
Admitting that the singer just wants to talk to Emily
Girl I miss you so much,
Expressing strong feelings of longing for Emily
And before we hang up, remember this
Requesting Emily to remember the following
Knowing that I'm waiting
Telling Emily that the artist is also waiting for her
Keep believing and praying
Encouraging Emily to continue believing and having faith
And all the dreams I'm chasing
Referring to the singer's aspirations
Is what keeps me going on
Reiterating that the singer's dreams and Emily's love motivate them
Contributed by Joseph J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Emilija Rikalo
Beautiful!
Anthony Lacroix
To a certain girl except her eyes r blue I miss you emily...
Emmy Joy
EMILYS UNITE! :)
aneleppink
This is a great lyrics video! I wouldn't have even known it was your first :) The background is great but maybe next time use a more creative font. Kudos, though, great video!!!!
Souza F.
Thanks for the video šš
elovessmashbox3
My name is Emily and I have green eyes. What is this.
Emily Organ
My name is Emily but blue eyes ;-;
Emily Freeman
Another Emily speaking. Hi!
Emily French fri Queen
my name is emily I have green eyes and I live in the country
sk8terpunkrockchic
My names Emily lol