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."
Freestyle
Lady Antebellum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, come on then!
River road, Chevy van, share a classic coke
And rub it on the floor both feet, boy knock 'em all
Coming out the speakers, spilling on the t-shirts
Getting loud like I'm standing in the bleachers
Gray band tie, swing peeling of her blue jeans
Hey, it ain't nothing wrong
Just making it up as we go along
Find a little rock 'n' roll hallelujah
Throw your hands up high
Let the speed remove your pain
Singing hey, hey, hey
We can do it old school, ABC style
Maybe we can go a little wild and freestyle
A summer jam mixtape, vodka and a lemonade
(Alright, alright) like McConaughey
White vinyl, gipsy revival
Traveling through the middle of the bell to the bubble
Hula girl grass skirt shaking on the dashboard
Where we're going we don't need no passport
Hey, it ain't nothing wrong
Just making it up as we go along
Find a little rock 'n' roll hallelujah
Throw your hands up high
Let the speed remove your pain
Singing hey, hey, hey
We can do it old school, ABC style
Maybe we can go a little wild and freestyle
Oh, some of us like to watch and some like to dance
But we all wake up with the same stamp on our hands
Counting stars and counting cars and just counting miles
Do it in freestyle, you style, me style
Ain't got a where to be child
Hey, it ain't nothing wrong
Just making it up as we go along
Find a little rock 'n' roll hallelujah
Throw your hands up high
Let the speed remove your pain
Singing hey, hey, hey
We can do it old school, ABC style
Maybe we can go a little wild and freestyle
Oh, you can count it all, baby 1, 2, 3, child
Maybe we can go a little wild and freestyle
Lady Antebellum's "Freestyle" is an upbeat, carefree song that encourages listeners to let loose and have fun. The lyrics describe a group of friends who embark on a joyride in a Chevy van, blasting music and enjoying classic Coca-Cola. They dance and flirt, reveling in the moment without any particular destination in mind. The chorus embodies the song's message of spontaneity and freedom, urging listeners to find their own "rock 'n' roll hallelujah" and go wild, freestyling as they go.
The verses of the song are full of colorful imagery, often referencing pop culture, such as actor Matthew McConaughey or the film Back to the Future (with the line "Where we're going we don't need no passport"). The lyrics also touch on themes of youth, adventure, and living in the moment. The repeated line "Hey, it ain't nothing wrong/ Just making it up as we go along" symbolizes the carefree attitude that the song is all about.
Line by Line Meaning
We gonna do this thing?
Are we going to proceed with our unconventional, freestyling adventure?
Well, come on then!
Let's not waste any more time and get started!
River road, Chevy van, share a classic coke
We are cruising down the river road in our Chevrolet van, enjoying a classic Coca-Cola drink.
And rub it on the floor both feet, boy knock 'em all
We are having fun and dancing around, letting loose and tapping our feet on the ground.
Coming out the speakers, spilling on the t-shirts
The music is blasting out loud and causing spills on our t-shirts.
Getting loud like I'm standing in the bleachers
The energy is high and we are making as much noise as we would at a sports game in the bleachers.
Gray band tie, swing peeling of her blue jeans
She's wearing a gray band tie and her blue jeans are so tight that they seem to be peeling off her.
Skinny deep sugar, fish a couple of new things
She's looking slim and attractive and we are trying some new, unconventional things.
Hey, it ain't nothing wrong
There's nothing inherently wrong or unconventional about what we are doing.
Just making it up as we go along
We are improvising and going with the flow, without any set plans or agendas.
Find a little rock 'n' roll hallelujah
Let's find some inspiration in the spirit of rock and roll and let it guide our freestyle journey.
Throw your hands up high
Let's get wild and raise our hands up high to enjoy this moment to the fullest.
Let the speed remove your pain
Let's revel in the rush of excitement and let it wash away any pain or troubles we may be carrying with us.
Singing hey, hey, hey
We are expressing our joy and excitement in the form of a catchy, fun tune.
We can do it old school, ABC style
We can stick to tried and true methods, or we can creatively make up our own rules as we go along.
Maybe we can go a little wild and freestyle
Why not let loose and embrace the freedom of freestyling, even if it means going a little wild?
A summer jam mixtape, vodka and a lemonade
We have the perfect summer mixtape to enjoy, paired with a refreshing vodka and lemonade drink.
(Alright, alright) like McConaughey
We are enjoying ourselves to the fullest, just like actor Matthew McConaughey is known to do.
White vinyl, gipsy revival
The music we are listening to has a retro, gypsy feel and we are enjoying it on a crisp white vinyl record.
Traveling through the middle of the bell to the bubble
We are on a journey, passing through various stages of life, from youth to maturity.
Hula girl grass skirt shaking on the dashboard
We have a fun, quirky hula girl figurine on our dashboard, dancing in rhythm to the music.
Where we're going we don't need no passport
We don't need to go anywhere exotic or far away to have a blast. We can enjoy ourselves right here, right now.
Oh, some of us like to watch and some like to dance
We all have our own preferences and styles, but we are all here to have a good time.
But we all wake up with the same stamp on our hands
No matter how we spend our night, we all wake up with the same memories and experiences.
Counting stars and counting cars and just counting miles
We are appreciating the simple pleasures of life, taking in the beauty of the stars, passing cars, and miles we travel.
Do it in freestyle, you style, me style
Let's embrace our individual styles and freestyle to our heart's content.
Ain't got a where to be child
We are free to enjoy ourselves without any worries or obligations holding us back.
Oh, you can count it all, baby 1, 2, 3, child
We can count all the good times we have had, and let them fuel our adventures even more.
Maybe we can go a little wild and freestyle
Once again, let's let loose and go wild as we freestyle our way through life.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DAVE HAYWOOD, HILLARY SCOTT, CHARLES KELLEY, SHANE L MCANALLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@joystuckey9367
I just saw Keith on America's got talent tonight!! He's a riot, too funny!! I remembered him on this video!!
@judybobo8581
love the Credits... Keith Apicary did everything lol
@Cootz51
Here for Nathan
@ShinAkuma21
omg it's Keith Apicary!!!!
@MetalSlugzMaster
Lets make it gangsta rap next, Keith. You're the man. You can do anything!
@MNTayler
That would be funny, 'cept I am not sure what you meant is what I am thinking....rap parady by lady A? totally funny
@barnatt
He's in.
@AmazingGamersL337
16,569 Nathan Barnatt fans have watched this video so far!
@heffayguap
It's not really my style of music, but it's not bad, and Nathan Barnatt makes ANYTHING my style. ;D
@farmeryaeg
My thoughts exactly.