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."
Golden
Lady Antebellum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wheat fields catch a glimpse of heaven, makes me think of you
And even when you're miles away,
You're always on my mind
Lord knows you're in my heart
Even when I close my eyes
You are golden,
While the rain is falling
Golden, timeless as a kiss
Baby I don't wanna miss another perfect moment
To tell you, how you make me feel
The day you strolled in, my heart was stolen
'Cause you are golden
Smallest parts of who you are
Are everything to me
From the way you laugh to the way you cry
To the way you love on me
Shadows run and darkness fades
When you come around
My single star amongst the gray
Always shining down
Yeah you are golden,
Precious as a prayer flying up through the air
While the rain is falling
Golden, timeless as a kiss
Baby I don't wanna miss another perfect moment
To tell you, how you make me feel
The day you strolled in, my heart was stolen
'Cause you are golden
Lovely
Oh so hard to find
Yeah you are goodness, forgiveness
Of the purest kind
Oh yeah
From the day you strolled in, my heart was stolen
You'll be the hand I'm holding
When the heavens open
'Cause you are golden, yeah
Lady Antebellum's "Golden" is a song about true love and how it has the power to illuminate even the darkest of times. The lyrics showcase a man deeply in love with his partner and how every small aspect of her, from the way she laughs to the way she loves him, is crucial to him. The man muses about how he thinks of his partner even when she is miles away and how she shines like a beacon of hope in his life. The metaphors used in the song are beautiful, with the sunset falling on Wichita and wheat fields catching a glimpse of heaven, all serving as a backdrop to the man's musings about his beloved. The chorus talks about how the woman is golden, precious as a prayer flying through the air and timeless as a kiss. The man knows that his partner is a once-in-a-lifetime person and doesn't want to miss any opportunity to tell her how she makes him feel.
The verses of the song speak about how the woman takes away all the darkness and shadows that the man has in his life. She is like a single star shining in the midst of a grey sky and brings joy and light wherever she goes. The song has a hopeful and optimistic tone throughout, even when talking about how it can be difficult to find love as pure and forgiving as the singer's partner. Lady Antebellum's vocals blend beautifully, with each singer adding a unique quality to the song.
Line by Line Meaning
The sunset falls in Wichita, yellow dances through the blue
The sunset's yellow light in Wichita reminds me of you
Wheat fields catch a glimpse of heaven, makes me think of you
Looking at wheat fields reminds me of your beauty
And even when you're miles away,
Even when we're apart,
You're always on my mind
You're always in my thoughts
Lord knows you're in my heart
I carry you in my heart
Even when I close my eyes
Even in my dreams
You are golden,
You are incredibly precious
Precious as a prayer flying up through the air
As pure and powerful as a prayer to God
While the rain is falling
Even during the bad times
Golden, timeless as a kiss
Your beauty and love will never fade
Baby I don't wanna miss another perfect moment
I want to appreciate every moment with you
To tell you, how you make me feel
To express how much I love you
The day you strolled in, my heart was stolen
You captured my heart on the day we met
'Cause you are golden
Because you are incredibly special and valuable
Smallest parts of who you are
Even your quirks
Are everything to me
Everything about you is important to me
From the way you laugh to the way you cry
From your joy to your pain,
To the way you love on me
To your love and affection towards me
Shadows run and darkness fades
You bring light to my life
When you come around
When you're with me
My single star amongst the gray
You are my guiding light when everything else is dark
Lovely
Beautiful
Oh so hard to find
Incredibly rare
Yeah you are goodness, forgiveness
Your nature is forgiving and good
Of the purest kind
Your goodness is unparalleled
From the day you strolled in, my heart was stolen
You captured my heart from the day we met
You'll be the hand I'm holding
You will always be there for me
When the heavens open
When the world is falling apart
'Cause you are golden, yeah
Because you are incredibly special and valuable
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Spirit Music Group
Written by: ANTHONY BELL, HAROLD LEE ROBINSON, JAMES DARRELL ROBINSON, JILL H SCOTT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mahaabdulaziz1232
The sunset falls in Wichita, yellow dances through the blue
Wheat fields catch a glimpse of heaven, makes me think of you
And even when you're miles away,
You're always on my mind
Lord knows you're in my heart
Even when I close my eyes
You are golden,
Precious as a prayer flying up through the air
While the rain is falling
Golden, timeless as a kiss
Baby I don't wanna miss another perfect moment
To tell you, how you make me feel
The day you strolled in, my heart was stolen
Cause you are golden
Smallest parts of who you are
Are everything to me
From the way you laugh to the way you cry
To the way you love on me
Shadows run and darkness fades
When you come around
My single star amongst the gray
Always shining down
Yeah you are golden,
Precious as a prayer flying up through the air
While the rain is falling
Golden, timeless as a kiss
Baby I don't wanna miss another perfect moment
To tell you, how you make me feel
The day you strolled in, my heart was stolen
Cause you are golden
Lovely
Oh so hard to find
Yeah you are goodness, forgiveness
Of the purest kind
Oh yeah
From the day you strolled in, my heart was stolen
You'll be the hand I'm holding,
When the heavens open
Cause you are golden, yeah.
@lopella
What a gorgeous song. Hats off to the band for writing this, and for singing such a gorgeous harmony.
@backwoodbeauty
This is going to be our first dance song at my wedding April 18th ♡ it's so beautiful.
@jessuka
<3 Wish you a great marrige
@MsChonie
i was just thinking this would be a great wedding song!!!
@kaydubs07
It was mine,, this last August! :)
@jkanyaa
backwoodbeauty happy anniversary❤❤
@CanadianxGirl87
Aw this is such a sweet song, it makes me want to cry. It's just really amazing and beautiful.
@mileysync8397
their album Golden is my all time favorite, and Charles voice is like heaven! i wish i could meet him!!
@Raveid
Time Just Flies, don't they....
I was 14 when I first heard this song, still beautiful
@franceinsummer8756
His voice is just amazing, interpreting it. I don't believe any one would be able to sing it as he does, no matter how hard they tried. The song is beautiful! congratulations to those who wrote it or wrote it, and to those who put the music to it. Great musicians all around.