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."
Home Is Where the Heart Is
Lady Antebellum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Before too long the road was calling
I packed everything I owned
So sure that I was leaving this small town life behind for good
And not a single tear was falling
It took leaving for me to understand
Sometimes your dreams just aren't what life has planned
When I left that town
I made it all the way to West Virginia
And that's where my heart found
Exactly where I'm supposed to be
It didn't take much time
It's just south of the Mason Dixon line
It's just south of the Mason Dixon line
I worked third shift at an all night diner
Only stayed to save a little money for
Enough gas to make it to the east coast
That's when I saw the brightest pair of
Deep blue eyes walking straight into my life
And every night we talked till it became so clear
And I could feel those dreams inside shifting gears
'Cause love brought me here
Mama said home is where the heart is
When I left that town
I made it all the way to West Virginia
And that's where my heart found
Exactly where I'm supposed to be
It didn't take much time
It's just south of the Mason Dixon line
It's just south of the Mason Dixon line
And I'm standing in my veil about to say I do
As Mama smiles with tear drops in her eyes
And then I realize there's something Mama always knew
Love is what I really left to find
She said home is where the heart is
When I left that town
I made it all the way to West Virginia
And that's where my heart found
Exactly where I'm supposed to be
It didn't take much time
It's just south of the Mason Dixon line
It's just south of the Mason Dixon line
Mama said home is where the heart is
It's just south of the Mason Dixon line
Mama said home is where the heart is
It's just south of the Mason Dixon line
The song Home Is Where The Heart Is by Lady Antebellum starts with the singer feeling stuck in their small town life and decides to leave everything behind to follow their dreams. They leave without shedding any tears, only to realize later that leaving their hometown was a mistake. Through their journey to West Virginia, they find themselves and where they are really meant to be. The singer realizes that sometimes life has a different plan for us than what we imagined and that home is not necessarily a place, but where the heart feels at peace. It is only after finding true love that they finally feel like they have found their true home.
The song's lyrics convey the theme of self-discovery and the importance of following your heart. It may not always be an easy journey, but it will eventually lead you to where you belong. There is also the idea that home is not a physical place, but rather where one is content and at peace.
Line by Line Meaning
I felt I was spinning my wheels
I felt stuck and going nowhere in my small town life
Before too long the road was calling
I felt the need to leave my small town and explore the world
I packed everything I owned
I brought all my belongings with me on my journey
So sure that I was leaving this small town life behind for good
I was convinced that I would never return to my small town
And not a single tear was falling
I didn't feel sad or emotional about leaving my small town
It took leaving for me to understand
I had to leave my small town in order to gain perspective
Sometimes your dreams just aren't what life has planned
The path to achieving your goals is not always straightforward
Mama said home is where the heart is
My mother told me that home is where you feel most content and at peace
When I left that town
When I left my small town for the first time
I made it all the way to West Virginia
I traveled far and wide in search of a new life
And that's where my heart found
I discovered a sense of belonging and happiness in West Virginia
Exactly where I'm supposed to be
I realized that West Virginia was the place I was meant to be
It didn't take much time
I quickly realized that West Virginia was the right place for me
It's just south of the Mason Dixon line
West Virginia is located below the Mason Dixon line, which separates the North and South of the United States
I worked third shift at an all night diner
I took a job working the night shift at a diner in order to save money
Only stayed to save a little money for
I only worked at the diner to save up enough money for my next journey
Enough gas to make it to the east coast
I needed enough money to travel to the eastern part of the United States
That's when I saw the brightest pair of
That's when I met the most special and wonderful person
Deep blue eyes walking straight into my life
I fell in love with someone with beautiful, mesmerizing blue eyes
And every night we talked till it became so clear
We talked every night and grew to understand that we were meant to be together
And I could feel those dreams inside shifting gears
My dreams and priorities changed as I fell in love and realized what truly mattered to me
'Cause love brought me here
I realized that my journey was not only about finding my place in the world, but also about finding love
And I'm standing in my veil about to say I do
I am getting married and about to make a lifelong commitment
As Mama smiles with tear drops in her eyes
My mother is happy and emotional on my wedding day
And then I realize there's something Mama always knew
I realize that my mother always knew that love was the most important thing and that's what I was searching for
Love is what I really left to find
I realized that love was the true destination of my journey
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: HILLARY SCOTT, VICTORIA SHAW, CHARLES KELLEY, DAVE HAYWOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind