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."
On This Winter's Night
Lady Antebellum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stars shine like silver bells
This winter's night
The mistletoe kiss and tell
Snowflakes fall like frosting
And I sit on the street
Strangers look like neighbors
With every smile that you meet
But here in my arms I'll keep you warm
And hold you tight
On this winter's night
(We'll look back on the year)
On this winter's night
(We'll count our blessings)
On this Winter's night
We will remember
On this winter's night
Icicle lights will trim the tree
On this winter's night
Wrapped a present or two for you and me
Tuck our children into bed
And dream the night away
Til' the sun dawns in the morning
With the joy of Christmas day
But here in my arms I'll keep you warm
And hold you tight
On this winter's night
(We'll look back on the year)
On this winter's night
(We'll count our blessings)
On this Winter's night
We will remember
The wise man heard the angels sing
Him like soft and robe
The king became a child a long long time ago
And the child became a king
So the whole wide world will know
What Christmas really is
This winter's night
(We'll look back on the year)
On this winter's night
(We'll count our blessings)
On this Winter's night
We will remember
Lady Antebellum's song On This Winter's Night is a poignant reflection on the joys of the winter season, particularly as it relates to the celebration of Christmas. The lyrics evoke vivid imagery of a peaceful winter evening, with stars shining and snowflakes falling like frosting. The holiday spirit is tangible in every line, as the singer muses on the delights of the season, from mistletoe kisses to wrapping presents for loved ones.
The chorus of the song is particularly resonant, as it speaks to the heart of what makes the winter season so special. It emphasizes the importance of togetherness and love, as the singer promises to hold her loved one tight and remember the blessings of the year. The final verse of the song brings in a biblical element, referencing the story of Christmas and the birth of a king who became a child. The message is clear: on this winter's night, the whole world can come together to remember what truly matters and celebrate the joy of the season.
Overall, the lyrics to Lady Antebellum's On This Winter's Night paint a beautiful portrait of a peaceful and loving winter evening. The song is a testament to the power of the holiday season to bring people together and remind us of the importance of love and togetherness.
Line by Line Meaning
This winter's night
Tonight, in the midst of winter
Stars shine like silver bells
The stars twinkle and glimmer brightly
The mistletoe kiss and tell
The custom of kissing under the mistletoe and sharing secrets
Snowflakes fall like frosting
The snowflakes drift down gently like frosting
And I sit on the street
I am sitting outside in the cold
Strangers look like neighbors
The sight of friendly strangers makes them seem like familiar neighbors
With every smile that you meet
Every smile seems kind and welcoming
But here in my arms I'll keep you warm
I will hold you close to keep you cozy
And hold you tight
I will embrace you tightly
On this winter's night
During this winter evening
(We'll look back on the year)
We'll reflect on the past year
(We'll count our blessings)
We'll acknowledge the things we are grateful for
On this Winter's night
During this winter evening
We will remember
We will remember this special night
Icicle lights will trim the tree
The Christmas lights shaped like icicles will decorate the Christmas tree
Wrapped a present or two for you and me
Gifts have been wrapped for you and for me
Tuck our children into bed
We will put our children to bed
And dream the night away
We will dream sweet dreams until morning
Til' the sun dawns in the morning
Until the morning sun rises
With the joy of Christmas day
With the happiness of Christmas day
The wise man heard the angels sing
The wise man heard the angels singing
Him like soft and robe
The sound of their voices was gentle and soothing
The king became a child a long long time ago
The king was once a child a long time ago
And the child became a king
The child grew up to become a king
So the whole wide world will know
So that everyone in the world will know
What Christmas really is
The true meaning of Christmas
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TOM DOUGLAS, HILLARY SCOTT, CHARLES KELLY, DAVE HAYWOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Țps NM
Lyrics
This winter's night
Stars shine like silver bells
This winter's night
The mistletoe kiss and tell
Snowflakes fall like frosting
And I sit on the street
Strangers look like neighbors
With every smile that you meet
But here in my arms I'll keep you warm
And hold you tight
On this winter's night
(We'll look back on the year)
On this winter's night
(We'll count our blessings)
On this Winter's night
We will remember
On this winter's night
Icicle lights will trim the tree
On this winter's night
Wrapped a present or two for you and me
Tuck our children into bed
And dream the night away
Til' the sun dawns in the morning
With the joy of Christmas day
But here in my arms I'll keep you warm
And hold you tight
On this winter's night
(We'll look back on the year)
On this winter's night
(We'll count our blessings)
On this Winter's night
We will remember
The wise man heard the angels sing
Him like soft and robe
The king became a child a long long time ago
And the child became a king
So the whole wide world will know
What Christmas really is
This winter's night
(We'll look back on the year)
On this winter's night
(We'll count our blessings)
On this Winter's night
We will remember
Joanne Hanscome
The lyrics are incredible with so much meaning---making me miss the love of my life.
WakeUp4Makeup
Beautiful voices ❤️
Мария Горюнова
Forever in love with your music, my very talented LadyA!!! 🎺🥁🎶❤️❤️❤️😍🌺🎄
Black Wolf
Awe the cozy Christmas songs... once again it is that beautiful time of year :] I'm so, so happy that Lady A has made another new album! It's been too, too long! They are so wonderful, keep going my favorite blessed country band! :]
Danilo Bancod
I keep playing this Christmas song over and over and over and I never get tired listening to it! The more I listen to it, the more I love it! Merry Christmas all! God bless.
David O.
Best Lady A song ever! Of all time!
Linda Laine
love it
scott sanderson
Phenomenal vocals....just fantasticx
Val M
One of the most beautiful most beautiful Christmas Songs I ever heard in my life!
brandon jodrey
Beautiful voices