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."
Perfect Day
Lady Antebellum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As the sun came breaking down through the clouds
I never seen the sky so blue
I saw a Cajun man with a red guitar singing on the side of the street
I threw a handful of change in his beat up case and said play me a country beat
And it sounded like
Met up with some friends outside of town we were headed towards the lake
We got to the spot and the sun was hot everybody was feeling fine
So we jumped on in for a midday swim then we lost all track of time
It was a perfect day
What I'd give if I could find a way to stay
Lost in this moment, now
Ain't worried 'bout tomorrow
When you're busy living in a perfect day
As the moon came out and the fire burned, everybody was singing along
To some rambling a little Curtis Lowe and all those feel good songs
We danced all night without a care, no place we'd rather be
Cause these are the days we'll talked about
When we lived so wild and free
It was a perfect day
What I'd give if I could find a way to stay
Lost in this moment, now
Ain't worried 'bout tomorrow
When you're busy living in a perfect day
We were sitting in the sand as he grabbed my hand and he leaned in for a kiss
I couldn't help but think with the stars above, it don't get much better than this
It was a perfect day
What I'd give if I could find a way to stay
Lost in this moment, now
Ain't worried 'bout tomorrow
When your busy living, feels like dreaming,
Slowly drifting through this perfect day
Lady Antebellum's "Perfect Day" is a joyful tribute to the beauty of an idyllic day spent in nature with loved ones. The song reflects the feeling of being present in the moment, without worrying about the future or the past. The lyrics in the first verse speak of a leisurely walk through town, with nothing much to do; the sun breaks through the clouds, casting a blue hue over the sky, and a Cajun street performer is spotted, strumming a red guitar. The singer throws some coins into his battered case, asking him to play her a country tune, which he does with gusto. In the next verse, she describes going to the lake with friends, feeling the wind in her hair in the back of a jeep, and then swimming away the midday heat.
The atmosphere becomes more romantic in the third verse, with the group sitting in the sand, watching the moon rise and laughing while they sing. The tempo elevates as they dance, letting their hair down and just living care-free in the moment. The singer mentions a special someone grabbing her hand and leaning in for a kiss, making the day perfect. The chorus repeats the sentiment of the day being everything an ideal day should be, a moment to cherish and never forget.
Line by Line Meaning
Went walking through town just the other day with nothing much to do
I strolled aimlessly down the street when a surprise happened
As the sun came breaking down through the clouds, I never seen the sky so blue
The bright sun shone through the moving clouds and changed the color of the sky
I saw a Cajun man with a red guitar singing on the side of the street, I threw a handful of change in his beat-up case and said, "Play me a country beat", and it sounded like
A musician playing the guitar caught my attention, I helped him out financially and asked him to play some country music, which sounded great
Met up with some friends outside of town we were headed towards the lake, I hopped into the back of a jacked-up jeep, felt the wind upon my face
I met some friends to go to the lake, where I sat in the back of an off-road vehicle and felt the breeze on my skin
We got to the spot and the sun was hot everybody was feeling fine, so we jumped on in for a midday swim then we lost all track of time
After we arrived and noticed that the sun was shining and everyone was in a great mood, we all went into the water without a care, and it was so fun that we lost track of time
It was a perfect day, What I'd give if I could find a way to stay
The day was absolutely amazing, and I wish I could stay in that moment forever
Lost in this moment, now, Ain't worried 'bout tomorrow When you're busy living in a perfect day
Not thinking about tomorrow, just enjoying the present, being wrapped up in a perfect moment
As the moon came out and the fire burned, everybody was singing along To some rambling a little Curtis Lowe and all those feel-good songs
When evening came, fire was lit, the moon rose and people sang along to some bluesy, feel-good music
We danced all night without a care, no place we'd rather be Cause these are the days we'll talked about When we lived so wild and free
We danced free, with no worry or care, wishing we could stay in that moment because it was unforgettable
We were sitting in the sand as he grabbed my hand and he leaned in for a kiss, I couldn't help but think with the stars above, it don't get much better than this
Sitting on the beach, my partner took my hand and kissed me, gazing up at the stars, it was a moment of pure bliss
When your busy living, feels like dreaming, Slowly drifting through this perfect day
When living becomes this idyllic, it feels like you're simply drifting through a dream
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JERRY FLOWERS, HILLARY SCOTT, DAVE HAYWOOD, CHARLES KELLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind