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."
When You Got a Good Thing
Lady Antebellum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lookin' at you standin' there I know I am
Barefooted beauty with eyes that blue
Sunshine sure looks good on you
I swear
Oh I can't believe I finally found you baby
Happy ever after, after all this timeOh there's gonna be some ups and downs
But with you to wrap my arms around
I'm fine
So baby, hold on tight
Don't let go
Hold onto the love we're making
'Cause baby when the ground starts shakin'
You gotta know when you've got a good thing
You know you keep on bringin' out the best of me
And I need you now even more than the air I breathe
You can make me laugh when I wanna cry
This will last forever I just know, I know
So baby, hold on tight
Don't let go
Hold onto the love we're making
'Cause baby when the ground starts shakin'
You gotta know when you've gotta good thing
We got a good thing, baby, whoa
So hold on tight
Baby, don't let go
Hold onto the love we're making'Cause baby when the ground starts shakin'
You gotta know, oh you gotta know
Oh you gotta know, you gotta know
When you got a good thing
Uh uh uh
We got a good thing baby
Whoa
Whoa
Whoa
Whoa
Whoa
The lyrics to Lady Antebellum's "When You Got a Good Thing" describe the feeling of finally finding true love and happiness, and the importance of holding on to it when faced with challenges. The opening lines acknowledge the singer's gratitude for their partner and the realization of their good fortune in finding them. The lyrics then focus on the singer's appreciation of their partner's physical beauty and their ability to bring out the best in them.
The second verse speaks to the enduring nature of the couple's love, noting that even in the face of life's ups and downs, they have each other to rely on. The chorus encourages the listener to hold onto their love and recognize its value even during difficult times. The song ends with a repetition of the title phrase, emphasizing the importance of not taking someone's love for granted.
Overall, "When You Got a Good Thing" is a celebration of finding true love and the commitment required to maintain it. It also acknowledges that challenges will come, but a strong relationship can weather them.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody keeps telling me I'm such a lucky man
People keep reminding me how fortunate I am
Lookin' at you standin' there I know I am
Seeing you right now makes me realize how lucky I really am
Barefooted beauty with eyes that blue
You are stunning with your bare feet and those beautiful blue eyes
Sunshine sure looks good on you
You look amazing and radiant in the sunshine
I swear
I am being completely honest
Oh I can't believe I finally found you baby
I can't believe I finally found the perfect person for me
Happy ever after, after all this time
We will live happily ever after, even after waiting for so long
Oh there's gonna be some ups and downs
There will be good times and bad times
But with you to wrap my arms around
As long as I have you to hold onto
I'm fine
Everything will be okay
So baby, hold on tight
Hold on to me tightly
Don't let go
Don't let me go
Hold onto the love we're making
Hold on to the love we are creating together
'Cause baby when the ground starts shakin'
Because when things get difficult
You gotta know when you've got a good thing
You need to recognize when you have something great
You know you keep on bringin' out the best of me
You bring out the best in me
And I need you now even more than the air I breathe
I need you more than anything, even the air I breathe
You can make me laugh when I wanna cry
You have the power to make me laugh even when I am sad
This will last forever I just know, I know
I am sure that our love will last forever
We got a good thing, baby, whoa
Our love is great
So hold on tight
Hold on to me tightly
Baby, don't let go
Don't let me go
Oh you gotta know, you gotta know
You must realize
When you got a good thing
When you have something great in your life
Uh uh uh
Whoa
Whoa
Whoa
Whoa
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HILLARY SCOTT, DAVE HAYWOOD, CHARLES KELLEY, RIVERS RUTHERFORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind