Sugarland's debut album, Twice the Speed of Life, was released Oct. 26, 2004. Serving as its lead-off single was the song Baby Girl, which peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts and set a record for the longest chart run since the inception of Nielsen SoundScan in 1990. It was also the highest-peaking debut single for a group in 13 years. The album received Multi-Platinum certification for sales of two million copies. This album produced three more chart singles Something More, Just Might (Make Me Believe), and Down in Mississippi (Up to No Good).
In late 2005, the duo performed with Bon Jovi on Country Music Television's musical fusion show, Crossroads. Nettles sang with Bon Jovi on their single Who Says You Can't Go Home. The song later went on to become a #1 hit on the country charts.
Kristen Hall left the group in late 2005/early 2006. According to a statment released on January 17, 2006 by Nettles and Bush, Hall left the group to "stay home and write songs."
Sugarland was nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy and performed the song Something More at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2006. They also performed at the 2006 CMT Music Awards, where they received multiple nominations including Group/Duo Video of the Year for Just Might (Make Me Believe), Breakthrough Video of the Year for Something More, and Collaborative Video of the Year for "Who Says You Can't Go Home".
On November 7, 2006, the new duo released their second album Enjoy the Ride. It sold 211,000 during its first week and opened at #4 on the US Top 200 and at #2 on the Top Country Albums charts. The first two singles from this album — Want To and Settlin — both reached Number One on the country music charts, while Everyday America and Stay were both Top Ten hits. A limited edition of the CD, sold exclusively at Wal-Mart, was released in late 2007 and included a 5-song Christmas EP. The EP contained one original song - Little Wood Guitar - written by Bush and Ellis Paul.
In 2007, Sugarland performed at multiple award ceremonies, including the 2007 CMT Awards and the 2007 ACM awards. They performed a cover of Beyoncé Knowles' "Irreplaceable" at the American Music Awards, with Knowles herself. They also appeared on the The Tonight Show, and late in the year they headlined their first concert tour: the Change for Change Tour along with opening acts Little Big Town and Jake Owen. At the 41st CMA Awards, the group won the award for Vocal Duo of the Year.
In February 2007 Nettles and Bush began recording Love on the Inside as a follow up to Enjoy the Ride. The album was released in late July. Leading off this album was All I Want to Do. Released on May 19, the song debuted at #27 on the country charts, the highest debut for the duo. It became their third Number One single in August 2008. Already Gone followed in September of the same year and in January 2009 became their fourth Billboard Number One.
The "Deluxe Fan Edition" of Love on the Inside was released on July 22, 2008. The fan edition includes the duo's collaboration with Little Big Town and Jake Owen, a cover of The Dream Academy's 1985 hit "Life in a Northern Town." It also introduces four other bonus tracks, including "Fall Into Me," "Operation: Working Vacation," "Wishing," and a cover of Matt Nathanson's "Come On Get Higher."
The duo is starting the Love on the Inside Tour on September 13 in Asheville, North Carolina and it will conclude after 25 performances on November 16 in Bossier City, Louisiana. They will be joined by special guests Ashton Shepherd and Kellie Pickler. It will be their second headlining tour.
In March 2009, Sugarland toured in Europe starting with performances at military stations in Italy. They were scheduled to perform in France, the Netherlands, Germany, England, Scotland, and Ireland. Later in 2009 they joined Keith Urban in select cities as part of his Escape Together World Tour and joined Kenny Chesney on his Sun City Carnival Tour.
The third single from Love on the Inside, and 11th single overall, "It Happens", was released in February 2009 and became their fifth #1 in May 2009. The album's fourth single, "Joey" is a warning about drunkdriving, encouraging those sober to "take the keys," and thematically is heavily influenced by Concrete Blonde's 1990 single of the same name. It peaked at #17 on the US country charts.
On May 19, 2009, Sugarland received five CMT Award nominations including a nomination for Video of the Year. They were presented the award for Video Duo of the Year at the award show that broadcasted on June 16, 2009. During the awards show, they also performed "Love Shack" with a surprise appearance by the B-52's.
On September 10, 2010, Sugarland appeared on The Today Show and performed "Stuck Like Glue" - the first single from their album The Incredible Machine, which was released on October 19, 2010 in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. The album was released in the United Kingdom on February 7, 2011.
It was announced on January 11, 2011 that Sugarland was the #5 selling country album of 2010 with The Incredible Machine and the #3 selling digital country track of 2010 with their single "Stuck Like Glue".
On April 3, 2011 Sugarland hosted and performed at the first annual ACM Fan Jam during the ACM awards show. Sugarland was nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year and Video of the Year for "Stuck Like Glue", and won for Vocal Duo of the Year at the 46th annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Nettles performed alongside pop star Rihanna at the ceremony, performing "California King Bed".
"Tonight" is the second single released in the U.K. from The Incredible Machine as well as the third country radio single, released April 11.
In April 2011, Sugarland began their own radio station, which was launched by A.P.E. Radio. The station is programmed by Nettles and Bush, and gives fans the opportunity to hear experiences from both singers' lives and from their current musical endeavours.
The duo appeared at the 2011 CMT Music Awards, winning for "Duo Video of the Year" but losing to Taylor Swift's "Mine" for video of the year. They also performed their donation song "Stand Up"
April Showers
Sugarland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In these hills
Looking for a map to find
What we left behind
Knowing that we will
Always end up right where we start
'Cause I've got time on my hands
And hope in my heart
We weren't meant to be apart
April showers
Bring May flowers
I have seen rain before
But if Sunday morning
Lets that sun in
What are we waiting for?
'Cause love leaves an open door
If I had one wish
I'd wish for two
One for me, baby
One for you
It would find you
Right where you are
With time on your hands
And hope in your heart
We both understand
We were written in the stars
April showers
Bring May flowers
I have seen rain before
But if Sunday morning
Lets that sun in
What are we waiting for?
'Cause love leaves an open door
It's worth all the cost
Till I find what I lost in your eyes
And you realize
April showers
Bring May flowers
We have seen rain before
But if Sunday morning
Lets that sun in
What are we waiting for?
'Cause love leaves an open...
Wishing and hoping
Love leaves an open door
Sugarland's April Showers is a song about searching for love and understanding that, despite the search, love has a way of finding us when we least expect it. The opening lines, “Looking for an angel in these hills, looking for a map to find what we left behind,” sets the tone for the song. The singer is searching for something lost or missing, likely a past love or a deeper understanding of it. Despite this, they remain optimistic and hopeful, with “time on my hands, and hope in my heart.” The song then reflects on the adage that “April showers bring May flowers,” comparing the ups and downs of love to the changing seasons. The chorus repeats this idea of love opening doors, and how it's worth the cost of finding what was once lost in the eyes of the beloved.
Ultimately, the song's theme is about the power of love to overcome obstacles, despite the frustrations and challenges that sometimes accompany it. The singer and their love interest understand that they “weren't meant to be apart,” and that even with the risk of “April showers,” an “open door” always awaits them. The song's arrangement features Jennifer Nettles' emotive vocals and Kristian Bush's guitar work, building in intensity with the steady, driving rhythm. In the end, we're left with a message of hope and a reminder of love's ability to persevere.
Line by Line Meaning
Looking for an angel
In these hills
We are searching for something pure and holy amidst challenging circumstances.
Looking for a map to find
What we left behind
We are trying to retrace our steps to find something we lost in the past.
Knowing that we will
Always end up right where we start
Despite our efforts to move forward, we always end up back where we began.
'Cause I've got time on my hands
And hope in my heart
We both understand
We weren't meant to be apart
We have patience and optimism that we will be reunited, as we believe we are destined to be together.
April showers
Bring May flowers
I have seen rain before
But if Sunday morning
Lets that sun in
What are we waiting for?
'Cause love leaves an open door
Just as the changing seasons bring new growth, if we open our hearts to love, we can experience new beginnings and possibilities.
If I had one wish
I'd wish for two
One for me, baby
One for you
It would find you
Right where you are
With time on your hands
And hope in your heart
We both understand
We were written in the stars
If I could have anything, I would wish for our reunion and happiness, knowing that we belong together and are destined to find each other again.
It's worth all the cost
Till I find what I lost in your eyes
And you realize
Even though searching for what we lost may be difficult and challenging, it is worth it if we can rediscover the love and connection we once shared.
Wishing and hoping
Love leaves an open door
We are filled with hope that love will find a way to bring us back together again, and that there will always be an opportunity for us to reconnect and rebuild our relationship.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: KRISTIAN BUSH, JEFFREY COHEN, JENNIFER NETTLES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind