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"
Fly Away
Sugarland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm waiting for my chance.
I'm gonna break away.
I'm so sick and tired of being told what's good for me.
People got lots of ideas, of who I'm supposed to be.
[Chorus]
Angel carry me, oh so far away.
And If I promise you that I'll be back someday,
Will you set me free so I can fly away?
Fly away, fly away
Well most folks here well they don't dig too deep.
They can't dream too big
Cause they've got fields to keep
I could walk away and leave my family.
Or get buried alive in this legacy.
[Chorus]
I want to sleep under a different piece of sky
I want to live a little bit before I die
I want to be so close to heaven I see angels
[Chorus]
Fly away fly away
Sugarland's song "Fly Away" is about breaking free from the constraints of small-town life and societal expectations. The lyrics express a desire to escape the limitations of living in a town where everyone knows each other, and the pressure to conform to social norms is so strong. Jennifer Nettles delivers a strong vocal performance that captures the tension and frustration of feeling trapped.
The opening lyric "Oh I swear this town gets smaller every day" sets the tone for the song, highlighting the claustrophobia that the singer feels. As the song unfolds, Nettles' character reveals a desire for something more, stating "I'm so sick and tired of being told what's good for me." She yearns for the freedom to be herself, to make her own choices, and to break away from the expectations of others.
In the chorus of the song, the singer asks an "angel" to "carry me, oh so far away," stating that she wants to "fly away." This is a powerful metaphor for seeking liberation and escape from the constraints of small-town life. The song's final verse expresses a desire to see the world from a different perspective, to "sleep under a different piece of sky" and "be so close to heaven I see angels."
Overall, "Fly Away" is a powerful anthem about the desire for freedom, self-expression and breaking from the chains that confine people to their small town lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh I swear this town gets smaller everyday,
The town feels claustrophobic and restrictive, and the singer feels trapped here.
And I'm waiting for my chance.
The singer is hoping for an opportunity to leave the town and explore the world.
I'm gonna break away.
The singer is determined to leave the town and live life on their own terms.
I'm so sick and tired of being told what's good for me.
The artist is fed up with people trying to control their life and limit their potential.
People got lots of ideas, of who I'm supposed to be.
Others have preconceived notions of who the artist should be or what they should do with their life.
[Chorus] Angel carry me, oh so far away. May my body never, touch the ground. And If I promise you that I'll be back someday, Will you set me free so I can fly away?
The singer is asking for freedom, both physically and emotionally, to fly away from the town and explore new possibilities.
Fly away, fly away
This repetitive line emphasizes the singer's desire to escape and fly away to a new life.
Well most folks here well they don't dig too deep.
Many people in the town are content with staying on the surface level and not questioning their lives or surroundings.
They can't dream too big, cause they've got fields to keep
The people in the town are limited in their aspirations because they are tied to their agricultural and rural lifestyle.
I could walk away and leave my family.
The artist could leave their family to pursue their dreams, but it would come at a cost.
Or get buried alive in this legacy.
The singer could stay and continue the family legacy, but it would feel like a burden or confinement.
[Chorus] I want to sleep under a different piece of sky. I want to live a little bit before I die. I want to be so close to heaven I see angels
The artist wants to live a life full of new experiences, and be closer to something spiritual or divine.
[Chorus] Fly away fly away
The singer is repeating their desire to escape the town and pursue their dreams.
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DAMION HALL, TEDDY RILEY, DARRELL MARSHALL, JAMAAL SMITH, TERRELL BURNSIDE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind