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"
Tonight I
Sugarland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Throw my suitcase out there, too,
Throw my troubles out the door,
I don't need them any more
'Cause tonight I'll be staying here with you.
I should have left this town this morning
But it was more than I could do.
And I've waited all day long
For tonight when I'll be staying here with you.
Is it really any wonder
The love that a stranger might receive.
You cast your spell and I went under,
I find it so difficult to leave.
I can hear that whistle blowin',
I see that stationmaster, too,
If there's a poor boy on the street,
Then let him have my seat
'Cause tonight I'll be staying here with you.
Throw my ticket out the window,
Throw my suitcase out there, too,
Throw my troubles out the door,
I don't need them any more
'Cause tonight I'll be staying here with you.
In Sugarland's "Tonight I" lyrics, the singer is throwing away their ticket, suitcase, and troubles in a display of commitment to staying with their lover for the night. The lyrics also express a sense of desperation and surrender to the overwhelming love and spell that the lover has cast upon them. Despite the singer's initial intention to leave town, they cannot resist their lover's strong love and the anticipation of a night spent together. The lyrics also suggest that the power of love can be inexplicable and that it can draw us towards unexpected destinations and adventures.
The song's message about the transformative power of love resonates with many listeners as it expresses a universal feeling of being overcome by love and the willingness to let go of one's fears and doubts in pursuit of it. The song's melody and rhythm are also upbeat and catchy, which makes it a popular choice for live performances and a danceable tune in general.
Line by Line Meaning
Throw my ticket out the window,
I am throwing my ticket out the window to signify that I won't be taking the train as planned.
Throw my suitcase out there, too,
I am throwing my suitcase out alongside the ticket, indicating that I am not leaving town.
Throw my troubles out the door,
I'm leaving behind all my problems, worries, and concerns.
I don't need them any more
Since I have the love of my life with me, I don't need any of my previous concerns.
'Cause tonight I'll be staying here with you.
I'm staying with you tonight, and that's all that matters.
I should have left this town this morning
Originally, I was supposed to leave town this morning.
But it was more than I could do.
However, I couldn't leave because of the powerful feelings I have for you.
Oh, your love comes on so strong
Your love deeply affects me to the point where I couldn't leave.
And I've waited all day long
I have waited for this moment all day long to be with you.
For tonight when I'll be staying here with you.
I am thrilled to be spending tonight with you.
Is it really any wonder
It's no surprise to me that I fell in love with you so quickly.
The love that a stranger might receive.
It's amazing what kind of love a stranger can receive and how it can change one's life.
You cast your spell and I went under,
Your love is so powerful that it's as if you put a spell on me and I fell for you.
I find it so difficult to leave.
It's hard for me to leave you because of how much I love being with you.
I can hear that whistle blowin',
I can hear the train whistle blowing, but it doesn't matter because I'm not getting on the train.
I see that stationmaster, too,
I also see the stationmaster, but it's too late for me to change my mind.
If there's a poor boy on the street,
If there's someone less fortunate than I am on the street,
Then let him have my seat
I will give him my seat so he can ride the train and have a more comfortable journey.
'Cause tonight I'll be staying here with you.
At this point, nothing else matters because I am with the one I love.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jeannie A. Corby-Becker
Sugarland is amazing! Each song they do is so powerful and fun! Tonight is another GREAT song!
Kylita Carbone
10 years later and still tears in my eyes. This song is epic 🥰 thank you sugarland
Louie H
I do love this song. so soothing and well written.. TWO THUMBS UP
DAVEY AMERICAN PRIDE, God Bless USA
☆☆☆☆☆ + 👍👍👍👍👍🤘🤟🤙👌🤌🙌👏👏👏🤝
Quentin Smith
One of my favorite songs by Sugarland. What an exceptional voice. She took the twang out and sang it smooth. This song should have been a #1 hit.
J.R. Lobinsky
I’ve always love this song by Sugarland and they’re one of the best country duos I’ve heard in a long time, great song!
Jennifer Brickford
So love her voice!
Turd Ferguson
Heard this song on the radio the other day, and it's been in my head since. What a great song and video. Love it!
Scott Piper
Such an underrated song. I don't know why this didn't chart better and become a big hit record for Sugarland.
Jonathan Stewart
AMEN