And now the rest of us get to discover that magical place, starting with the chart-topping duo’s self-titled debut album. Fans began truly getting to know their way around Stoney Creek Records’ Thompson Square with the release of their GRAMMY nominated #1 Platinum+ radio smash, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not,” a fitting introduction to the Thompsons’ natural chemistry and spirit of buoyant romance. iTunes’ Country Song of the Year (2011) grew meteorically to become the Most Played Song at Country Radio in 2011 (Mediabase) as well as reach the top of the Billboard Heat Seekers Chart. Additionally, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” spent five consecutive weeks at #1 on the Country Digital Soundscan chart and 12 consecutive weeks as the #1 Country Ringtone.
Things have happened very quickly since then: Thompson Square earned three fan-voted American Country Awards for Single of the Year by a Group, Single of the Year by a New Artist and Music Video of the Year by a New Artist. “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” also earned two GRAMMY nominations for Best Country Song and Best Country Duo/ Group Performance of the Year.
In all, Thompson Square was nominated for 14 industry awards in 2011 also including an American Music Award nomination for New Artist of the Year; two 2011 CMA Awards nominations for Best New Artist and Vocal Duo of the Year and two CMT Music Awards nominations. The duo has played to over a million fans in the past year – by both having been rapturously received, as an opening act on superstar Jason Aldean’s tour and by packing high-energy shows of their own. They’ve seen the “Kiss Me” video become a favorite on CMT and GAC, even spending 12 consecutive weeks in the Top 5 of CMT’s Top 20 Countdown. They’ve earned a follow-up Top 10 hit with, “I Got You,” and traveled the national media circuit, performing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel LIVE!, Conan, Fox & Friends, FOX’s All American Concert Series, the 45th Annual CMA Awards, FOX’s 2nd Annual American Country Awards, NBC’s “The Better Show,” and more. Thompson Square finishes the year as Billboard’s #1 New Country Artist in terms of its single (Hot 100) and album sales (Hot 200) charts. The duo was also named Mediabase’s New Country Artist of the Year, in terms of radio airplay. Thompson Square is taking Country music by storm once again with the duo’s emotionally-laden current single, “Glass,” hailed by The Washington Post as a “poignant meditation on human vulnerability,” a song which allows Shawna Thompson to show off her powerhouse vocals.
In 2012, Thompson Square dethroned superstars Sugarland to become the Academy of Country Music’s “Vocal Duo of the Year.” The win was historic -- Thompson Square became the first NEW Country music act in 20 years to break through and win the award a headlining, superstar duo.
The suddenness of their success belies the fact that—separately and together—Keifer and Shawna have been learning their craft in Nashville for a decade. “To see it paying off right now is elating,” Keifer says. “Every day I try to take a little time, soak it all in and say thanks.”
Now Music City is sharing with the rest of the world the pitch-perfect combination of Keifer’s soulful intensity and Shawna’s crystalline grace; her classic country upbringing and his wide-ranging singer-songwriter influences. Shawna grew up in tiny Chatom, Ala., learning traditional country songs from her guitar-playing father and soaking up the sounds of Reba McEntire and Alabama on the radio. Keifer was raised in Miami, Okla., where he was exposed to everything from Roger Miller and Merle Haggard to punk rock and heavy metal before finding his most profound influences in thoughtful tunesmiths like Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty. Each moved to Nashville within the same week, and met at a singing competition a few days after hitting town. “I walked in and saw her, went right up and started talking to her,” Keifer recalls. “She beat me in pool, and that’s where it started.” Like Keifer, Shawna sensed a connection right away. “I knew immediately,” she says. “It sounds so cheesy, but it was a love at first sight thing for me.” Each had come to Music City intending to pursue a solo career, and for a few years that’s just what they did. “She was doing her own thing, and I was doing my thing,” Keifer says. “After a while it made sense to combine what we did. We looked at each other one day and said, ‘Maybe we should try to do this.’”
And so Thompson Square was born. They adjusted to the idea of combining the pressures of married life with a career choice that demanded near-constant togetherness. “A lot of couples can’t be together 24 hours a day—but for us it doesn’t work unless it’s like that,” Keifer points out. “It’s still like we’re dating, and we’ve been married for 11 years. We like to have fun, we like to laugh and we like to rock out—so that’s what we try to do.” The pieces truly began falling into place for Thompson Square in 2009, when manager Shawn Pennington caught the couple’s show at a Nashville club. Within days Thompson Square was performing for the staff at Stoney Creek Records, and before they knew it they were signing a contract. “This label has been amazing for us,” Keifer observes. “They’re making our dream come true right now.”
The first step in bringing that dream to life came when the duo hit the studio to record their debut album with their pals in the New Voice Entertainment production team (Kurt Allison, David Fanning, Tully Kennedy and Rich Redmond). “Doing it with your friends is different than having a big-name head-honcho guy that dismisses everything you say,” Keifer notes. “We all had a say-so. Every song on this album has a little bit of each of us on it.” Thompson Square and their producers sought and found stellar outside material, but much of Thompson Square is made up of Keifer’s own songs. “It was very important for me to have some original songs I wrote,” he says. “But we weren’t stupid—if there was a better song, we put it on there.”
The album seamlessly combines the twosome’s wide-ranging influences into a loose, lively and identifiable sound all their own. “There are songs that will make you laugh, make you dance, make you cry,” Keifer says. “We tried to touch upon the whole gamut of emotions.” The playful “Let’s Fight,” for instance, is an upbeat ode to friendly marital spats—and the ensuing reconciliations. “Shawna and I get along sometimes too good, because it’s hard to write sad songs about love lost when you’re not experiencing that,” quips Keifer. “But I thought it’d be cool to write a song saying, ‘Let’s fight and get things stirred up … and then make up!’” The Thompsons explore the endless dynamics of couplehood throughout the album, as in the opening rush of the ebullient “I Got You” and the muscular, mischievous “Getaway Car.” But they also explore the darker side of relationships, as on simmering ballads like the conciliatory “If It Takes All Night” and the fragile “Glass.” It’s just one way in which Thompson Square subverts the stereotype of the married couple singing sticky-sweet songs of devotion to one another. “We don’t want to do lovey-dovey songs,” Shawna declares. “This is real stuff.”
Every day now, more and more fans are getting a taste of that “real stuff” and deciding they like what they hear—and the Thompsons couldn’t be happier or more grateful. “A year ago we were bartending down on Broadway,” Keifer says. “To go from behind the bar to the other side of the world, it’s been difficult to grasp the magnitude of what’s going on. We just try to put out songs that we love, and we hope our fans will like them too. The rest is in God’s hands.”
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All The Way
Thompson Square Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You love me
It's cut and dry
The way it's supposed to be
So don't
Shut me outside
We got one chance
And it's tonight
I'd bare my soul
Get on my knees
So give me you
I'll give you me
Let's take it
Take it
All the way
What we feel
When we kiss
Some search a lifetime
And don't find a fire like this
So take my hair
Darling let it down
And let our hearts
Be the only sound
I'd bare my soul
Get on my knees
So give me you
I'll give you me
Let's take it
Take it
All the way
I want the sun
And I'll take the rain
Just to feel your hand upon my face
You'll never want
No you'll never need
'Cause in your eyes
My life I see
I'd bare my soul
Get on my knees
So give me you
I'll give you me
Let's take it
Take it
All the way
Let's take it all the way
I love you
You love me
It's cut and dry
The way it's supposed to be
Thompson Square's song "All The Way" talks about a couple in love who are ready to take their relationship to the next level. The first couple of lines set the tone for the rest of the song, as it establishes that the two people are in love with each other unconditionally. The song's overall message is that love is simple and straightforward, and that they want to make the most of the time and opportunity they have together. They want to be together, and they want to commit to each other with nothing held back.
The song reveals that the physical aspect of their relationship is critical to both of them, as they feel a strong connection when they kiss. It is evident that they are not in this relationship just for the fun of it but are genuinely invested in each other. They want to be close to each other not just in a physical sense but also in an emotional sense. They are not afraid to bear their souls and be vulnerable with each other.
In sum, "All the way" is a beautiful and heartfelt love song that highlights the importance of honesty, vulnerability, and commitment in a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I love you
I have strong feelings of love for you
You love me
You also have feelings of love for me
It's cut and dry
Our love is straightforward and clear
The way it's supposed to be
This is the way romance is meant to happen
So don't
Don't hesitate or hold back
Shut me outside
Exclude me or ignore my feelings
We got one chance
We only have this one opportunity
And it's tonight
This moment is the time to act
I'd bare my soul
I am willing to share my deepest thoughts and feelings
Get on my knees
I am willing to humble myself and be vulnerable
So give me you
I want all of you, your heart and soul
I'll give you me
I will give myself to you, completely and fully
Let's take it
Let's move forward
Take it
Seize this opportunity
All the way
Continue until our love reaches its fullest potential
What we feel
The emotions we experience
When we kiss
When our lips touch in passion
Some search a lifetime
Some people spend their entire lives looking for this kind of love
And don't find a fire like this
But they do not find a love that burns as bright
So take my hair
Hold me close
Darling let it down
Unleash our passion and love
And let our hearts
Our emotions and feelings
Be the only sound
Should be the only thing that matters in this moment
I want the sun
I desire happiness and positivity
And I'll take the rain
I am willing to withstand hardship and sadness
Just to feel your hand upon my face
As long as I can feel your touch and love, I am content
You'll never want
You will never need anything else
No you'll never need
You will always have all that you need in this love
Cause in your eyes
Your gaze
My life I see
I see my entire existence in your eyes
Let's take it all the way
Let's keep our love going until the end of time
Lyrics © ANTHEM ENTERTAINMENT LP, OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kipling Moore, Keifer Thompson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind