Lady Antebellum “747” Takes Off
This week, Lady Antebellum releases their latest album “747.” The trio told Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton they were looking to break some new ground.
(Lon) You have a wide variety of sounds on this new album: (Hillary) That’s what we were trying to do with this album, which was stretch ourselves, reinvent ourselves, and find the best group of songs we could find. (Charles) Just freshen everything up a little bit. I think we kinda get in that comfort zone where you go back to the well too many times, and we were wanting to make a statement that we can try different things, we had a new producer, and we titled it 747, and it represented the feel of this record, it’s more ‘in your face.’ I think when you do listen to the record and hear a ballad, it means more since we haven’t been hitting you over the head. Those ballads can stand out more now.
Let’s talk about “Damn You 17,” that one really makes you think back: (Hillary) “Damn You 17” is one of my favorite songs I’ve heard in years. I don’t know if I was getting nostalgic because my ten year reunion is coming up, coupled with I’ve never heard a story song written like that, a movie’s being played out. (Charles) We made an effort to make an in-the-moment record. We’ve done the nostalgic thing before, but this song is different. It’s more of mistakes you’ve made, was that the best years of my life, the one that got away, I think a lot of people will find their own meaning in it.
I love the twist on “Lie With Me,” the double meaning: (Charles) It’s the sexiest song we’ve ever done. This is my favorite track on the record, because of the feel and the lyrics. I heard it and it was the freshest take on this guy saying, I know we’re done, but let’s lie about it, and let’s lie down about it one more time. It was initially just a male song, and it makes it more consensual when Hillary’s a part of it. When she was there, it was like, ‘We still have love for each other and this crazy connection, and we know it’s not going to work out, but one more night, lie with me.’
Do you listen to songs together? (Charles) Not altogether. I heard that one first. I heard every song in Nashville. I opened it up to where I was hearing ten songs a day. But we heard everything. I was so afraid to miss a hit. With that said, you still miss hits. We got pitched ‘American Kids,’ and I knew it was a hit, but it felt more like Kenny Chesney. There were all these 70s references, and we weren’t born until the 80s, so it needed to be done by someone who’s lived a little more. I remember we got pitched ‘Better Dig Two,” and ‘Downtown’ was pitched to Miranda Lambert.
So back to ‘Lie With Me,’ did Charles pitch it to you? (Hillary) No it was one of those songs we all loved. When you hear it, there’s so much space that makes it so unique and so fresh, it’s amazing. We loved it so much, and tried to figure out how to make it fit with us. We always try everything, dare to suck, try every option, to see if it works. That was one we made a duet, and it became more powerful that way. (Charles) That’s the closest song that we’ve recorded that makes me feel like ‘Need You Now.’ Now it doesn’t mean it will have that success, but I feel with this record, we spent more time finding and writing great songs. This is a sexier fresh take on anything we’ve ever done. (Hillary) It’s showing a depth, we’ve grown up, there’s more maturity to what we’re doing. (Charles) Then we do songs like ‘Freestyle’ and ‘Bartender,’ with that youthful feeling.
Talk about “Just a Girl.” Did that start with you, Hillary? (Hillary) No, I’d be interested in what the guys say about that song. (Charles) This was a song I started it with the line, ‘Just a Girl’ in my phone. I thought it would be cool for Hillary to have a female anthem. I didn’t know where it would go. We started writing, and I showed it to Hillary, and she knew where to take it. I knew that title felt big. (Hillary) The thing I love about that song is the woman is so self-aware of what the situation is. She’s realizing to everyone who’s listening, she knows she’s another Friday night. She’s going to let it happen one more time, but then that door is slammed. It’s a bold statement. (Charles) A lot of people will relate to this. This will be a different Lady Antebellum record than you’re used to, so if you thought you’ve heard everything you want to hear, you might be reinvigorated, see a different side. (Hillary) What we’ve learned by our live show is you have to make the slower songs count. Put them in a place where they’ll have the most impact.
Why did you name the album 747? (Dave) I think that song and the energy in that song conjured up the energy we’ve been talking about. We came up with some of the most inspiring songs we’ve ever done, and that title comes at you hard, we want to come back and make a stamp with what we want to say, and be loud and proud with these songs, that song summed it up, and that title felt like a big comin’ at you like a big jetliner kind of feel.
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