Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group
April 1st, 2021
Lady A’s Hillary Scott celebrates her 35th birthday today (4/1). She was born into country music: her mother Linda Davis was singing backup with Reba when Hillary was born. Hillary was singing since an early age.
With Lady A, Hillary has racked up many hit songs and awards for her work with Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood. We celebrate Hillary today by celebrating Lady A’s music since they burst onto the scene in 2007.
Here is how we rate Lady A’s top 13 songs.
13. "Lookin' for a Good Time" – (2008) - The second single from their self-titled debut, as well as their second top 20 hit on the Billboard country chart. The song was co-written by the trio's three members: Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood.
12."American Honey" – (2010) - The song's narrator -- Hillary Scott -- states a desire to escape her adult lifestyle and return to her childhood, which is described in the lyrics of the song.
11. "We Owned the Night" – (2011) – Good stuff. Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood wrote the song with Dallas Davidson. The title started during a conversation that Kelley had with his and Davidson's wives at a bar, telling them that they should "own the night" and stay longer at the bar.
10. "Heart Break" – (2017) – Love this one. The title of the song is a play on the concept of heartbreak, with a message of "letting your heart take a break" in between relationships and taking time to recover one's self.
9. "What If I Never Get Over You" – (2019) – This song is so touching , it’s no surprise that it shot straight to number one. Originally sung by co-writer Ryan Hurd on the demo, the song was pitched to Lady Antebellum by a record executive and rearranged as a male-female duet.
8. "Champagne Night"- (2020) - This is the final single to feature the group's name Lady Antebellum, before changing to Lady A, in June 2020. "Champagne Night" was included on the Deluxe Edition re-issue of the trio's eighth studio album, ‘Ocean.’
7. "What I'm Leaving For" – (2020) – All three members of the group related to this song in the days before 2020’s pandemic.
6. "Downtown" – (2012) – The song was written by Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, and Natalie Hemby. It was originally planned to be sung by Miranda Lambert.
5. "Compass" – (2013) – While taking a break from recording, the band came across the song "Compass" and felt so passionate about it that, despite not having a project to release it on, they decided to record it. It also comes from outside of their Nashville comfort zone. They recorded it in Los Angeles.
4. "Bartender" – (2014) – Here’s a personal anecdote: my son, who was 7-years-old when it came out, loved this one and used to sing every word. During an interview with Hillary Scott that year I told her about this. She said sweetly, “Sorry your boy is singing about booze.”
3. "I Run to You" - (2008) – A song with the same vibe as “Need You Now,” it’s just so smooth and easy to listen to. The song won the 2009 CMA Single of the Year Award on November 11, 2009. It won the Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
2. "Like A Lady" - (2021) – This one is brand new (it was released in March 2021) and it shows that the band still have a lot of gas in the tank; they still have a lot to say.
1."Need You Now" - (2009) – Just a masterpiece. It’s no wonder it won four Grammy Awards in 2011, including for Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
