{"id":1318061,"date":"2020-02-04T09:17:02","date_gmt":"2020-02-04T16:17:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/?p=1817533"},"modified":"2020-02-04T09:17:02","modified_gmt":"2020-02-04T16:17:02","slug":"lady-antebellum-gets-over-slump-with-what-if-i-never-ger-over-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/music-news\/lady-antebellum-gets-over-slump-with-what-if-i-never-ger-over-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Lady Antebellum Gets Over Slump With \u201cWhat If I Never Ger Over You\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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by Edward Morris<\/a><\/span>
\n55m ago<\/span>
\n<\/span> <\/p>\n

It was a jubilant and grateful Lady Antebellum that stood on stage at Nashville\u2019s Hutton Hotel Monday afternoon (Feb. 3) to celebrate the trio\u2019s first No. 1 single in six years, the mournful \u201cWhat If I Never Get Over You.\u201d Joining them in the festivities were the song\u2019s co-writers, Laura Veltz, Ryan Hurd, Sam Ellis and Jon Green.<\/p>\n

The event was held in the hotel\u2019s Analog showroom, which has also been the site of parties for such other country royalty as Luke Bryan and Keith Urban.<\/p>\n

The get-together was jointly sponsored by the three major performance rights organizations: ASCAP, BMI and SESAC.<\/p>\n

BMI\u2019s Spencer Nohe served as master of ceremonies and first turned the spotlight on Veltz, Hurd and Lady A\u2019s Charles Kelley. Veltz, he noted, has had three other No. 1 singles (\u201cDrunk Last Night,\u201d \u201cI Could Use a Love Song\u201d and \u201cSpeechless\u201d) and has been Billboard<\/em>\u2019s reigning country songwriter for the past four weeks. She also co-wrote Maren Morris\u2019 \u201cThe Bones,\u201d which this week sits at No. 2 on Billboard<\/em>\u2019s airplay chart.<\/p>\n

Hurd, who records for RCA and is married to Morris, has three chart-toppers to his credit, Nohe said, including Blake Shelton and Ashley Monroe\u2019s \u201cLonely Tonight\u201d and Luke Bryan\u2019s \u201cSunrise, Sunburn, Sunset.\u201d However, Nohe pointed out, \u201cWhat If I Never Get Over You\u201d is Hurd\u2019s first No. 1 since moving from ASCAP to BMI, thus earning him an acoustic guitar, BMI\u2019s traditional prize for first-time No. 1 writers.<\/p>\n

Although Kelley has his own string of songwriting hits, Nohe recognized him for his 10 No. 1\u2019s as a member of Lady A, which, as Nohe pointed out, have sold nearly 20 million albums since first charting in 2007 with \u201cLove Don\u2019t Live Here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nohe summarized by declaring that Kelley is \u201ca generous, kind and fun-loving dude.\u201d<\/p>\n

ASCAP\u2019s Beth Brinker led the crowd in applauding Lady A\u2019s producer, Dan Huff, whose hits as a musician and studio mentor literally run into the hundreds. While Brinker didn\u2019t mention it in her remarks, Huff is credited with playing nearly 20 different instruments on Lady A\u2019s current album, Ocean<\/em>, ranging from accordion to banjo and bouzouki.<\/p>\n

Brinker praised Lady A\u2019s Dave Haywood for his \u201cthoughtfulness for (great) songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Ellis, she said, \u201cWhat If I Never Get Over You\u201d is his first top hit and added that like many other country composers he had \u201choned his musical skills at church.\u201d Ellis, she continued, has toured as a side man with Hunter Hayes and is co-writer of Ingrid Andress\u2019 \u201cMore Hearts Than Mine\u201d and Lady A\u2019s current heart-tugging single, \u201cWhat I\u2019m Leaving For.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just as BMI hands out guitars to its first-timers, ASCAP awards Yeti coolers, one of which Brinker brought to the stage to give Ellis.<\/p>\n

Lydia Schultz from SESAC next came forward to praise Lady A\u2019s Hillary Scott and Green. Green hails from England, and \u201cWhat If I Never Get Over You\u201d is his first country No. 1. <\/p>\n

Once the songwriters had been introduced, Scott Borchetta, who heads Lady A\u2019s label group, BMLG, took the stage to present his compliments. \u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019ve ever been involved in anything I\u2019ve been more proud of than this record,\u201d he said. Jimmy Harnen, CEO of BMLG Records, announced that \u201cWhat If I Never Get Over You\u201d has now reached gold status (indicating it has sold 500,000 copies) and that it\u2019s still in the Top 10 in Billboard<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Veltz compared giving a song to others to record and promote is like relinquishing a child. \u201cYou\u2019re just kissing the baby and then it\u2019s having fun at college,\u201d she marveled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been coming here (from England to Nashville) for like 15 years,\u201d Green said, \u201cbut this feels like my arriving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hurd confessed that he had once promised to sing the song naked if it ever went to No. 1, but diplomatically declined to do so. That was just as well since his pregnant wife stood in the audience. \u201cJust imagining life without you,\u201d he told her, alluding to the song\u2019s theme, \u201c. . . what a horrible inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turning to address the members of Lady Antebellum, Hurd asserted, \u201cYou guys are going to be in the Country Music Hall of Fame one day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scott looked around her and said, \u201cThere are so many many incredible hearts up here. I\u2019m just overwhelmed.\u201d<\/p>\n

But it was Haywood who set the tears flowing \u2014 including his own \u2014 when he said he and his wife had discussed whether or not to bring their five-year-old son, Cash, to the party. \u201cI think we should bring him to the party,\u201d he told her, and then, with his voice breaking, added, \u201cIt hasn\u2019t happened in his lifetime. It\u2019s given us such peace to make music again.\u201d<\/p>\n

With that, Kelley announced it was time to sing the song being celebrated. The crowd waited while the stage was rearranged with mics and stools for the trio, the four songwriters and Haywood\u2019s son, who sat enraptured behind him. <\/p>\n

What followed was perhaps the most heartfelt and moving performance the song will ever have.<\/p>\n

Embedded from www.youtube.com<\/a>.