"Golden" is a song recorded by country music group

Lady Antebellum Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum) is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006. The group is composed of Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals, guitar) ...

for their 2013 album of the same name. The song was written by group members

Hillary Scott Hillary Dawn Scott-Tyrrell (born April 1, 1986) is an American singer and songwriter. She is the co-lead singer of Lady A, previously known as Lady Antebellum, a country music group that was formed in 2006, and is signed to Big Machine Records ...

Charles Kelley Charles Burgess Kelley (born September 11, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter and lead singer and founding member of the country music trio Lady A, which was formed in 2006 and are signed to Big Machine Records. Early life and career Kelle ...

, and

Dave Haywood David Wesley Haywood (born July 5, 1982) is an American country musician and songwriter. He is one-third of the American country music band Lady A, in which he plays guitar, piano and mandolin, and sings backing vocals. Early life Haywood's fat ...

along with

Eric Paslay Eric Thomas Paslay (born January 29, 1983) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He has released one album for EMI Nashville, which contains the hit singles "Friday Night", "Song About a Girl", and " She Don't Love You". In additio ...

. In 2014, "Golden" was re-recorded with guest vocals by

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

singer Stevie Nicks, who likened the song to her band Fleetwood Mac's iconic hit " Landslide". This collaborative version was released as a

digital single In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separat ...

through

Capitol Records Nashville Capitol Records Nashville is a major United States-based record label located in Nashville, Tennessee operating as part of the Universal Music Group Nashville. From 1991 to 1995, Capitol Nashville was known as Liberty Records, before returning ...

on April 1, 2014.

Background and recording

The last song written for the album, "Golden" came together in a matter of hours at Charles Kelley's house when the group invited Nashville singer-songwriter

(whose single " Friday Night" Lady Antebellum had recorded for their previous album, ''

Own the Night ''Own the Night'' is the third studio album by American country music trio Lady Antebellum. It was released on September 13, 2011 through Capitol Nashville. This is the follow up album to their previous Grammy Award winning album Need You Now. Th ...

'') for a writing session. As Kelley explained to ''Entertainment Weekly'', "I said, 'Just start playing, and I’m gonna start mumbling some words over these melodies, and the song just started pouring out." "Golden" went on to become the album title because it and the song it represents encompassed the feel of the record. "I think we’re really proud of that song," says Kelley. "It felt like we were getting back to the basics of how the three of us started out — just sittin’ in a room and writin’ and not thinkin’ about trying to write a hit." Lady Antebellum and Stevie Nicks first collaborated on an episode of

CMT Crossroads ''CMT Crossroads'' is an American television program broadcast on CMT that pairs country music artists with musicians from other music genres such as alternative rock, pop, R&B, Rock, soul and more, frequently trading off performing one anot ...

, where they performed several songs together from their respective catalogs (only seven of which were aired), including the former's "Golden". Charles Kelley sent the song to Nicks after she referenced Crosby, Stills & Nash, whose harmonies influenced the bridge on "Golden", in a phone call with the group. Nicks felt an emotional connection to the song. "Y’all don’t know what this song has meant to me," Nicks told them, "I think this is gonna be your ' Landslide.'" The next year, Lady Antebellum approached Nicks about recording a studio version of "Golden" together, to which she agreed. This re-recording was released as a digital single on April 1, 2014 before being performed April 6 at the

ACM Awards The Academy of Country Music Awards, also known as the ACM Awards, were first held in 1966, honoring the industry's accomplishments during the previous year. It was the first country music awards program held by a major organization. The academy ...

. In the announcement for the release, Nicks again compared the song to "Landslide", declaring: "I love Lady Antebellum, and to me, this song is their ‘Landslide’ because it’s just that spectacular."

Chart performance

References

{{authority control 2010s ballads 2013 songs 2014 singles Capitol Records Nashville singles Lady A songs Stevie Nicks songs Songs written by Hillary Scott Songs written by Charles Kelley Songs written by Dave Haywood Songs written by Eric Paslay Country ballads Rock ballads Song recordings produced by Paul Worley