Long Stretch of Love

Album: 747 (2014)
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Songfacts®:

  • Lady A's Charles Kelley described this pulsating rocker as the most honest song on the 747 album. "We're all married. True love is ups and downs. You hit, you miss. You're fire and ice," he explained to Radio.com. "But at the end of the day we're not going anywhere. We feel that way in our personal lives and as a band. We're going to have our ups and downs. We've been through a lot. We just have this long stretch of love. This long view of the group."
  • Penned by the Lady A trio and their "Need You Now" co-writer Josh Kear, this song features a driving beat and Celtic-inspired instrumentation. "What really makes this song special and different to me is how we used an uncommon instrument called a Woodrow, which brings an Appalachian feel into this high energy track," said 747 producer Nathan Chapman. "That unique sound combined with their vocals - which may be the most powerful Lady A has ever sounded - it just leaves the listener breathless."
  • Lady A (then known as Lady Antebellum) opened the shows during their Wheels Up 2015 Tour with this song. "We honestly just feel like it is so representative of who we are, and that's what we want to be the first thing we make at the top of the set," Lady A's Hilary Scott explained. "It's the most representative of us right now, where we are and the longevity we strive for as the band."
  • Directed by TK McKamy and shot in Nashville in late June 2015, the song's music video is a nod to Lady A's live performance of the song during their Wheels Up 2015 Tour. "'Long Stretch' is how we've been opening our set each night on the road this year," Lady A's Dave Haywood said. "So, when we went to make this music video, we really wanted to channel the anticipation and excitement we feel listening to the crowd go nuts at that first riff. When the lights go up and the fans go crazy, our adrenaline is pumping, and it totally sets the energy level for the whole night."

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