Lady Antebellum's 'Pictures' Is a Portrait of Private Pain

Lady Antebellum look back on a relationship that wasn't everything it seemed to be in their new song, "Pictures."

The award-winning country trio paint a vivid portrait of a couple who have broken up, and they're looking back on the happy moments from their relationship that were captured for the camera, reflecting on the private discord that was never visible to anyone outside their four walls.

"Yeah, we sure looked happy in pictures / The camera doesn't show the way it hurt / No, that ain't the way I remember it happening / In between the flashes it was sad, it was tragic / Yeah, we sure looked happy in pictures," they sing in the chorus.

Hillary Scott sings lead on the track, giving an aching vulnerability to the reflective lyric while Charles Kelley provides vocal support. The musical track juxtaposes the moody message with a sprightly rhythm track and melody that makes you want to snap your fingers in time with the painful story.

"Pictures" is the second song fans have heard from Lady Antebellum's upcoming new album, the details of which have not yet been announced. The trio released the first single from the project, "What If I Never Get Over You," in May.

Lady Antebellum's "Pictures" Lyrics:

There's a four-by-six of a sunset kiss / And one of you laughin' at me catching my first fish / One on Valentine's Day / With the mariachi band at our favorite place

Chorus:
Yeah, we sure looked happy in pictures / The camera doesn't show the way it hurt / No, that ain't the way I remember it happening / In between the flashes it was sad, it was tragic / Yeah, we sure looked happy in pictures

There's one on my phone that I can't erase / But you'd never know by the smile on my face / That inside I was dying, later that night I'd be crying / The last one before "goodbye"

Repeat Chorus

No photo evidence, not a single proof / Of all the hell that we went through

Final Chorus:
But damn, we sure looked happy in pictures / The camera doesn't show the way it hurt / No, that ain't the way I remember it happening / In between the flashes it was sad, it was tragic / Yeah, we sure looked happy in pictures

So happy in pictures

Country Music's Most Heartbreaking Breakup Songs

Best Song of the 2000s? Lady Antebellum Has One!