Charles Kelley Officially Releases His Goodbye Letter to Alcohol, “As Far As You Could”

Lady A’s Charles Kelley has officially dropped his “goodbye letter to alcohol” with the confessional and redemptive song, “As Far As You Could.”

The song, which he teased a demo of last month on social media, illustrates his intimate journey to recovery after a public decision to stop drinking and enter into treatment for his addiction.

“For me, the biggest word I’ve been holding on to is gratitude, not pride,” Kelley said of his journey to sobriety. “I’m grateful. I finally see the light and am connecting with what life is all about. Some days are hard, but the good so outweighs those bad moments. There’s some beauty in all this and I’ve had time to reflect, time to get healthy, time to write. I’ve probably written 50 songs this fall, and I feel like all of it was leading to this one song.”

Kelley co-wrote and produced “As Far As You Could” alongside his bandmate Dave Haywood and producer Jimmy Robbins. The deeply personal ballad is a raw, honest, and unfiltered look into Kelley’s ongoing journey as he deals with inner conflict, mixed emotions, and picking up the pieces along the way. His Lady A bandmates lend their support with Haywood offering his piano chops and backing vocals and Hillary Scott offering her encouragement from afar.

“We were almost afraid that if we put a bunch of vocals on it, that might take away from the pain and authenticity of that singular vocal,” explained Kelley. “Hillary especially felt it was important for me to tell my story, kind of the same way she was able to do with ‘Thy Will.’ With their blessing, I’m putting this out, but it will live right alongside everything else we do.”

Listen to Kelley’s latest single, “As Far As You Could,” below.

Earlier this year, Lady A postponed their headlining Request Line Tour in support of Kelley’s journey to recovery. 

“Being on the road with our fans is our greatest joy, so it was a hard but important decision to make,” the band wrote in a message to fans. “We are a band, but more importantly, we’re family. We’re proud to say that Charles has embarked on a journey to sobriety.

“So, right now in order to be the healthiest, strongest, and most creative band we can be, Lady A will take the time with the support of our families and team of professionals to walk through this together,” they continued. “It’s early on this road, but we are determined to do what will best set us up for many more years together.”

Photo by Hodges Usry / Big Machine