Lady Antebellum on the Orange Carpet at the 44th Annual ACM Awards in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 5, 2009. Photo © Sara de Boer / Retna Ltd.

This was quite a week for Lady Antebellum’s recent monster hit “Need You Now.” The title was announced as a finalist for Single Record, Song and Video of the Year in the 45th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, leading Lady A to the head of the pack with seven nominations total.

In addition, “Need You Now” has been tabbed for the next edition of a major pop CD series. It’s being included among 21 songs on Now That’s What I Call Music! 33, which comes out March 23.

It’s as if the band is repeating its success with the final single from its debut album, “I Run To You.” That song performed quite well on the awards circuit, winning Single of the Year from the Country Music Association and a Grammy, and it was likewise featured on Now 31. It’s appropriate that “Need You Now” is getting some of the same attention, because the songs have worked together to cement the link between the band and its audience.

“After the success of ‘I Run To You’ and going into ‘Need You Now’ and just our fans responding to it, it was like the two puzzle pieces fit together,” Lady A’s Hillary Scott says. “It’s like the fans and who we are fit together. I think we finally got each other.”

Lady A isn’t the only country act on Now 33. Taylor Swift’s “Fifteen” is also featured on the disc alongside pop acts Lady Gaga, Kris Allen, Adam Lambert and Train. Lady A will find out if “Need You Now” wins anything when the ACMs are presented April 18.

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