Harrington: Timing is everything, and it was just the right song at the right time with the right voices. It was magical. It was a really special time for them and such a big moment in their career.
Kelley: When I look back, I think a lot of stars aligned. There's so many hooks to this song that came together out of nowhere that you have to think there’s some higher power, or musical gods, coming together and giving us this little nugget. It's all timing. At the time, it sounded so different, which is why it took off. There wasn’t really anything else sounding like that. It had a little bit of that ’80s ballad throwback feel to it. It felt different and fresh.
Scott: It never gets old, that feeling of hearing it [on the radio]. More than anything, I think it’s the lyric. I think it is a lyric and a story that no matter how old you are, no matter what [relationship] you're in, it’s something that everyone experiences in one way or another. I think that is what gives it that timeless quality.
Kear: "Guess I'd rather hurt than feel nothing at all." For me, that [lyric] holds so much truth in life. Living is putting yourself out there. Being vulnerable. Risking hurt, failure, humiliation, heartbreak ... But what's the point of living if you never risk feeling any of those things? That line means more to me with every passing year. I do believe “Need You Now” tapped into something we all know and feel in a way that was and continues to be very powerful. For that I'm grateful.
Bones: It's a universal song. I just loved the piano. I loved Hillary's voice. I think most people could relate to the drunk dial. Lady Antebellum was really one of the pioneers of turning me back into someone who wanted to work in the country format.
Haywood: What really blew me away was how many responses people had with the lyric and how many different ways they interpreted it. The lyric is your desperate, longing, late-at-night for somebody, but for so many people that we talked to and saw online, it was just a love song for them. A love song in their relationship: “I need you; I need my partner.” Need is a pretty strong word. The lyric was so beautifully simple that everybody took that phrase and made it their own. That was a global theme, the need for someone else.
Worley: That [song] defied the rules and rigors of “commerciality” and yet, something about it, made all of us fall deeply in love with the song. Working with Lady A was magic in every way. I knew the first time I saw them it was going to be different, and worth the effort and the temporary discomfort of getting outside of my comfort zone [at a record label] in order to do it. We were all dedicated. We were in it for the music.
Scott: It’s our biggest, most connecting moment in the show to this day. It’s become one giant singalong. We hear people say, “Yeah, we karaoke this song.” I think there's a lot of ownership by the fans, by the listeners. They sing it out like they sing it every night like we do. It's really cool to have that moment every night in the show where it’s just one big karaoke song.