It's a good thing both Eminem and Cee Lo won Grammys earlier in the night, because when it came time for the first of the "big three" awards handed out on the telecast, they had to keep their seats.

The songwriters award, Song of the Year, went to Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," which beat out Eminem and Rihanna's "Love the Way You Lie," Cee Lo's "F--- You" (listed as "The Song Otherwise Known as 'Forget You' "), and tracks by Ray LaMontagne and Miranda Lambert.

The swaying ballad by the country trio, who'd already won three awards earlier in the night, performed a tribute to Teddy Pendergrass and enjoyed one of the best-selling albums of 2010, seemed to take the group by surprise when it was announced. There was plenty of high-fiving and a fair amount of hand-on-mouth shock from singer Hillary Scott.

Mandolin and guitar player Dave Haywood summed it up when he said, "What an amazing year, we are so blown away," giving props to their management, who they said were behind the anthem that completely turned the group's world upside down. Scott thanked the fans and radio, saying breathlessly, "this past year has completely changed our life, and love you all so much, thank you."

The win by Lady Antebellum helped slow down some of the preshow hype about Eminem possibly sweeping the top prizes, although at press time the rapper still had shots at Record of the Year and Album of the Year. The loss for Slim Shady continued the night's shut-out for his hit collabo with Rihanna, "Love the Way You Lie," which helped fuel the massive sales for his comeback smash album, Recovery.

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