Today marks the beginning one of my favorite weeks of the year.
This is Masters week and it is always enjoyable to watch the golf action at Augusta National.
I wrote about my experiences at The Masters previously in BeeLine here.
Tonight is also one of my favorite nights as the Final Four concludes.
Sure, I will enjoy watching Kansas and North Carolina battle for the NCAA Div 1 basketball championship.
However, what I really enjoy is after the game when CBS (or TBS in even numbered years) puts together its annual rendition of "One Shining Moment". That is the montage of some of the great images of this year's NCAA tournament set to the music of the great song, "One Shining Moment".
You can learn more in this video and story about how this great tradition came about. It is probably not surprising that the inspiration had its roots with a pretty girl and the song came to national prominence due to an old friendship and a little bit of luck.
The most interesting tidbit about the song is that CBS originally planned to use it after Super Bowl XXI in January, 1987. However, the game ran long and a new prime time show was debuting after the game so the video song montage was cancelled. CBS then decided to use the song after the national championship game and the fan reaction was so positive it has been used ever since to conclude the broadcast.
That seems the way it was supposed to be as the song was written with basketball in mind to begin with. If it has been used with the Super Bowl perhaps it would have been "one and done."
The song's composer is David Barrett who wrote it in 1986 and who also sang the original rendition of the song that was used on CBS from 1987 to 1993 and again from 2000 to 2002. Luther Vandross, Teddy Pendergast and Jennifer Hudson have also done vocals of the song for the finale of the Final Four weekend over the years. They still use the original sound track of the song that was recorded in a small studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The song is great but it really is special due to the great editing done on the video montage piece by the CBS/TBS Sports production staff. It always concludes with images of that night's game. It must be a sight to see the staff put the finishing touches on the video in the minutes after the game.
The Luther Vandross recording has been used with the video since 2003 with the exception of 2010 and 2020 (when there was not Final Four tournament).
It is believed that his recording of the song was the last done by Vandross before his stroke and subsequent death.
2021 One Shining Moment sung by Luther Vandross
1999 sung by Teddy Pendergast. My personal favorite because it was the year my beloved Miami RedHawks made it to the Sweet Sixteen. Miami and its star forward, Wally Szczerbiak, get a lot of coverage in that year's version of "One Shining Moment." Look for Wally's big smile, Miami celebrating its big win against #6 ranked Utah to get to the Sweet Sixteen and Wally's dazzling spin move and dunk. You will also see a spectacular Miamicheerleader soaring and flipping into the air near the beginning of the video.
1987 sung by David Barrett. The very first time the song aired and the start of a wonderful tradition. This was the year that Indiana won with the great shot by Keith Smart at the end. Watch closely and you can see Providence coach hugging his star player, Billy Donavan. Who knew that both of them would make so much more Final Four history? It is hard to believe that a a lot of players in that video are now close to 60 years of age!
Thank you, David Barrett, Armen Keteyian, Doug Towey and a pretty waitress in East Lansing, Michigan that inspired it all.
This is David Barrett's website, www.oneshiningmoment.com
The ball is tipped
and there you are
you're running for your life
you're a shooting star
And all the years
no one knows
just how hard you worked
but now it shows...
(in) ONE SHINING MOMENT, IT'S ALL ON THE LINE
ONE SHINING MOMENT, THERE FROZEN IN TIME
But time is short
and the road is long
in the blinking of an eye
ah that moment's gone
And when it's done
win or lose
you always did your best
cuz inside you knew...
(that) ONE SHINING MOMENT, YOU REACHED DEEP INSIDE
ONE SHINING MOMENT, YOU KNEW YOU WERE ALIVE
Feel the beat of your heart
feel the wind in your face
it's more than a contest
it's more than a race...
And when it's done
win or lose
you always did your best
cuz inside you knew...
(that) ONE SHINING MOMENT, YOU REACHED FOR THE SKY
ONE SHINING MOMENT, YOU KNEW
ONE SHINING MOMENT, YOU WERE WILLING TO TRY
ONE SHINING MOMENT....
Words & Music: David Barrett Hodges Song Supply/ASCAP
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