She sat next to him on a barstool in East Lansing, MI. The rest is history.
On Monday night, CBS will do what it has done almost every April since 1987. It will show a montage of tournament highlights as a song plays in the background, a song that has become indelibly linked with the tournament. The song, of course, is One Shining Moment.
But how did the song come to be? Here’s the surprising answer. The idea for the song wasn’t inspired by college basketball or any sport, for that matter. It was inspired by a woman–a stranger whom songwriter Dave Barrett saw walk into an East Lansing, MI, bar.
The woman sat beside Barrett, but she was gone before he could start a conversation. Flummoxed by a situation that went awry, Barrett did what songwriters do; he converted feelings into lyrics. He began writing at the bar and finished the task the next morning while waiting for a friend to arrive at breakfast. From start to finish, it took Barrett about twenty minutes to write “One Shining Moment.” The melody soon followed.
The song was ready, and a New York City-based contact helped Barrett connect with CBS Sports. Executives liked the song and purchased it. The plan was to use it at the next Super Bowl, but the Super Bowl came and went without the song being aired. CBS went over its timeslot.
Then came the break, the 1987 NCAA Division 1 tournament championship game. It was a perfect set-up for the debut. Indiana had just won the championship via Keith Smart’s buzzer-beating corner shot. TV viewers saw flashbacks of the 1987 tournament and championship game with Barrett’s prized song playing in the background, performed beautifully by Luther Vandross.
But that’s not the end of the story.
Years later–after loads of trying—Barrett located the woman who had started it all. She was married and had kids. They met. He told her about the role she had played in his life. They talked. They laughed.
They made history … together.
ONE SHINING MOMENT
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, you knew
One Shining Moment…
___________
Songwriters: BARRETT DAVID GOODLOE, One Shining Moment lyrics © Universal Music-Mgb Songs, Kma Tunes, Hodges Song Supply, Universal Music Mgb Songs
