One Shining Moment

It’s come down to this. We’ve made it through 19 days of March Madness since Selection Sunday…some of us made it through a little more successfully than others: Florida, George Mason, LSU, and UCLA. It’s been a lot of heart ache, a lot of smiles, a lot of NO WAYs, a lot of years erased from the end of our lives because of last second shots and overtimes. We have new names to learn: Bradley, Northwestern State, Larranaga (How did I miss knowing about this fantastic coach), etc. But there are still 5 games to play and one very important ending.

Since somewhere around the ‘86 or ‘87 championship, one thing and one thing alone has closed the book on every Men’s Basketball National Championship tournament. It’s a montage of exciting and heartbreaking moments from the previous three weeks set to the most perfect song, “One Shining Moment.” The song was written by David Barrett, who, oddly enough, has spent his life writing scores to different sporting events as well as the score to a PBS special on C.S. Lewis. He sang the original recording of “One Shining Moment” (which you can buy at here), but now I believe the recording by the late Luther Vandross is the one that CBS uses.

From Selection Sunday to the trophy presentation, I wait, somewhat impatiently, for the One Shining Moment B-roll. It is by far my favorite part of March Madness. Little kids have grown up watching that ending to the tournament and hoping one day to be one of the faces in the clips. Some see it as an honor, an achievement for all they’ve accomplished. I can hear those words and that music in my head for the entirety of March Madness, and I even find myself mentally picking out clips game by game that I think will make it in. So, even if you’re not planning to watch the final game or if you’re planning to turn the TV off as soon as the game is over, I urge you to stay up just a little longer and just watch. I’ve included the lyrics and a link to where you can hear a 36 second snippet of the song here. For the song in its entirety, tune in April 3rd to CBS. You won’t be sorry.

The Lyrics
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
cause 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
cause 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....