Shine on

'Shining Moment' Lasts 20 Years

ESPN.com: Some musicians might feel slighted that their hit song is broadcast only once a year.

Not David Barrett. He's fine with that arrangement.

David Barrett will forever be known as the 'One Shining Moment' guy.Late Monday night, for the 20th straight year, Barrett's "One Shining Moment" will be paired with a highlight reel at the end of the CBS broadcast of the NCAA Tournament championship game. And unless you're a wedding guest, a video game enthusiast or an iPod downloader who goes in search of the song, that's it. That's the last time you're likely to hear it until the championship game next year, at least over the air.

Which is fine with Barrett.

"I'm thrilled with how it turned out because I pretty much just wrote this song for my own amusement," said Barrett, who trademarked the song title in August 2003. "The fact that it found its way into the right place is a miracle. And how many people can say that they've had their song played for two decades like this?"

Inspired by highlights of Larry Bird on "SportsCenter," Barrett penned the song on a napkin back in 1986. He sent a tape of it to his high school friend, CBS reporter Armen Keteyian, who passed it up the network's food chain.

And the rest is history.

ESPN.com is the website, along with the New York Times, that I think is consistently in touch with the zeitgeist. What a great article--it's nothing that's gonna win a Pulitzer (are online-only articles even eligible for the Pulitizers?!) but it's the perfect morsel to read in the run-up to the Final Four.

And it's one of those things that everybody knows about--anyone who's ever played basketball, anyone who's ever watched March Madness knows exactly what you mean when you talk about how much you like watching One Shining Moment. I wonder in our 500-channel cable universe how many more oddly-shared things like this we have left... it's like how everybody knows about Electric Company, despite it not having been on TV for like 20 years.

It's appropriate that they only play the song once a year; it'd be weird to hear it and not see highlights and the names of CBS sports employees scrolling. NBC needs to hire Barrett to write something for the Olympics. And heck, how many songs have their own website?! Where, of course, you can listen to a clip of the song.

While checking out the lyrics, as published by ESPN.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 you're 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 ....

Uncredited AP photo of Michigan State players during their 2000 championship run via website.