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Of all the great things about television, the greatest is that it’s on every single day. TV history is being made, day in and day out, in ways big and small. In an effort to better appreciate this history, we’re taking a look back, every day, at one particular TV milestone.
IMPORTANT DATE IN TV HISTORY: March 30, 1987
PROGRAM ORIGINALLY AIRED ON THIS DATE: The 1987 NCAA Tournament Final
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: Over the weekend, the field was set for the 2015 Final Four. Next weekend, either Kentucky, Wisconsin, Michigan State, or Duke will prevail in the championship game. They’ll raise their hands in victory, probably cut down the nets as custom dictates. But most importantly, their triumph will be scored to the Greatest Song of All-Time™, “One Shining Moment.”
March Madness has its share of traditional aspects, but perhaps none is more beloved than “One Shining Moment.” It’s a song resplendent in its divine cheesiness, and proudly defiant in an era when pop songs score most major sporting events. The welcoming tones of the trumpet keys on a not-that-expensive Casio keyboard will forever stand for excellence in college basketball’s championship event.
The “One Shining Moment” montage made its debut on this date in 1987, which is perfectly appropriate considering the song is trapped in the ’80s like that mosquito in amber at the beginning of Jurassic Park.
It’s not the most auspicious beginning. The song doesn’t even start until the 1:45 mark of the above video. It’s tough to imagine that in 1987 anybody figured that “One Shining Moment” would be a tradition that would endure longer than Connecticut would remain in the Big East.
I’m just going to post as many “One Shining Moment” videos as it takes for you to understand why a mid-tempo adult-contemporary jam that’s sometimes performed by Luther Vandross (and once by Jennifer Hudson, although that felt wrong and will never be spoken of again) has become a beloved institution made of gouda and gruyere.
Take, for instance, the lyrics. “The ball is tipped … and there you are.” Is that not the most perfect blend of the specific (“the ball is tipped” couldn’t be about anything but basketball!) and the universal (“there you are” … INDEED).
It’s not just the song, of course. The clips are what end up selling it, with all the buzzer-beaters and dogpiles and players hugging each other in victory and consoling each other in defeat. Give me one shot of a small-college coach with his arm around a player who’s just lost a heartbreaker … well, it’s perfect.
So here’s to you, “One Shining Moment.” Keep on being the gooey layer of cheese that keeps the bread of the Final Four stuck together, every year.
Okay, one more:
Joe Reid (@joereid) is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn. You can find him leaving flowers for Mrs. Landingham at the corner of 18th and Potomac.
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