'One Shining Moment': What is the March Madness theme song?

Each one of the 68 teams that qualifies for March Madness every year wants to be the team cutting down the nets with 'One Shining Moment' playing over a montage of their highlights.

But how did 'One Shining Moment' become so synonymous with College Basketball excellence?

Here, we have all you need to know about 'One Shining Moment,' from its connection to March Madness to the history of the songs and more.

What is 'One Shining Moment' in March Madness?

'One Shining Moment' was initially a song written by David Barrett, a singer-songwriter from Ann Arbor, Michigan.

In 1986, Barrett came up with the lyrics after playing a set in a bar in East Lansing, Michigan, where he stayed after to watch Larry Bird play in a basketball game on TV. He wrote the lyrics on a napkin the next day.

Barret knew an investigative journalist at CBS, Armen Keteyian, and passed the song to him for potential use on a CBS broadcast. Keteyian then sent the song to CBS Sports creative director Doug Towey, who originally decided to use the song with a highlight montage after Super Bowl XXI on January 25, 1987.

But, CBS had a new TV show to debut in primetime after the game, meaning the song and highlight montage were cut. Instead, Towey decided to use the song for the March Madness title game in 1987, in which Indiana beat Syracuse thanks to 23 points from Steve Alford and 20 from Most Outstanding Player winner Keith Smart.

Thanks to the positive response to the first edition of the song and highlight package, 'One Shining Moment' became an annual tradition at the conclusion of March Madness.

Who sings 'One Shining Moment'?

The original version of 'One Shining Moment' was sung by Barrett himself. It was used in the annual March Madness montage from its debut in 1987 through 1993.

In 1994, the version recorded by R&B legend Teddy Pendergrass debuted and was used through the 1999 edition.

Barrett's edition then returned in 2000, 2001, and 2002. In 2003, Luther Vandross' version made its debut, and it is reportedly the last song he recorded before his death in 2005. Vandross' version of the song was used through 2009 before a year off in 2010, then it returned in 2011 and has been used every year since.

In 2010, a version recorded by R&B singer and actress Jennifer Hudson was used. It received a negative reaction because instead of the song playing over highlights, this version repeatedly cut away from highlights to show Hudson recording the song in a studio.

In 2016, a version recorded by another R&B artist, Ne-Yo, was played on the "team stream" versions of the title game broadcast, where hometown commentators were on the air to appeal to fans of their team. The highlights included in those videos were specific to the participating teams — winners Villanova and runners-up North Carolina — and included different highlight packages for the two team streams, but the Vandross version aired with highlights of the entire tournament on the main broadcast.

Also in 2016, Turner Sports analyst and Basketball Hall of Fame member Charles Barkley recorded his own satirical version of the song as a promotion for the tournament.

When was the first 'One Shining Moment' video?

The first 'One Shining Moment' video aired in 1987, after Indiana beat Syracuse for the National Championship.

The song has become synonymous with the sport almost by accident because, as mentioned, the higher-ups at CBS initially planned to air a highlight package with the song after the Super Bowl in late January 1987.

Is there a 'One Shining Moment' for Women's March Madness?

No, there is no 'One Shining Moment' video for Women's March Madness, and the reason comes down to which TV stations have the rights to air the song.

CBS and Turner Sports, as part of their agreement to broadcast the March Madness National Championship Game in alternating years, also agreed to share the rights to the song so each year can have a 'One Shining Moment' video, regardless of the channel on which the game is aired.

ESPN, which hosts women's March Madness, does not have the rights to the song and therefore cannot play it.

Although the channel can't play 'One Shining Moment,' it still makes a highlight package of the women's tournament to air after the title game — just with a different song.

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