On the heels of his Grammy winning first album,[1] and following his #1 hits "Sailing" and "Arthur's Theme (The Best that You Can Do)", expectations were strong enough for it to debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at #29.

[citation needed] The single, which featured former Doobie Brother member Michael McDonald on background vocals,[3] peaked at #12.

The song gained a measure of fame when it was used by CBS Sports for its highlight montage of the 1983 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament at the end of its broadcast of the championship game.

[5][better source needed] The game, which saw North Carolina State, led by coach Jim Valvano, upset heavily favored Houston 54-52 when Lorenzo Charles caught an airballed shot by teammate Dereck Whittenburg and slammed the ball through the hoop on the game's final play, is widely regarded as one of the most memorable games in NCAA tournament history.

Four years later, CBS introduced One Shining Moment to accompany tournament highlights at the end of the championship game broadcast, a tradition which continues.