Songs I Can't Stand #8 - "Wind Beneath My Wings"

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We are at #8 in my Songs I Can't Stand series, an idea started by @JohnRoberts and carried on by @FourWalls (both John and Karen did classic rock, and she's now skewering pop. I'm doing a little of both here.) The idea is to write up songs you loathe, songs that are revered, classic, even sacred. It's not meant to offend anyone. If you happen to like this, I understand. Today, we are talking about an extremely popular song. REALLY popular. I'm talking about "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler. Written in 1982 by Jeff Silbar (who has written songs for Kenny Rogers, Alabama, and Dolly Parton, among others,) and singer and songwriter Larry Henley. Midler recorded it in 1988 for the Soundtrack for the movie Beaches, and scored bigtime. But "Wind Beneath My Wings" has been a cash cow for Silbar and Henley. Just check out who performed the song before Midler: In 1982, Roger Whittaker, Lee Greenwood, and Sheena Easton all recorded the song. 1983, Lou Rawls, Gladys Knight & The Pips, and Gary Morris all recorded versions (Morris' rendition won Song of the Year from both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association, and was a Top 10 single on Billboard's Hot Country Singles Chart.) It is Bette Midler's version that did the most damage, however. #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Top 5 in both Australia and New Zealand, as well as the UK, where it is the most played song at British funerals. This version won the Grammy Award for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year, and is certified Platinum. Which means that a hell of a lot of people own this. Thankfully, I am not one of them. This thing grates on my nerves like fingers on a chalkboard to some people (that never bothered me. This insipid, syrupy ballad does.) I am so glad that I had left the radio industry to join the Army before this was released as a single, because the station that I worked at? I'd have had to play this every hour. It was New Kids on the Block that knocked "Wind Beneath My Wings" out of the #1 position. I'd rather listen to them. And that says a lot. Trust me. (Info verified by Wikipedia)