Review: "Never Been a Right Time (to Say Goodbye)
The year was 1993.
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WWF wrestler Bret Hart was at the top of his profession, having just won the WWF Heavyweight Championship. He was living his dream and had everything he could have realistically wanted from the WWF, but he wanted more. He was WWF Champion - but he wanted to become more than the top of the heap in the WWF, more than a big fish in a small pond. He needed to break into the mainstream.
At the same time, WWF was discussing relasing a WWF-branded album. The album, Wrestlemania: The Album, would feature some of the WWF superstars singing songs related to their on-screen characters. Native American wrestler Tatanka sang about buffalo and growing up on the reservation; patriot Hacksaw Jim Duggan sang about his love for America; and crazy man Macho Man Randy Savage sang about the planets or something, I don't know.
Hart, though, realized that this was his ticket to the top. He realized he needed something to seperate himself from his wrestling colleagues, something that could appeal to the mainstream and capitalize on his entrancing voice and rugged good looks. He needed a love ballad.
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"Never Been a Right Time (to Say Goodbye)", "sang" by Bret Hart and accompanied by a lot of fucking synth, is a song that details the heartbreak Bret goes through when trying to tell his woman that it's over. I put "sang" in quotes because Hart doesn't so much sing as he does speak the lyrics, letting his backup singers do the emotional chorus. It's a bit of a tease; nothing would make me happier than hearing the Hitman croon his heart out, but we don't get it. The lyrics themselves talk about Bret being ashamed that he can't return the woman's love; that he has to leave, for her sake. That's heartfelt, man. You can't fake that.
"Never Been a Right Time", as you might suspect, soared to the top of the charts. It debuted at #6 on the Billboard Top 100, and stayed at #1 for several weeks, during which Bret lived the life of a king. His concert at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, drew ninety thousand people, and consisted of him singing "Never Been a Right Time" for two hours while snapping his fingers out of rhythm. His duet at the Grammys that year with Whitney Houston, with Bret collaborating on "I Will Always Love You", is a Grammy moment replayed to this day.
After the success of "Never Been a Right Time", Bret went back to wrestling, having satiated his lust for the big time. True fans of music, though, will always remember the time he spent in the spotlight.
WWF wrestler Bret Hart was at the top of his profession, having just won the WWF Heavyweight Championship. He was living his dream and had everything he could have realistically wanted from the WWF, but he wanted more. He was WWF Champion - but he wanted to become more than the top of the heap in the WWF, more than a big fish in a small pond. He needed to break into the mainstream.
At the same time, WWF was discussing relasing a WWF-branded album. The album, Wrestlemania: The Album, would feature some of the WWF superstars singing songs related to their on-screen characters. Native American wrestler Tatanka sang about buffalo and growing up on the reservation; patriot Hacksaw Jim Duggan sang about his love for America; and crazy man Macho Man Randy Savage sang about the planets or something, I don't know.
Hart, though, realized that this was his ticket to the top. He realized he needed something to seperate himself from his wrestling colleagues, something that could appeal to the mainstream and capitalize on his entrancing voice and rugged good looks. He needed a love ballad.
"Never Been a Right Time (to Say Goodbye)", "sang" by Bret Hart and accompanied by a lot of fucking synth, is a song that details the heartbreak Bret goes through when trying to tell his woman that it's over. I put "sang" in quotes because Hart doesn't so much sing as he does speak the lyrics, letting his backup singers do the emotional chorus. It's a bit of a tease; nothing would make me happier than hearing the Hitman croon his heart out, but we don't get it. The lyrics themselves talk about Bret being ashamed that he can't return the woman's love; that he has to leave, for her sake. That's heartfelt, man. You can't fake that.
"Never Been a Right Time", as you might suspect, soared to the top of the charts. It debuted at #6 on the Billboard Top 100, and stayed at #1 for several weeks, during which Bret lived the life of a king. His concert at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, drew ninety thousand people, and consisted of him singing "Never Been a Right Time" for two hours while snapping his fingers out of rhythm. His duet at the Grammys that year with Whitney Houston, with Bret collaborating on "I Will Always Love You", is a Grammy moment replayed to this day.
After the success of "Never Been a Right Time", Bret went back to wrestling, having satiated his lust for the big time. True fans of music, though, will always remember the time he spent in the spotlight.
posted by jiromania at 8:50 PM
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