I Know You By Heart by Melanie S.

I have been a Bette Midler fan since the summer before I started sixth grade, six years ago, but my parents have been fans for much longer. On a date in 1988, my parents went to see Beaches, and they chose “I Know You By Heart” from the soundtrack as their wedding song when they married in 1989.

This summer marks my parents’ 20th anniversary, and I wanted to do something special for them. Knowing how hard it was for my father to find the sheet music to “I Know You By Heart” and how long he looked for it, I decided to have the sheet music framed for them. Unable to find it though, I asked my Dad if he knew where it was, and he caught on. With his help, we contacted Shannon Rubicam, George Merrill, and Dean Pitchford (they wrote the song), who said they were not sure if they had it, but were willing to help us find a copy. Ironically, my Mom, who had no idea of what we were scheming at that point in time, found the sheet music. The simple idea of having the handwritten sheet music framed evolved into a much bigger task though, getting it signed with an autograph from Bette.

The first time I saw Bette in concert was for my 11th birthday. My parents took me to see Kiss My Brass at MSG in January 2004. It was such an incredible night, and ever since I learned about TSGMGO, I constantly asked to go. My wish came true, and on June 26, my Mom and I sat center stage just 13 rows back in The Colosseum. The point of our family vacation to Vegas though, was yes, obviously to see the show and enjoy The Strip, but also to try to find a way to get the sheet music signed. As my Mom and I enjoyed the show, my Dad managed to find someone able to get the sheet music to Bette, who read a beautiful letter my Dad wrote, and signed the sheet music for my parents. We did not get to meet her, but that’s my next goal.

Unable to believe what we’d accomplished, especially since Bette signed the sheet music “For Lisa and Phil, XOX, Bette Midler,” indicating that she must have read the letter, I decided why stop there. We’d already been in contact with Shannon Rubicam, and decided that it was one thing to have it signed by the singer, and another to have it signed by the people who wrote it as well. Bette signed the second page, and the first was FedExed around the country, signed by Shannon, George, and Dean.

Now that it is complete, we plan on sending a beautiful framed copy to the person who helped us get Bette’s autograph to pass on to her, as well as to Shannon, who has been a huge help with this enormous project.

My grandparents helped me pay for the framing, so the unique anniversary present is currently hiding in my closet, waiting to be unveiled and presented to parents when my grandparents return from their vacation, and believe me, I cannot wait for everyone to finally see it!