of the Year by both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. Charts Bette Midler version "Wind Beneath My Wings" was performed by Bette Midler for the soundtrack of the 1988 film Beaches, starring Midler and Barbara Hershey. Marc Shaiman, Midler's longtime music arranger, was already a fan of the song and suggested it to her when they were identifying songs she could perform during the film. The song was named Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the Grammy Awards of 1990. The song became a worldwide hit; it charted at No. 5 in the UK, No. 2 in Iceland, No. 4 in New Zealand, and No. 1 in the United States and Australia. Midler performed the song with the fictional character Krusty the Clown on season 4 episode 22 of The Simpsons in 1993. In the days following the September 11 attacks in 2001, she performed the song live at the Prayer for America memorial service held at Yankee Stadium. In 2014, Midler performed the song following the annual in memoriam montage at the 86th Academy Awards. Critical reception AllMusic editor Heather Phares said that Midler turned this "inspirational love song" into "an epic pop song", noting her "demonstrative interpretation". Dennis Hunt from Los Angeles Times felt it was "unabashedly sentimental". In his review of the Beaches soundtrack, Stephen Holden from The New York Times remarked that "one is reminded of just how powerful a pop singer Ms. Midler can be when handed the right song and an arrangement that doesn't constrict her brash, larger-than-life personality." He added that "the most effective numbers are dramatic ballads" like "Wind Beneath My Wings". A reviewer from People Magazine wrote that the song "articulates the movie's theme of enduring friendship, and Midler's heartfelt delivery conveys the message a lot more succinctly and satisfyingly than the film." British The Stage noted that the song, "a cabaret favourite for several years now", has been "given a new lease of life because it has been recorded by Bette Midler." John Louie from The Stanford Daily called it a "sweet, melodious ballad". Music video The accompanying music video for "Wind Beneath My Wings" was made in black-and-white. It opens with a light-haired girl meeting a lonely dark-haired girl under the dock on a beach. They befriend each other and walk along the beach together. Occasionally throughout the video, Midler