After 40 years, Rick Hansen’s inspirational song more relevant than ever

Song inspiration: Rick Hansen and his Man in Motion Tour, and St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion) song is celebrating its 40th anniversary in September.

Even after so long, and hearing the song almost every day while he wheeled across the world, Rick Hansen, the Man in Motion himself, says he still feels honoured when people come up to him about how the song has inspired them. The song has become a rally cry for generations.

“When I hear the song today, almost every day, and when people come up to me and tell me how the song has inspired them, I just sit back and think ‘oh my gosh’ as I hear how the song has made people come together,” says Hansen.

“We all have our challenges, and we all have our hopes and dreams that we want to bring to something, and feel whole. I just feel super honoured that somehow our story and our journey became a catalyst and inspiration to so many people. It’s meaningful, if not more meaningful today than it was back in the eighties.”

Hansen recalls how the song and lyrics to St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion) came about unexpectedly during the early stages of the Man in Motion world tour. While Hansen and his high school “buddy” Don Alder were still struggling to get sponsors and support to even leave for the tour, Alder came up with the idea of reaching out to David Foster, originally from Victoria, BC, to write a song, and sent Foster Hansen’s promotional video.

“We were wheeling down the west coast into L.A., and met David [Foster], and he took us to his recording studio,” Hansen tells. “They really struggled with the lyrics, and it wasn’t until David said to John Parr, ‘Maybe we should look at Rick’s tape, this is really inspirational.’ After John and I watched it, 20 minutes later, the lyrics poured onto the page.”

Hansen wouldn’t hear the final produced song until months later, while he was wheeling through Texas in the United States, when it was playing on a radio station.

“Then the dream of getting more support and helping get the word out came true from that one moment.”

St. Elmo’s Fire stayed with Hansen and his crew throughout their entire journey. Through more than 17 countries in six months, whether it was Paris, France, Moscow, Russia, or even in Portugal, the song was a rally cry that uplifted his crew when they were feeling exhausted. He says the song was there to greet them in every new country, transcending any cultural and language barriers. Hansen remembers one moment in particular:

“When I arrived in China, my host, who was driving the car from the Beijing airport, didn’t speak a word of English. But when he heard my name, he went ‘Oh, Rick Hansen! The Man in Motion!?’ and played the song in his car, and at his place with a big smile on his face. That song really transcended barriers, it played for us in every community that we visited and culture we experienced. I also became close friends with that Man from Beijing through my tour there, and still to this day.”

In the present day, Hansen says there have been “major steps” in spinal cord research that have led to innovative solutions in spinal cord injuries, as well as “getting to a place where people living with disabilities are starting to be more accepted.”

He says even after his tour finished, “whispering the idea” that a cure to a spinal cord injury was possible was nearly “thrown out” by doctors. Now, the Rick Hansen Foundation and “many many others” have been able to connect across the world through new age technology and communications, finding new advancements in spinal cord research together.

According to Hansen, the Foundation and its partners are in a “golden era” of new discoveries and clinical trials using biotechnological solutions.

He says discoveries in laboratories from across the world through studying neuro inhibitors, stimulators, and STEM cell research, even A.I technology are showing that the spinal cord can regrow, be protected in new natural ways, and even lost nerve tissues and damaged areas can be replaced, regrown, or even bypassed to stimulate new healing.

“I was in a clinical trial environment recently where I watched a quadriplegic who had been paralyzed for 15 years, hadn’t been able to move any part of his body, get a neurostimulator put on. He was able to extend his legs for the first time right in front of him, in front of me,” he said.

“All I can think about is, ‘Oh my god, this is amazing.’ Just think of what could happen if the best minds pour more money into this research and don’t close any doors. There is hope out there, there’s incredible progress in today’s science and society for removing barriers for people with disabilities.”

With the medical advancements and growing awareness of accessibility in the last 40 years, Hansen is pleased with the progress that is being made. However, he says there is still so much work that needs to be done for the many generations of the next 40 years.

He says having the song, St. Elmo’s Fire, remains an honour to have out in the world for so many, including himself still, to be inspired by.

“It’s become a rally cry for people who are facing challenges to bring their best and find a purpose and way to become whole as humans in spite of the pain, the challenge, and the suffering that they may be facing. That’s what it means, you and everyone, have that potential to find our inspiration.”