Tune in to the Breathless® Ballad Challenge: Join Bernie Williams in honoring his dad and other heroes by becoming the lyricist to his instrumental song
New York Yankees all-time great and Latin Grammy-nominee Bernie Williams is raising awareness of the disease that took his dad's life – idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), through the Breathless Ballad Challenge.
Growing up, Bernie would fall asleep to the sound of his father strumming his guitar until he worked up the courage to ask him for a lesson. After that, music became a passion they shared that brought them closer together.
After years of suffering from the rare and serious lung disease IPF, Bernabé Williams passed away in 2001. It was a devastating reality. Bernie’s dad was his hero – on the stage, on the field and in life.
Bernie wrote the instrumental song, “Para Don Berna” to honor his father's memory and has asked everyone to join him in developing the song further by submitting lyrics to his musical tribute.
“This song is inspired by the gratitude that I feel for my dad – the person who sparked my lifelong passions and who will forever be my hero.” - Bernie Williams
THE DETAILS:
- Submissions are now closed
- Lyrics will be reviewed by a blue-ribbon panel of judges including Bernie Williams, as well as song writer Eren Cannata who has worked with Demi Lovato, Timbaland and NBC’s "The Voice"; additional judges will be announced soon
- The selected lyricist will receive writing credit on the recorded song, along with a chance to meet Bernie
- The selected lyricist will be announced early 2021
- Follow these channels for updates:
- Facebook: @berniewilliamsofficial, @BoehringerUS
- Instagram: @berniewilliamsofficial, @boehringerus
- Twitter: @bw51official; @boehringerus
This initiative is part of Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Breathless campaign, a national effort to educate and empower others who think they may have IPF – the most common form of interstitial lung disease (ILD) that causes permanent scarring of the lungs – to seek early diagnosis and treatment and offer hope to patients and families affected by this disease. ILDs encompass over 200 disorders, some of which can lead to pulmonary fibrosis – an irreversible scarring of lung tissue that negatively impacts lung function. Chronic fibrosing ILDs in which lung fibrosis continues to worsen are estimated to occur in 18 to 32 percent of patients with ILDs.
For more information about the campaign and Bernie’s involvement, visit www.BreathlessIPF.com.
Terms and Conditions:
By submitting proposed lyrics, the lyrists hereby (a) irrevocably have granted to Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. (BI) a perpetual, royalty-free license to use my name, likeness, signature, testimonial, and biographical data on or in connection with the publication, reproduction, promotion, exhibition, projection, or display of (i) the Para Don Berna song acoustics or lyrics submitted or (ii) any derivative work based in any part on the lyrics submitted by the lyrists, including any work that includes those lyrics in any form; and (b) irrevocably assign to BI, without royalty or other compensation, all right, title, and interest in the copyright to any lyrics the lyrists submitted for the Para Don Berna song acoustics, including but not limited to the right to reproduce, display, or publicly perform, or to create any derivative work based on the submitted lyrics. The lyrists have acknowledged and agreed that BI has no obligation to use or publish the lyrics submitted, and no obligation to attribute to the lyrists in any way any lyrics submitted the lyrists that are used by BI. The lyrists waived any right of attribution that may have under any applicable law with respect to the submitted lyrics. The lyrists have agreed and understood that the rights of Para Don Berna belong to Bernie Williams and waived all rights to ownership of the song and the lyrics. The lyrists further agreed that the submission and license and assignment shall be governed by the law of the State of New York without regard to choice of law principles, and certified that the lyrists are at least 18 years of age and that by submitting, the lyrists were under no duress, and without expectation of compensation in any form now or in the future. BI employees and their family members are not eligible to participate.
