Why Rebecca’s Song On This Is Us Had Fans So Emotional

Entertainment NBC Anyone else feeling a lump in their throat? by Jen McGuire April 21, 2022

NBC [Note: Spoilers from This Is Us Season 6 “Day Of The Wedding” episode are ahead] Kate Pearson’s second wedding to music teacher Phillip was full of emotional moments, but the one that really got us was Rebecca (aka Mandy Moore) singing “The Forever Now.” Why? Let’s break it down...

Throughout the series, Rebecca Pearson has struggled with dementia. At her daughter Kate’s wedding, she was insistent that she perform a very special song she’d been practicing with Phillip.

The day of the wedding saw Rebecca struggling to stay in the present, confusing her son Kevin with her late husband Jack several times. It seemed unclear whether or not she would be able to sing as she faltered throughout the day.

But when Rebecca began to play the piano, it all came back to her. And the song’s lyrics came as an emotional surprise for everyone. Like when she sang...

They say time will tell/But I think he likes to keep secrets/So we'll wait and see/But it's just as well/The years can be counted in seconds/That's fine with me.

The song had everyone in tears, thinking not just of the passage of time that has seen Rebecca struggle with Alzheimer’s, but also their life together as a family. And of course, dad Jack Pearson, whose presence was still felt. But ultimately, all that matters is right now.

'Cause I get this moment with you, forever now/It all hits me at once forever now/If there's a right way to say it/I'm still learning how/Maybe all that we have is a forever now.

As she sang, Rebecca also remembered her days as a young woman in love, and her song was a bittersweet reminder of her talent as a singer and the life she once had.

Fans couldn’t help but notice that the tune of the song sounded familiar — it’s actually the closing theme song to This Is Us, which is wrapping up after its sixth and final season this spring.

“The Forever Now,” co-written by Moore’s husband Taylor Goldsmith, has gone viral with fans calling it the “most memorable in the show, and could be one of the most memorable in television period.”

You can rewatch Rebecca’s beautiful performance on YouTube and catch new episodes of the final season of This Is Us on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC or stream on Peacock.