DEF: David Hasselhoff “Looking For Freedom”

David Hasselhoff became well known in the 1980s as the star of the television show Knight Rider. As the decade was ending, the second chapter in his acting career was beginning, as Baywatch had just started its television run. In addition to his acting success, Hasselhoff also attempted to build a career as a musical recording artist in the 1980s; however, that career didn’t take off in the U.S., as Hasselhoff never appeared on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart.

Still, Hasselhoff did enjoy success as a recording artist in Europe, including Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. Of particular note, Hasselhoff’s song “Looking For Freedom” reached number one in all three of those countries in 1989, and it became famously associated with the fall of the Berlin Wall when he sang the song as part of the New Year’s Eve celebration at the Wall, less than two months after the Wall was officially opened in what marked a significant moment in the ending of the Cold War.

In honor of that 25th anniversary, David Hasselhoff’s “Looking For Freedom” is today’s Daily Eighties Flashback.