No One Rocks the Berlin Wall Like David Hasselhoff

The rumors aren't true: David Hasselhoff did not bring down the Berlin Wall. But he was there to sing over the ruins.

The man better known for American TV shows Baywatch and Knight Rider delivered a song that became a soundtrack for the Wall's fall. Called "Looking for Freedom," it was the centerpiece of a New Year's Eve concert he headlined at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate a few weeks later. His choice of clothing? A custom-made jacket sparkling with electric lights.

Hasselhoff was a pop idol in Germany: "Looking for Freedom" spent weeks at number one on the German charts in the summer of 1989. And with both East and West Berliners listening to the same radio stations, pretty much everyone knew the tune — especially since it was based on an earlier song, a schmaltzy 1978 hit called "Auf Der Strasse Nach Suden."

So when Berlin authorities wanted to put on the biggest, most fabulous New Year's Eve show imaginable, they turned to Hasselhoff.

VIA NPR