The One Where Michael Sings

When I was ten years old, David Hasselhoff was something of a hero to me. As Michael Knight on Knight Rider, he drove a cool car, wore cool clothes, and always got to kiss whichever pretty girl was guest-starring each week. At some point his career went in a very different direction, and outside his acting career he developed a second career as a singer, popular in Germany. At times I found myself missing the days when Michael Knight was the epitome of cool. Memory, I realize, has a funny way of playing tricks on us.

I'm finally nearing the end of my season 2 DVDs, and in the episode ”Let it be Me” I was stunned earlier today to discover the roots of David's musical career in 1984. Of course I have vivid memories of Michael Knight's true love Stevie, played by his (now ex-) wife Catherine Hickland. Apparently, this particular Stevie episode was blocked from my memory. If my memory is to be refreshed however, I plan to take my readers with me.

When a rock singer in Stevie's band, Class Action, overdoses and foul play is suspected, Michael eagerly volunteers to go undercover. With help from K.I.T.T., he manufactures a false identity as a singer from Australia and replaces the deceased member of the band. Going undercover requires a lot of musical numbers, and the scenes you're about to see take up more minutes of the episode than the actual plot.






A flashy outfit and some fancy moves get him through his first stage performance, but the record executives need more convincing...





Showing emotion in a performance is just as crucial as singing ability, but the real test comes when they shoot a music video while driving a jeep on the side of a cliff, a camera crew filming them from a flatbed.





Of course their brake line is cut, possibly by the episode's villains or possibly by writers angry about Hasselhoff forcing them to give him an episode in which to showcase his singing talent. K.I.T.T. rides in and saves them, and after yet another stage performance they finally nab the criminals responsible for the death of Class Action's original lead singer. Michael has one more surprise for Stevie however, as he and K.I.T.T. take her to an empty stage for an emotional duet...





Finally, it's time for Stevie to go on the road again. Michael summons all his strength and Tribbiani School acting know-how to rein in his tears.




Hold it in, Michael. Just hold it in....



With Stevie gone, Michael returns to his other true love.



But he will sing again, someday...



OK, show of comments; how many of you actually remember that Hasselhoff singing goes back this far?

All images © 1984, 2005 Universal Studios. All rights reserved.