Knight Ripper
Everyone knows that Knight Rider had the coolest TV theme song of the 80s. Composed by Stu Phillips, it combined a stalking rhythm with a pulsing bass, suspenseful atmosphere, epic lead line, and the sleek modern vibe of technological wonder. It lent serious clout to a somewhat kitschy show, providing a sophisticated edge to balance the winking humor. It's the music you want played as you enter a crowded room, eyes hidden by Ray-bans and moussed mullet tossed over the collar of a black Members Only jacket.
I've long held this as the perfect prime time action theme and hailed its originality in a time of bombastic scores. So imagine my surprise a few years ago to discover the song "Sphinx" by German electronic musician Harry Thumann from his 1982 album Andromeda. It's a near-perfect facsimile of Knight Rider's intro music, arrangement and synth sounds. A not entirely unfitting twist concerning a show known for its use of dark doppelgängers.
Discogs describes "Sphinx" as "unofficially borrowed" for Knight Rider. When directly asked about the theme song, producer Glen A. Larson waves his hands and feigns fuzzy recollection of its origins but is clearly evading acknowledgment of a prior source.
Plagiarism is nothing new, especially in a scene like Synthwave that's heavily focused on reinterpreting music from the 1980s. The Knight Rider theme ranks up there with the Stranger Things arpeggio (itself rumored to be lifted from another song) as a huge influence on many Synthwave artists. Does the revelation of the song's true origin change anything about its legacy, or just add additional facets to a dazzling gem?
This reminds me of some other songs I love that may be more influenced by others than the authors wish to admit. Many people are probably familiar with the lawsuit claiming Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" theme song was a rip-off of "I Want a New Drug" by Huey Lewis and the News. I'm surprised there haven't been similar legal battles over similarities between Nirvana's "Come As You Are" and Killing Joke's "Eighties" or the more egregious example of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" and the earlier "Tapping the Emotional Void" by Excel.
“Lesser artists borrow; great artists steal” – Pablo Picasso's famous quote has been embraced and debated by generations of creators and critics. It's a reminder that the foundations of civilizations are built upon previous societies whose inherited ideas are celebrated even when their artistic lineage is forgotten or deliberately obscured. Becoming aware that a favorite work isn't as original as one assumed is jarring, but does it necessarily negate the greatness of a new take on an older invention? In any case it's clear that the musical muse of ongoing influence is a gift that keeps on giving.
Cat’s Corner is a collection of commentary by Mike Langlie of Cat Temper about his early synth-fluences.
