The Songwriting of Holly Knight
Earlier this week I finished reading I Am the Warrior, the autobiography of songwriter Holly Knight. One of the most sought-after hitmakers of the 1980s, Knight’s songs were all over the charts and helped define MTV in the music channel’s first decade.
Knight started out as keyboardist for the band Spider before the band fell apart and she opted to concentrate on songwriting, with the help of long-time co-writer Mike Chapman. Though she later recorded an album with her band Device as well as a solo LP, Knight was most comfortable writing songs for other musicians. Over the course of her career she wrote or co-wrote songs for artists that included Tina Turner, Pat Benatar, Kiss, Rod Stewart, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, and Heart.
While many of the songs Knight spoke about in her book I was already familiar with, others prompted me to listen to them for the first time. Here are my thoughts on some of the more notable songs and albums written or co-written by Holly Knight.
“Better Be Good to Me”
Performed by: Spider, Tina Turner
Written by: Holly Knight, Mike Chapman, Nicky Chinn
“New Romance” from Spider’s debut album made it into the Billboard Top 40, but the song didn’t do much for me. Neither at first did “Better Be Good to Me”, a last-minute addition to Spider’s second and (as it turned out) final album. I first heard Tina Turner’s version of the song on the Miami Vice soundtrack. Knight’s memories of its composition sparked my interest and made me appreciate the song more.
Like a lot of Knight’s tunes, “Better Be Good to Me” had lyrics that felt empowering for female artists. Compared to much of Spider’s repertoire, the song was musically simple, with only two chords. But as is so often the case, simple songs are often the ones with the widest appeal. The song is notable for its building tension during the verses, and release in the chorus.
Turner’s version is even better. The production is far superior, as one might expect for such a rock legend—though at the time Turner was just launching the comeback that would turn her into one of the decade’s biggest superstars. But it’s Turner’s vocals that really sell it, showing how important a good singer is in bringing a song to life.
From what Knight says, Nicky Chinn played no role in writing the song and got credit only because of a pre-existing business arrangement between him and Mike Chapman. Sounds like what I’d expect from the music industry.
“Obsession”
Performed by: Michael Des Barres & Holly Knight, Animotion
Written by: Holly Knight, Michael Des Barres
Knight performed the original version of this song—which she describes as more “druggy” than the hit Animotion cover that followed—with co-writer Michael Des Barres. Their rendition was featured in the 1983 film A Night in Heaven as well as the trailer for 9 1/2 Weeks. But Animotion’s version is musically superior in my view.
On the other hand, here we find the start of a recurring problem with many of Knight’s hits, geared as they were towards ’80s MTV: these music videos are so cheesy and dated, they actually make the song worse. You can argue that this Animotion video is meant to be tongue-in-cheek. Still, watching the video, I find the song improves if I close my eyes and shut out the dated hairstyles and fashions. Either way, the song is catchy. This one was an MTV staple and hit #6 on the Billboard charts. Like a lot of Knight’s tunes, it has an indelibly groovy bassline.
“The Warrior”
Performed by: Scandal feat. Patty Smyth
Written by: Holly Knight, Nick Gilder
A longtime favourite of mine, this is one of those pop-rock anthems the ’80s did so well that makes you want to pump your fist in the air. They don’t make ’em like this anymore. This tune makes a great addition to any exercise playlist. And that chorus! “Shooting at the walls of heartache, bang bang / I am the warrior.” Just iconic. Like Tina Turner and Pat Benatar, Patty Smyth is a female rock vocalist who knows how to sing these lyrics with attitude and charisma.
Once again, cheesy video, but hey, it’s the ’80s. One of the reasons I love ’80s music is because it’s the last time most rock bands were willing to be fun, flashy, and over the top, before grunge destroyed that sense of showmanship in favour of angst, misery, and a general lack of visual style.
“Pleasure and Pain”
Performed by: Divinyls
Written by: Holly Knight, Mike Chapman
Recorded by Australian rock combo Divinyls for their 1985 album What a Life!, “Pleasure and Pain” is about exactly what you think it is. Christina Amphlett’s distinctive vocals and sexually charged persona are ideal for this ode to S&M. (Sadly, Amphlett died of breast cancer in 2013.)
Like a lot of Knight’s songs, the melody is so catchy it drills itself into your head after the first listen. Yet another fantastic bassline has a lot to do with that; Knight says she often begins with the bassline when writing a song.
“Love Touch”
Performed by: Rod Stewart
Written by: Holly Knight, Mike Chapman
Rod Stewart has his moments, though I’ve never been a huge fan. Here’s a perfect example of a fine little song that seems much worse than it is if you hear it while watching the ridiculous music video. Stewart called this “one of the silliest songs I’ve ever recorded”, which is a bit harsh. There’s nothing wrong with the song itself, which served as the theme song for the film Legal Eagles. It’s the video that’s embarrassing, revolving around Stewart being tried by a jury of attractive models. OK.
Music videos are designed to promote songs, which makes it ironic that many have aged so poorly they make the songs worse. It’s one reason I’m not a fan of music videos in general anymore.
“Invincible”
Performed by: Pat Benatar
Written by: Holly Knight, Simon Climie
The most famous song Knight wrote for Pat Benatar is “Love is a Battlefield”. The pioneering music video was influential in its day, although once again it’s hard to get past the fromage when watching 40 years later. I love Pat Benatar, and “Love is a Battlefield” is a great song. It was also the first big hit Knight wrote for another artist.
Still, I’d like to highlight a different tune, which I was unfamiliar with before I read the book but instantly fell in love with as soon as I heard it. “Invincible” is a fantastic anthem that makes you want to stand up and fight for what you believe in.
We can't afford to be innocent
Stand up and face the enemy
It's a do-or-die situation
We will be invincible
The theme song for the film The Legend of Billie Jean, “Invincible” was nominated for a Grammy and hit #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard it on the radio. That’s a shame, because it’s a song that deserves to be heard more widely. It rocks, but it’s also got that sense of pop craftsmanship Knight does so well. Benatar was four months pregnant when she filmed the video, but you wouldn’t know it from her appearance.
22B3
Performed by: Device
Device was the first band Knight performed in since Spider, partnering with guitarist Gene Black. She spent years searching for the perfect frontman. Having gained popularity writing for female artists, Knight consciously looked for a male vocalist this time. But when Chapman said he needed to produce their album before other commitments got in the way, she chose Paul Engemann as vocalist. Engemann is best known for “Scarface (Push it to the Limit)”, title track to Al Pacino and Brian De Palma’s crime classic (and one of my favourite movies). Together the trio recorded Device’s only album, 22B3. The meaning of the title remains a mystery.
I was taken aback by Knight’s bluntness when discussing her experience with Device. She openly declares that she “settled” for Engemann and was never quite happy with him. Knight says she and Black tried to befriend the singer, but personality differences meant they never quite clicked. That was surprising, because Engemann’s vocals are excellent on 22B3. The opening track and lead single, “Hanging on a Heart Attack”, is as catchy as one would expect from Knight. But it’s the next single, “Who Says”, that I truly adore.
“Who Says” was actually the song that got me interested in Knight to begin with. I stumbled across it while listening to a YouTube playlist of melodic AOR. When I watched the video I couldn’t get over how ’80s it was with the mullets, shoulder pads, keytar, etc. But compared to a lot of the other videos I’ve posted here, it holds up much better. Knight looks extremely cool playing her keytar in this video, and I really dig her moves and stage presence.
As Knight tells it, she and Black weren’t happy with Engemann’s vibe in the “Hanging on a Heart Attack” video. Apparently the blond, mulleted Mormon didn’t give the right vibe for the trio’s “dark and romantic” songs. “Paul, instead of improving, took our advice from the previous video shoot to heart and overcompensated this time,” Knight says. “His expression went from smiling too much to looking positively evil.” But it all works for me. I love this video and this song.
The rest of 22B3 holds up well. There are some weaker songs near the end. But “Pieces on the Ground”, “Tough and Tender”, “When Love is Good”, “Didn’t I Read You Right”, and “Fall Apart, Golden Heart” are all incredibly catchy, with great hooks and Knight’s trademark cool basslines. Engemann sings the hell out of these songs. I especially love his falsetto on “When Love is Good”, a solo Knight composition and probably my favourite of the album tracks. Whatever the differences between the members of Device, Engemann’s vocals are outstanding.
“The Best”
Performed by: Bonnie Tyler, Tina Turner
Written by: Holly Knight, Mike Chapman
I’ve saved “The Best” for last (yuk, yuk). Knight identifies this as probably her greatest, most popular tune. She originally wrote it for Paul Young, who rejected it in a truly boneheaded decision. Bonnie Tyler eventually picked up the song. I love Tyler’s rendition, but it doesn’t have the same transcendent feel as Tina Turner’s version. Tyler looks great in the video—I admit it, I’m a sucker for the big-hair, leather-jacket ’80s rocker look—and her vocals are always powerful. But the video is pretty boring and uninvolving.
Tina Turner deserves credit for bringing this song to its full potential. Before recording it, she asked Knight and Chapman if they could add a bridge, which she felt was missing, and a key change at the end. Those two decisions take “The Best” to the next level.
Often colloquially referred to as “Simply the Best”, the song has become a standard and one of Turner’s most popular hits. The website Pop Rescue surmised that it was the song’s very simplicity that made it so popular. Knight writes that she was “fascinated” but puzzled when she saw a horse on the set of the music video. Years later, she recalls, Turner said in an interview, “‘The Best’ is a special song… it could be about anything, a car, a person… a horse.” Knight adds, “Then I understood.”
Final thoughts
These are some of my stream-of-consciousness reflections on songs Knight highlights in her memoir. There are other great tunes I didn’t mention, such as “Hide Your Heart” by Kiss. Knight also polished “Rag Doll” by Aerosmith—the song was originally called “Ragtime” before she suggested the title change—and co-wrote “Stick to Your Guns” with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, which is not one of my favourite Bon Jovi tracks despite being a huge fan of that band overall.
Knight also recorded an eponymous 1989 solo album which I enjoyed, but which she tore apart in her book as a mistake, saying that she’s not a lead vocalist and this experience only confirmed it for her. “I hated the solo record I made,” she says. “If I could find every copy and burn it to the ground I would. I know my strengths and weaknesses. I’m a great songwriter and musician, but I’m not a lead singer.” Say what you will about her criticism of Paul Engemann, but you can’t say Knight isn’t at least as critical of herself.
I Am the Warrior is a great read and gave me a new appreciation not only for Knight’s songwriting, but how difficult it was for a woman at the time to make it in the male-dominated music industry. One of her first breaks was when Kiss invited her to play keyboards on their song “Shandi”. As Knight tells it, the only other woman in the building at the time was the receptionist. The book concludes with Knight’s 2013 induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, an honour I would call well earned.