Musicians who changed the world

BBC News

DAVID HASSELHOFF IN BERLIN, 1989

David Hasselhoff

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, Germans in both the East and West wanted to celebrate.Their choice of star was David Hasselhoff - already a soft rock sensation in Germany.The star of Baywatch and Knight Rider was already big in Austria and Switzerland when he decided to cover a German song in English, called Looking For Freedom.The song resonated with the mood of the nation and was a number one for several weeks.When the Berlin Wall fell shortly after, the authorities organised a New Year's Eve party to celebrate.Hasselhoff was picked to headline the gig in a move reportedly rubber-stamped by Chancellor Helmut Kohl.He said he would never forget the sight of almost a million fans watching him perform at midnight, a moment which led to him being overcome with emotion.