David Hasselhoff features on the official soundtrack to ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’.
The former ‘Baywatch’ actor – whose music has always been hugely popular in Germany – provided the vocals for the only new track to be included in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie.
Hasselhoff, 64, provides the vocals for ‘Guardians Inferno’, which is included on character Peter Quill’s ‘Awesome Mix Vol. 2’, a collection of songs bequeathed to him by his mother.
As Star-Lord Quill was kidnapped from Earth as a child in 1986, most of the songs are references to pop culture from that era and the 70s when his mother was younger.
The track has been co-written by writer-and-director James Gunn and the movie’s composer Tyler Bates, and Hasselhoff was recruited to sing as he’s supposed to be one of Quill’s childhood heroes and in real life Gunn is a huge fan of Hasselhoff, especially his 80s TV series ‘Knight Rider’ in which he played high-tech crime fighter Michael Knight who had a talking car called KITT.
Hasselhoff told ET: "You know, I asked director James Gunn why he chose me. He said, ‘When I was eight years old, I saw a show called ‘Knight Rider’ and since that day I’ve always wanted to meet you and to kind of live by the laws of the ‘Knight Rider’.’
"I’m telling you man, that this is so much like the ‘Knight Rider’. But also more than that. It was a lot of fun."
Hasselhoff – whose best known hit is ‘Looking For Freedom’ – insists he took the recording process very seriously and was thrilled to be asked to be part of the blockbuster.
He said: "They brought me in to sing the theme song and it was heavy. I walked into the room and I said, ‘You’re with the big boys now.’ And I just turned it on and I went, ‘I can handle it.’ "
Hasselhoff was joined in the studio by Gunn, 46, who also provides vocals and sings on the chorus.
The tracklist for ‘Awesome Mix Vol. 2’ has been officially announced and features classic songs such as ‘Mr Blue Sky’ by ELO, ‘Bring it On Home to Me’ by Sam Cooke, George Harrison’s ‘My Sweet Lord’ and ‘Surrender’ by Cheap Trick.
‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ ‘Awesome Mix Vol. 2’ full tracklisting:
ELO – ‘Mr. Blue Sky
Sweet – ‘Fox on the Run’
Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah – ‘Lake Shore Drive’
Fleetwood Mac – ‘The Chain’
Sam Cooke – ‘Bring it On Home to Me’
Glen Campbell – ‘Southern Nights’
George Harrison – ‘My Sweet Lord’
Looking Glass – ‘Brandy You’re a Fine Girl’
Jay and the Americans – ‘Come a Little Bit Closer’
Silver – ‘Wham Bang Shang-A-Lang’
Cheap Trick – ‘Surrender’
Yusuf / Cat Stevens – ‘Father and Son’
Parliament – ‘Flashlight’
The Sneepers featuring David Hasselhoff – ‘Guardians Inferno’