By Chris Epting
In her new memoir, I Am the Warrior: My Crazy Life Writing the Hits and Rocking the MTV Eighties, legendary songwriter Holly Knight takes readers on a wild and unpredictable roller coaster ride through the heart of the Day-Glo MTV 1980s. Starting out as a member of the New York City rock ’n roll outfit Spider, one of Knight’s compositions eventually made its way to Tina Turner, thus paving the road for her new career.
Occasionally working alongside hit maker Mike Chapman, Knight would eventually go on to craft such well-known anthems as “Love Is A Battlefield” (made famous by Pat Benatar), the aforementioned “I Am The Warrior” (which was driven to the top by Patty Smyth and Scandal), and “The Best,” one of the most ubiquitous anthems in history, of course, made famous by Tina Turner.
Throughout the book, Knight’s skillful storytelling abilities help re-create the much-maligned decade in vivid detail. Time has been kind to the 1980s however, and most recently, a deeper appreciation has resulted. Cocaine, cold wars, Reagan-era Wall Street greed, the AIDS crisis; the 1980s forced people to confront serious issues and as always, music was the ticket for many to escape the insanity.
Knight captures the era from her unique perspective which involved many wild and crazy adventures with everyone from Kiss to Aerosmith to Bon Jovi to Don Johnson and beyond. Knight’s gritty, street-smart toughness allowed her to go toe to toe in the male-dominated industry of rock ’n roll, and she recounts her many conquests with both humor and style. Never shy or retreating, Knight’s collection of conquests is both revelatory and inspirational.
I sat down with Ms. Knight to ask her a few questions about how she was able to accomplish what she did and why she feels her music resonates as it does today.
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What did you learn about yourself writing this memoir?
I learned that I’m a good writer, and I had a story to tell that people want to hear. I thought people might be bored, but I realized as I was writing it that I’ve been blessed with an extraordinary life, and it was not only important, but necessary to share and (hopefully) inspire others to follow their dreams…especially women, who have been repressed and negated since time eternal.
Do you think it would be possible for an up-and-coming songwriter today to experience the kind of success that you did?
Anything is possible — but times are a lot different now. The digital world and streaming changed everything. During the eighties, fans were buying entire records in large numbers, ten million units here, twenty million there, and they happily paid for it — which all added up to lucrative earning potential for the songwriter.
Was there one moment when you realized that you could actually carve out a career as a songwriter versus being a musician and singer?
Yes, it’s all there in my book. I had an epiphany when I was sitting on a road case on the side of the stage during a Tina Turner concert — we were in Munich and I watched in amazement as the audience sang “Better Be Good To Me,” along with her. I thought, if I can do this with her, maybe I can do this with other artists. How fun would that be?
And what part did MTV play in the evolution of your songwriting?
MTV was so visual. The more I got into writing lyrics, I would envision the videos in my head- and the more dramatic or cinematic, the better.
Of all of the artists that you worked with over the years, describe a couple of the relationships that resulted in you learning more about songwriting as a result.
I would have to say that the person I enjoyed writing with the most, was Mike Chapman, we had mad, creative songwriting chemistry together and we wrote some monster hits, song like “Love Is A Battlefield and (Simply) The Best.” He taught me to spend a good amount of time on the lyrics, to accept nothing less than the best! Other than that, I think I taught more than I learned from other people. I’m telling you, it was pure instinct — I was born weird. Music was my first language and always will be.
What do you think it is about your music from the 1980s That remains relevant today, getting used in so many commercials films and television shows?
Well, I would imagine it’s the “hooks” — the musical and lyrical components, that people still find relatable and want to sing along with. And those songs are still as empowering and edgy today as they were then. I’m a bad ass.
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