Long before Diane Warren became a household name as a songwriter of today, there was Holly Knight. the first song I remember seeing her name was on Pat Benatar's hit song, "Love Is A Battlefield" in '83 & "Invincible"( Theme From The Legend Of Billie Jean) in '85. she also wrote 2 great songs for Heart: "Never"( I still hear the original version of that song with the swirling synths on the radio on & off again) back in late '85 & "There's The Girl" (the video/radio version features Nancy singing a different verse in the bridge) in '87. Let's not forget "Obsession" in'85 & "I Engineer" in '86 for Animotion. add to that "Soul Love" for Hall & Oates from their Ooh Yeah!! album from '88. she was a member of a short-lived group called Device and release an album which is now back in print called "22B3" release in '86 and scored their only Top 40 hit called, "Hangin'On A Heart Attack" which peaked at #35 in the fall of of '86. she also release her only solo album title "Holly Knight" I believe it was release in'88. no info on that album except it's long out of print but the only knowledge i have from it was it contains her version of "Love Is A Battlefield". Note: DEVICE features a singer name Paul Engelmann who would become the co-lead singer of Animotion who would score 2 hits in '89: "Room To Move" & "Calling It Love". any other Holly Knight songs that I left out or I probably covered all the bases?

: Long before Diane Warren became a household
: name as a songwriter of today, there was
: Holly Knight. the first song I remember
: seeing her name was on Pat Benatar's hit
: song, "Love Is A Battlefield" in
: '83 & "Invincible"( Theme From
: The Legend Of Billie Jean) in '85. she also
: wrote 2 great songs for Heart:
: "Never"( I still hear the original
: version of that song with the swirling
: synths on the radio on & off again) back
: in late '85 & "There's The
: Girl" (the video/radio version features
: Nancy singing a different verse in the
: bridge) in '87. Let's not forget
: "Obsession" in'85 & "I
: Engineer" in '86 for Animotion. add to
: that "Soul Love" for Hall &
: Oates from their Ooh Yeah!! album from '88.
: she was a member of a short-lived group
: called Device and release an album which is
: now back in print called "22B3"
: release in '86 and scored their only Top 40
: hit called, "Hangin'On A Heart
: Attack" which peaked at #35 in the fall
: of of '86. she also release her only solo
: album title "Holly Knight" I
: believe it was release in'88. no info on
: that album except it's long out of print but
: the only knowledge i have from it was it
: contains her version of "Love Is A
: Battlefield". Note: DEVICE features a
: singer name Paul Engelmann who would become
: the co-lead singer of Animotion who would
: score 2 hits in '89: "Room To
: Move" & "Calling It
: Love". any other Holly Knight songs
: that I left out or I probably covered all
: the bases?

Holly Knight is indeed fabulous! I've been a huge HK fan for over a decade now, and I'm afraid you left out quite a few hits of hers, James. For starters, how could you possibly talk about HK w/o even mentioning her original band, Spider?!? They released two killer albums in the pop/hard rock mold, "Spider" (1980), and "Between the Lines" (1981). Check your chart books - they even landed three hit singles in "Billboard", including one that made the top 40 in the Spring of '80, "New Romance (It's a Mystery)", off the first album. "Between the Lines" includes two Knight-penned tunes that you failed to mention, which would later go on to be huge hits for others: "Better Be Good to Me" (Tina Turner in the Fall of '84) and "Change" (John Waite in the Spring of '85). Fortunately, the CD-only re-issue label, Renaissance, has made these two Spider albums available as a 2-on-1 CD here in the States, and it's still in print today. I've provided a link to Renaissance's official web site below, where you can check out their entire catalog, including the Spider 2-on-1 CD, as well as their re-issue of the 1986 Device album you mentioned. Order the Spider CD today - highly recommended!!!

You say you don't have her 1988 solo album on Columbia, either?!? For shame! I've had the cassette for years now. (Yeah, it includes her own version of "Love is a Battlefield".) She actually scored a minor hit here in the U.S. off that album in the Fall of '88, the excellent "Heart Don't Fail Me Now". I also happen to have an original, mega-rare copy of the promo CD single for "HDFMN", which amazingly includes three different versions of the song! (Very rare for a promo CD single from the '80s.) It also came w/ a killer front insert, which includes an interesting (albeit brief) biography on Ms. Knight on the inside, including a list of her songwriting credits for others. (Hmmm, seems you also forgot that she wrote Aerosmith's big hit from the Summer of '88, "Rag Doll".) Unfortunately, as you correctly noted, HK's s/t album from 1988 is long out-of-print in all formats, but it was issued on CD here in the U.S. In fact, it's really not all that hard to find, as I still see it semi-regularly on both cassette & CD while out on my record-store travels - pick it up!!!

: Holly Knight is indeed fabulous! I've been a
: huge HK fan for over a decade now, and I'm
: afraid you left out quite a few hits of
: hers, James. For starters, how could you
: possibly talk about HK w/o even mentioning
: her original band, Spider?!? They released
: two killer albums in the pop/hard rock mold,
: "Spider" (1980), and "Between
: the Lines" (1981). Check your chart
: books - they even landed three hit singles
: in "Billboard", including one that
: made the top 40 in the Spring of '80,
: "New Romance (It's a Mystery)",
: off the first album. "Between the
: Lines" includes two Knight-penned tunes
: that you failed to mention, which would
: later go on to be huge hits for others:
: "Better Be Good to Me" (Tina
: Turner in the Fall of '84) and
: "Change" (John Waite in the Spring
: of '85). Fortunately, the CD-only re-issue
: label, Renaissance, has made these two
: Spider albums available as a 2-on-1 CD here
: in the States, and it's still in print
: today. I've provided a link to Renaissance's
: official web site below, where you can check
: out their entire catalog, including the
: Spider 2-on-1 CD, as well as their re-issue
: of the 1986 Device album you mentioned.
: Order the Spider CD today - highly
: recommended!!!

: You say you don't have her 1988 solo album on
: Columbia, either?!? For shame! I've had
: the cassette for years now. (Yeah, it
: includes her own version of "Love is a
: Battlefield".) She actually scored a
: minor hit here in the U.S. off that album in
: the Fall of '88, the excellent "Heart
: Don't Fail Me Now". I also happen to
: have an original, mega-rare copy of the
: promo CD single for "HDFMN", which
: amazingly includes three different versions
: of the song! (Very rare for a promo CD
: single from the '80s.) It also came w/ a
: killer front insert, which includes an
: interesting (albeit brief) biography on Ms.
: Knight on the inside, including a list of
: her songwriting credits for others. (Hmmm,
: seems you also forgot that she wrote
: Aerosmith's big hit from the Summer of '88,
: "Rag Doll".) Unfortunately, as you
: correctly noted, HK's s/t album from 1988 is
: long out-of-print in all formats, but it was
: issued on CD here in the U.S. In fact, it's
: really not all that hard to find, as I still
: see it semi-regularly on both cassette &
: CD while out on my record-store travels -
: pick it up!!!

Actually, "Change" by John Waite was release in'82 from his first solo lp, "Ignition" which is out of print for the second time. The re-relase of that song was featured in the movie, "Vision Quest". I'm not sure if that Cd is still in print.

: Holly Knight is indeed fabulous! I've been a
: huge HK fan for over a decade now, and I'm
: afraid you left out quite a few hits of
: hers, James. For starters, how could you
: possibly talk about HK w/o even mentioning
: her original band, Spider?!? They released
: two killer albums in the pop/hard rock mold,
: "Spider" (1980), and "Between
: the Lines" (1981). Check your chart
: books - they even landed three hit singles
: in "Billboard", including one that
: made the top 40 in the Spring of '80,
: "New Romance (It's a Mystery)",
: off the first album. "Between the
: Lines" includes two Knight-penned tunes
: that you failed to mention, which would
: later go on to be huge hits for others:
: "Better Be Good to Me" (Tina
: Turner in the Fall of '84) and
: "Change" (John Waite in the Spring
: of '85). Fortunately, the CD-only re-issue
: label, Renaissance, has made these two
: Spider albums available as a 2-on-1 CD here
: in the States, and it's still in print
: today. I've provided a link to Renaissance's
: official web site below, where you can check
: out their entire catalog, including the
: Spider 2-on-1 CD, as well as their re-issue
: of the 1986 Device album you mentioned.
: Order the Spider CD today - highly
: recommended!!!

: You say you don't have her 1988 solo album on
: Columbia, either?!? For shame! I've had
: the cassette for years now. (Yeah, it
: includes her own version of "Love is a
: Battlefield".) She actually scored a
: minor hit here in the U.S. off that album in
: the Fall of '88, the excellent "Heart
: Don't Fail Me Now". I also happen to
: have an original, mega-rare copy of the
: promo CD single for "HDFMN", which
: amazingly includes three different versions
: of the song! (Very rare for a promo CD
: single from the '80s.) It also came w/ a
: killer front insert, which includes an
: interesting (albeit brief) biography on Ms.
: Knight on the inside, including a list of
: her songwriting credits for others. (Hmmm,
: seems you also forgot that she wrote
: Aerosmith's big hit from the Summer of '88,
: "Rag Doll".) Unfortunately, as you
: correctly noted, HK's s/t album from 1988 is
: long out-of-print in all formats, but it was
: issued on CD here in the U.S. In fact, it's
: really not all that hard to find, as I still
: see it semi-regularly on both cassette &
: CD while out on my record-store travels -
: pick it up!!!
I'm glad someone responded to this messageboard. 80's Music Freak, I didn't know Holly was part of a group called Spider. I didn't know until now. I only know her as a songwriter/singer & speaking of which, we forgot to include,"Love Touch" by Rod Stewart a #5 hit from early '86 off of his believe it or not out-of-print s/t Cd. It's the song Rod says he'll never play it in concert again. I think Rod said the song is very silly or goofy to sing on stage. I hope Holly isn't listening or hearing this statement. The song was a hit Rod, get used to it. As for that Holly Night solo album, I'll had to find it first which is not going to be easy.