the German charts. David Hasselhoff version In 1988, American actor and singer David Hasselhoff covered the song as the lead single from his third studio album of the same name (1989). It became Hasselhoff's biggest international hit, reaching number one in Germany (for eight weeks), in Switzerland (for four weeks) and Austria (for one week). It also reached number four on the European Hot 100 Singles; the top-twenty in France and Belgium; and the top-forty in the Netherlands. "Looking for Freedom" was eventually certified Platinum in Germany, and became the best-performing single of 1989 in Germany and Switzerland and has been featured various times in popular culture. Performance at Berlin Wall Hasselhoff performed this song before throngs of pro-German reunification activists at the Berlin Wall on New Year's Eve 1989, mere weeks after the wall had begun to be taken down. Wearing a piano-keyboard scarf and a leather jacket covered in motion lights, Hasselhoff stood in a bucket crane and performed the song along with the crowd. Recordings of the ZDF TV broadcast resurfaced in the late 1990s and nowadays can be found on YouTube. On a later tour of Germany in 2004, Hasselhoff would lament that a photo of him was lacking from the Checkpoint Charlie Museum in Berlin. Chart performance Weekly charts Year-end charts Decade-end charts Certifications and sales Hasselhoff's version became a huge success across Europe. It debuted at number 12 on the German charts (during the week of 20 March 1989), reaching the top spot on its third week, spending eight consecutive weeks at number one, and remained on the chart for a total of 25 weeks. It ended as the best-performing single of 1989 in the country, and it was certified Platinum. In Switzerland, the song debuted at number seven (during the week of 16 April 1989), reaching the top spot on its third week, spending four consecutive weeks at number one, remaining on the chart for a total of 32 weeks, and later becoming the best-performing single of 1989 in the country. In Austria, it debuted at number eight (during the week of April 15, 1989) and reached number one on its third week, spending a total of 18 weeks on the chart, and becoming the fifth best-performing single of 1989, and the 54th best-performing song of the 80's decade in the country. Additionally, the song peaked at number 12 in France and remained