Revision as of 09:19, 2 May 2026

Knight Rider: A 1984 Pontiac Trans-Am

Comments

• Part of the melody in a recurring section of the track is built from what sounds like a 1980's corporate jingle (e.g. at 0:27-0:30 on the right channel). This helps the listener remember (if they lived through it) the time period when corporations and organizations were using a certain type of synthetic sound for their catchy jingle melodies to seem "futuristic" and "forward-thinking" while their logo was displayed on the TV. For many this sound should create a nostalgic feeling. Today we still come across these audio-visual artifacts on certain old VHS tapes, which are usually pretty worn out and imperfect, further enhancing the nostalgia when we re-experience them. BoC, using a jingle in a track with such a title, might be illustrating how certain sensory perceptions experienced repetitively in waking life (as these jingles were in 1984) can become part of the texture in a dream and furthermore that the worn quality of the recording reflects the imperfect quality of memory.
• In a recent interview from Humo Magazine, Marcus Eoin elaborates upon the above comment.

MARCUS EOIN (enthusiastic) "Did you hear that on Campfire, I played a small part that resembles the jingle of Stephen J. Cannell Productions – you know, the producer of The A-Team?" Whether or not this particular jingle appears in this track is unknown.^[1]

Samples / Lyrics

• The sampled piano chord from 1'02 on comes from the second part of "Chromakey Dreamcoat" (at 4'29). The sample is from Gary McFarland & Peter Smith - Rain On The Ocean (4:38)
• The descending chord progression starting at 0:59 and melodic flourish at 1:09 are similar to Electric Light Orchestra's "The Whale" (starting at 1:38). This is most likely an intentional homage by Mike and Marcus, and ELO may be an influence on Boards of Canada, being known for including subliminal/hidden messages in their music from the mid 1970s onwards.

Trivias

• Pontiac were a make of American automobiles manufactured by General Motors.
• Chief Pontiac was a well-known Native American leader, for whom the automobile make was named.
• The car from the well-known 1980's television show "Knight Rider" was a 1984 Pontiac Trans-Am.

Videos

External Links

References

1. ↑ https://bocpages.org/wiki/Cross_Out_the_Inappropriate