LOS ANGELES, Oct 23, 2018 — In the upcoming “Mister Knifey Hands” episode of ABC-TV’s hit comedy the Goldbergs (Wednesday, October 24 at 8 p.m. EST), executive producer Adam F. Goldberg’s dream came true after securing Robert Englund to come out of retirement and resurrect his infamous Freddy Krueger role from “Nightmare on Elm Street.”
Goldberg then needed the perfect song from the 1980s to fit with his vision of incorporating Englund’s Krueger into a dream sequence that would terrify his on-screen mother, Beverly (Wendy McLendon-Covey), who, in her sleep, faces off with Krueger.
Hearing Daryl Hall and John Oates sing, ‘On a night when bad dreams become a screamer. When they’re messin’ with a dreamer,’ from their hit, “You Make My Dreams,” Goldberg knew he had a winner for this Halloween-tribute episode.
“Daryl Hall and John Oates were my favorite duo from my childhood,” said Goldberg. “Their songs dominated the 80s while I was growing up in suburban Philadelphia, also where both Daryl Hall and John Oates are from. This year, I had the amazing fortune of having Robert Englund agree to reprise his role of the legendary Freddy Krueger and I needed an iconic song to match up with the episode. ‘You Make My Dreams’ works perfectly into our storyline and is such a great way for me to pay homage to a duo that was a part of the soundtrack to my life.”
Taken from Daryl Hall and John Oates’ ninth studio album, Voices (1980), “You Make My Dreams” reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1981. The song is currently being used by the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL) during their home games in the 2018-19 season after every Leaf goal scored at the newly renamed Scotiabank Arena.
About Daryl Hall & John Oates
From the mid-’70s to the mid-’80s, the duo would score six #1 singles, including “Rich Girl” (also #1 R&B), “Kiss on My List,” “Private Eyes,” “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do) (also #1 R&B), “Maneater” and “Out of Touch” from their six consecutive multi-platinum albums-’76’s Bigger Than Both of Us, ’80’s Voices, ’81’s Private Eyes, ’82’s H2O, ’83’s Rock N Soul, Part Iand ’84’s Big Bam Boom. The era would also produce an additional 5 Top 10 singles, “Sara Smile,” “One on One,” “You Make My Dreams,” “Say It Isn’t So” and “Method of Modern Love.” By 1987, the RIAA recognized Daryl Hall and John Oates as the NUMBER-ONE SELLING DUO in music history, a record they still hold today. In 2008, the duo was honored with BMI’s Icon Award and in 2014 they were also honored with a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.
The Goldbergs is an autobiography of executive producer Adam F. Goldberg’s experiences of growing up in a Philadelphia-suburban family in the 1980s. Goldberg often inserts recreations of his personal life into the show, including actual videos from his youth.
Adam F. Goldberg and Doug Robinson are executive producers. The episode is produced by Adam F. Goldberg Productions, Doug Robinson Productions, and Happy Madison in association with Sony Pictures Television.
For more information about “The Goldbergs,” visit abc.com/TheGoldbergs.