1988 single by Tuesday Knight
"Nightmare", also known as "(Running From This) Nightmare", is a song by American recording artist and actress Tuesday Knight. The song serves as the opening song for the fourth installment of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, in which Knight co-starred. Although not officially released as a single or included on the original soundtrack for the film at the time, "Nightmare" has become a cult hit among horror fans and is one of Knight's most well-known and signature songs. It was released officially as a single in 2015.
Background
In 1987, Tuesday Knight released her self-titled debut album. The following year, she was chosen to replace Patricia Arquette in the role of Kristen Parker in the film A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. Before production wrapped on The Dream Master, Knight met with director Renny Harlin and pitched the idea of writing a song for the film. She and her writing partner Michael Egizi recorded the song within two days, before playing the tape for Harlin in his car. Impressed, he handed the tape over to the music department without any further involvement from Knight. Unaware if the song would be used, she was surprised to find it serving as the film's introductory theme.[1]
The song starts just as the revitalized 1988 New Line Cinema logo fades out (the first Elm Street to feature said logo), and plays over the opening credits, featuring a girl on a sidewalk, drawing with chalk. The camera pulls back from the Elm Street house to introduce Knight's character, and the song fades into Charles Bernstein's score from the original film.
Release
Due to licensing issues, the song did not originally receive an official single release or appear on the original soundtrack for the film, and Knight was never compensated for her contribution. Aside from the film, the song wasn't publicly accessible for years. An audio recording was later ripped from the film and featured on Knight's 2012 compilation album, Faith, the song's first official release.
In 2015, it was announced that the song had been remastered, remixed, and rerecorded, and is expected to receive an official extended play CD and digital download release before the end of the year. The album is produced by Tuesday Knight, Michael Perez and is designed by Dakota Thomas.[2][3][4]
