Initially, the song struggled to find an audience. Its breakthrough was largely accidental:

: The "Golden Rider" is a metaphor for someone who was once "high on the ladder" of success but eventually "fell off," leading to their institutionalization.

: Witt was only invited to perform the song on the popular TV show Musikladen as a last-minute replacement for Marius Müller-Westernhagen. The performance was a massive success, propelling the single to #2 on the German charts .

Soundtracks of the 1980s: Joachim Witt – “Der Goldene Reiter”

Watch the original 1981 music video to see Joachim Witt's iconic performance of this NDW classic: Joachim Witt - Goldener Reiter (Official Video) NoCut Entertainment YouTube• Apr 2, 2018 Production Details