For years, the internet has been captivated by a mysterious 1980s pop song, affectionately nicknamed “Everyone Knows That” (EKT) by online communities dedicated to uncovering its origins. After an extensive search filled with countless dead ends, the true identity of this elusive track, officially titled “Ulterior Motives,” has finally been revealed. Christopher Saint Booth, the vocalist, and Philip Adrian Booth, the guitarist, identical twin brothers, are the musicians behind the beguiling tune. Originally, “Ulterior Motives Song” was part of the soundtrack for the 1986 adult film Angels of Passion, a project they undertook early in their careers before transitioning to successful ventures in moviemaking.
The journey of “Ulterior Motives” into internet fame began in 2021 when an anonymous user named “carl92” uploaded a brief, 17-second, low-fidelity sample to WatZatSong. This small fragment ignited a massive wave of interest among the “lostwave” community, a group of dedicated online sleuths passionate about identifying obscure and uncredited music snippets. The song’s irresistible hook and nostalgic 80s sound resonated deeply, quickly elevating “Ulterior Motives song” to one of the most sought-after sonic mysteries within this online realm. Tens of thousands of enthusiasts collaborated on a dedicated subreddit, r/everyoneknowsthat, pooling their efforts to pinpoint the creators and, more importantly, to find a complete recording of the “Ulterior Motives song”.
Unbeknownst to the fervent online search, the Booth brothers had long forgotten about the track. They were completely unaware of its viral resurgence until recently. However, after a pair of Redditors successfully “cracked the case,” identifying them as the artists behind the “Ulterior Motives song,” their phones and social media accounts were flooded with messages. Initially confused, the siblings gradually came to understand the profound impact their long-lost song had made and the extraordinary efforts people had invested in rediscovering it. In this interview, Christopher and Philip Booth share with Rolling Stone the origin story of “Ulterior Motives song”, their astonishment and delight at its unexpected revival, and their plans to release a remastered version of the single as a thank you to the dedicated fans, along with other gems from their 80s pop catalog.
From Obscurity to Internet Sensation: The Unbelievable Revival of “Ulterior Motives Song”
So, how are you both feeling about all of this?
Christopher: Absolutely fabulous! Honestly, we’re swamped, but in the best way possible. This whole situation has completely blown us away. We were totally in the dark about it until just a couple of days ago.
Philip: Flabbergasted is an understatement. We had absolutely no idea this had been going on since 2021. It’s incredible.
How did you first become aware of the online buzz around “Ulterior Motives song”?
Christopher: For about ten years, we worked with the SyFy channel on paranormal documentaries, and we also did horror movies for Sony and other studios. Recently, I was promoting a documentary we made called The Exorcist File, about the real case that inspired The Exorcist novel. While doing that, people started commenting things like “release EKT” or “Ulterior Motives,” and I was scratching my head, thinking, “What on earth is that?” I genuinely didn’t remember the song at all; it was 40 years ago! Then it just escalated. Someone sent me a link to Rolling Stone’s article about the lostwave community’s search for the complete song. That’s when it clicked. I read it, listened to the snippet, and went, “Oh yeah! That’s us!” That’s how we found out about the whole “Ulterior Motives song” phenomenon.
Philip: On a personal level, it was deeply moving. Honestly, it brought tears to our eyes to see so many young people discovering and enjoying the song, saying such wonderful things about it. As musicians, there’s no greater reward than seeing that kind of appreciation for your work. Then, suddenly, our names were out there, our phones started ringing non-stop, and social media went crazy. We’re not really big on TikTok, but even my daughter messaged me, saying, “Dad, I’m so proud of you! You’re all over TikTok, and everyone’s singing your song!” I thought, “Oh my God, what is actually happening?” It was surreal.
That must have been an incredible moment. And “Ulterior Motives song” was created very early in your careers, right at the beginning?
Christopher: Yes, very early. Before “Ulterior Motives song”, we were part of a successful rock band from Canada called Sweeney Todd. They had a big hit song called “Roxy Roller.” Bryan Adams actually replaced the original lead singer, Nick Gilder, and then Bryan Adams himself was let go. I was hired as the new singer, and Philip played guitar. [Another Booth brother, John, played drums.] We eventually made our way to America and started playing venues in LA like the Rainbow Bar and the Whisky a Go Go. Mötley Crüe even opened for us a few times back then because we were a very heavy rock band at the time.
From Rock Roots to Synth-Pop Experimentation: The Genesis of “Ulterior Motives”
Philip: This was in the very early Eighties.
Christopher: So, “Ulterior Motives song” was recorded around 1986. It was conceived as a pure pop song. At that time, we were just trying to make ends meet as musicians, which is even tougher today. We took on various jobs in the movie industry, working as production assistants, in art departments, anything to get by. We even worked on some pretty big film productions. Then, a friend of ours who was producing adult films needed people for craft services and general help on set.
Philip: We were in our early twenties.
Christopher: We knew the producers, who were very nice, and they needed music for their films. They offered us a decent amount of money to provide some background music. Of course, we needed the money, so we agreed. That’s how “Ulterior Motives song” ended up in Angels of Passion. Despite some assumptions, it wasn’t written specifically for an adult film. It was originally written as a standalone pop song, and we simply licensed it for that purpose.
Many people were surprised to learn it was from an adult film, mainly because the production quality often associated with adult films today is quite different.
Philip: Exactly. Back then, the adult film industry was completely different. They were making actual films with storylines and shooting on film.
Christopher: Their budgets were around $10,000 or $15,000 back then, which was significant.
Philip: Nowadays, it might just be a camcorder or a phone, but back then, it was a substantial industry. And working on those sets, licensing our music, we actually learned a lot about filmmaking. We caught the film bug, and that’s how we transitioned into wanting to make movies, not adult films, but movies in general. Seeing the excitement of film cameras and lighting sparked a new passion. Earlier, we had been produced by Gary Goetzman, who was Smokey Robinson’s producer and also produced Stop Making Sense with David Byrne. He heard our songs from that era and really liked them. He helped us get a record deal, and we released a couple of songs. But many other tracks, including “Ulterior Motives song,” remained unreleased, lost in our archives. We had a whole album’s worth of 80s material in that style. That music from the 80s had such a unique, fun, and innocent quality. To see people now connecting with “Ulterior Motives song” and saying such positive things about it is truly overwhelming.
Rediscovering a Lost Gem: The Booth Brothers Reflect on “Ulterior Motives”
Having not heard “Ulterior Motives song” for 40 years, what was it like to listen to it again after all this time?
Philip: The first thing we thought was, “What are we going to do now? People want a new version, a clean version, a remastered version…”
Christopher: It was actually quite emotional. It brought tears to our eyes. Music is incredibly powerful. I’ve always been a musician, and I still create music for films. Music is my life. I have a large studio, Pro Tools, the works. I primarily work with Atmos surround sound for films now, but I’ve always written pop songs at heart. Back then, Philip and I were heavily influenced by artists like George Michael and Culture Club. Later, Nine Inch Nails and Peter Gabriel became influences. Going back to “Ulterior Motives song” felt like stepping back into our 20s again.
Philip: I can’t express how thrilling it is to see so many young people embracing that song, going out of their way to record covers and share it. For a musician, there’s no greater feeling than realizing your music has stood the test of time and still resonates with new audiences. We immediately decided we had to get back into the studio and figure out our next steps.
It would be amazing if you could perform “Ulterior Motives song” live at one of the classic clubs on the Sunset Strip.
Philip: Is the Viper Room still around? Is it closed now?
No, it’s definitely still there and very active! I saw a heavy metal show there recently. They’re still rocking.
Philip: That’s great to hear! We remember seeing The Babys at the Roxy. When we were performing, we played at the Troubadour.
Christopher: This was a little after we wrote “Ulterior Motives song”, because we were transitioning towards a heavier rock sound by then. We’ve explored pretty much every genre of music, except maybe country! Music truly is the ultimate fountain of youth.
Do you recall the inspiration behind the lyrics for “Ulterior Motives song”?
Christopher: Yeah, it was about a girl who was unfaithful. Someone who said one thing but was doing another behind your back.
Philip: The song went viral initially as “EKT,” for “everyone knows that.” After we released the lyrics, fans pointed out, “Oh my god, it’s ‘everyone knows it,’ not ‘everyone knows that.’”
The Future of “Ulterior Motives” and Rediscovered 80s Tracks
Christopher: We’re currently digging through 40 years of tapes to see if we can find the original master recording. If not, we’re fully prepared to re-record it. I might have to work on hitting those high notes again! We have located the rhythm track, and we’re actively searching for the original vocal track right now. If it’s lost, we’re ready to re-record it as faithfully as possible to the original, but with a modern recording quality to ensure it sounds great today. I’m determined to give everyone what they want. Whether it becomes a hit again or not, we felt we couldn’t not do it.
Philip: It’s like being Peter Gabriel or Guns N’ Roses – artists who release new music, but everyone always wants to hear that one old song from 40 years ago! You have to please your fans. You can’t be completely self-absorbed as an artist. I have to admit, I hadn’t realized just how catchy “Ulterior Motives song” is. Now, it’s stuck in my head, and I can’t stop singing it! The amazing thing is, going through our old music, we’ve unearthed a whole album’s worth of material from that era that sounds similar to “Ulterior Motives song”. Everyone is saying, “You need to release that album!” This whole experience has been life-changing.
Christopher: It’s definitely given us an extra boost of energy and excitement.
Philip: We just don’t want to miss this opportunity. It’s become something much bigger than just us.
Have you had a chance to explore other music within the lostwave scene since this happened?
Christopher: I haven’t had much time yet because it’s all been quite overwhelming. But I have read the articles, followed the Reddit threads, and watched TikTok and YouTube videos to try and understand the lostwave community better.
Philip: I heard that carl92, the person who initially uploaded the snippet, has gone into hiding because he was embarrassed to admit he might have heard “Ulterior Motives song” in an adult film. [ Editor’s note: It’s still unclear how the anonymous poster, who has since disappeared from WatZatSong, obtained the recording he shared in 2021, claiming he found it on a “DVD backup” from when he was learning audio capture.] Regardless, we owe a massive thank you to carl92. We even had to call our brother Johnny B., who was in Sweeney Todd with us, and ask, “Do you remember that song?” He said, “Yeah.” I told him about the Rolling Stone article and sent it to him. He’s been a dedicated musician his whole life, and we’ve always had immense respect for Rolling Stone. We agreed, the three of us, that we have to get these tracks back out there. Something like this is incredibly rare. There has to be a bigger reason why this has happened. We’re thrilled, and we want to thank everyone involved and share this excitement with them.
What can you tell fans about the other unreleased material you’ve discovered?
Christopher: We’ve found a lot of tracks we worked on with a producer who used to work with Tiffany and New Edition. That’s the sound they were aiming for with us back then, and they produced it really well. We even did covers, like a beautiful version of “Just My Imagination,” the Temptations song. These tracks are in studio quality, and I can remaster them. Regarding “Ulterior Motives song,” we have the rhythm track, and we’re going to layer the original guitar track back in – it’s that classic 80s synthesizer guitar sound.
Philip: Everyone’s been asking about that guitar sound! Back then, we used something called a MIDI guitar. It had two outputs: one for the distorted guitar sound and the other to trigger keyboard sounds. So, when you played, it produced both guitar and keyboard sounds simultaneously.
Christopher: I’m going to re-record the vocals. I think I can still capture the essence, even though I sounded like a “13-year-old girl” back then, which was the sound they were going for, like New Edition.
Philip: We’ve seen people on TikTok and YouTube dissecting and filtering the snippet.
Christopher: Yeah, apparently, I sound like a Japanese girl according to some!
Philip: [Imitating a lostwave sleuth] “At first, I thought it was a male vocalist, but after my detective work, I can hear from the accent that it’s a Japanese girl.” We just laugh, thinking, “Oh, god.”
Christopher: Our plan is to release “Ulterior Motives song” first. If people respond positively and want to hear more, we’re ready to release a full album of tracks in a similar vein – influenced by Culture Club, Depeche Mode, George Michael, ABC, all those great 80s artists. We even went to England to pursue a record deal and were signed to Capitol Records for that type of music. But for various reasons, the deal didn’t quite work out. So, we shifted to making movies instead. We continued doing music for our films, but movies were more financially viable at the time.
Do you still have any of the old equipment you used back then?
Philip: I still have the MIDI guitar! I actually dusted it off just yesterday. We’re planning to make a couple of videos showcasing it.
Christopher: It’s funny how things come full circle. Recently, I had this urge to acquire all these old Seventies synthesizers again. I’m not sure why. I’ve become obsessed with bringing them back – Moogs, and all those classics. I used to work for Keith Emerson as a keyboard tech. I’ve started filling my studio with these vintage keyboards, and I think it’s all connected to this rediscovery of “Ulterior Motives song.”
Philip: We still have a lot of our original gear, including the classic LinnDrum machine. The lostwave detectives even identified that it was a LinnDrum machine on the track, which is amazing how deep they delve into this stuff. But I think they appreciate that authentic 80s sound. If we need to recreate anything, we’ll definitely use the original equipment.
What band name will you use when you release this material?
Philip: That’s a good question! We’re still trying to figure that out. We were trying to remember what we were going by back then. Because we’re identical twin brothers, we even had a band called Who’s Who? People would always come up to us and say, “Who’s who?” We have some amazing promo photos from that era with incredible 80s hairstyles!
Christopher: Maybe a can of hairspray would be a good album cover!
I think “Ulterior Motives” itself would be a fantastic band name. You have plenty of options.
Christopher: Maybe we can let the fans help us decide! The most important thing for us is that we didn’t want to let anyone down. We know so many people have invested time and passion in this search. So, we’re going to release it, and we sincerely hope they enjoy it. We love the song, and we deeply appreciate all the support.
It’s a truly special story, and it really highlights the power of art – that people heard just a snippet of “Ulterior Motives song” and felt compelled to say, “It’s not right that I can’t hear the rest of this song. This song deserves to be heard, and the people who made it deserve recognition.”
Philip: And it all started from just a 17-second clip. It’s incredible.
Christopher: We’re incredibly excited about what’s next. We have successful careers in movies and TV, and I create soundtracks and my own albums, like my recent one called SkyPolar, which is inspired by vintage synthesizers, like Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Pink Floyd, blended with Hans Zimmer and Nine Inch Nails influences. So, we didn’t necessarily need to revisit “Ulterior Motives song”, but we feel a strong sense of obligation and gratitude to everyone who dedicated years to searching for it. We want to do this for them, as a thank you.
