Moti Special was a German new wave band, formed in 1981 in Hamburg, by Danish guitar player Nils Tuxen, Romanian keyboard player Michael Cretu, bassist/vocalist Manfred "Thissy" Thiers and drummer [Reinhard "Dickie" Tarrach. All of the members had previous experience as session musicians. Thiers decided on the name of the band after visiting an Indian restaurant in London together with German-Israeli artist Moti Argaman, where they had the "special" (extra spicy) dish of the house.

It was not until 1985 that the band became successful. Although their first single, "Stop! Girls Go Crazy", did not chart, the follow-up, "Cold Days, Hot Nights", was a major hit in Europe, reaching number 3 in Germany. The third single "Don't Be So Shy" made it to number 9. The band's first album, Motivation, reached number 20 on the charts in that same year.