Actually, you're right! Straight out of Labyrinth Zone and S3 Comp screen. I think it was a common voice of the era, but I haven't used it in any other official capacity other than these.
That bass was one of the default patches for the Yamaha DX7, so you heard it everywhere. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3rrjQtQe5A 7:59