Artists & Bands

Kenny Loggins tunes

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The soundtrack hitmaker!

After selling more than 16 million albums with folk duo Loggins and Messina (thanks to hits like Danny’s Song and Your Mama Don’t Dance) Kenny Loggins set off on a solo career.

Loggins’s first solo hit came off his debut album, Celebrate Me Home (1977) in I Believe In Love. Far from the sound of folk rock, this was heavily produced soft rock, reminiscent of Michael McDonald.

The follow-up Nightwatch (1978) had another hit in Whenever I Call You “Friend”, this one featured Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac.

In 1979, Kenny released Keep the Fire. Here we find the really nice This Is It. This marks the end of Kenny Loggins’s output in the ’70s when he’s gone from folk-rock to soft-rock.

As we enter the ’80s, Kenny would find plenty of success in writing hit singles for movies. First up is I’m Alright for Caddyshack (1980).

Following the first big soundtrack, he dropped an album in 1982 called High Adventure. On this release, we find a duet with Steve Perry (Journey) called Don’t Fight It. Have a listen in the playlist above and you’ll hear an early idea he soon would develop for his signature song.

In 1984, Kenny gets another shot at making a soundtrack, this time he goes all in as the tune has the same name as the movie; Footloose.

This is Kenny’s signature song, selling over 2 million copies in the U.S. and the U.K. The film is a huge hit and Kenny Loggins is on top of the world.

More than just Footloose!

His next album, Vox Humana (1985) had another soundtrack tune in Forever for the movie Access All Areas. This album wasn’t as well received as Kenny had perhaps hoped, it was criticized for being overproduced.

Kenny was joined by several artists on this album, including The Pointer Sisters, and members from another ’80s band, Mr. Mister.

Perhaps the critique was justified but as Kenny would prove next, it doesn’t matter how you produce it, as long as the tune is great.

His next soundtrack is for Top Gun and the tune is Danger Zone (1986), clearly a very produced track. If anyone ever wants to reference an extreme ’80s snare sound, this is it!

From now on, Kenny only has success with soundtracks, including Meet Me Half Way (Over The Top with Sylvester Stallone 1987), Nobody’s Fool (Caddyshack II 1988), and For The First Time (One Fine Day 1996).

The last time I saw Loggins was in the late 90s when he launched a kids’ book based on his signature song, Footloose.

Check the playlist above to hear all his hits, soundtracks, and an interview promoting Footloose – the kid’s book!