The Soundtrack Hitmaker: Kenny Loggins’ Journey from Folk to Film
After selling more than 16 million albums with the folk duo Loggins and Messina, thanks to hits like Danny’s Song and Your Mama Don’t Dance, Kenny Loggins embarked on a successful solo career.
Loggins’ first solo hit came from his debut album Celebrate Me Home (1977) with the track I Believe In Love. This song marked a departure from the folk rock sound, leaning more into heavily produced soft rock, reminiscent of Michael McDonald’s style.
The follow-up album, Nightwatch (1978), produced another hit with Whenever I Call You “Friend”, a track that featured Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac. In 1979, Loggins released Keep the Fire, which included the standout track This Is It. This marked the end of Loggins’ output in the ’70s, a decade where he transitioned from folk-rock to soft rock.
As the ’80s began, Loggins shifted focus to soundtrack work, where he found significant success. His first major hit in this arena was I’m Alright, written for the 1980 film Caddyshack.
Following his breakthrough in the soundtrack world, Loggins released High Adventure in 1982. One notable track on this album is Don’t Fight It, a duet with Steve Perry of Journey. This song offered a glimpse of the sound Loggins would soon perfect with his signature hit.
In 1984, Loggins went all in with Footloose, a song that not only mirrored the movie’s title but also became Loggins’ most iconic hit. The track went on to sell over 2 million copies in both the U.S. and the U.K., with the film itself becoming a huge success. By then, Kenny Loggins had firmly established himself as a leading hitmaker in the soundtrack world.
More Than Just Footloose: Kenny Loggins’ Continued Success in Soundtracks
Kenny Loggins’ next album, Vox Humana (1985), featured another soundtrack song, Forever, for the film Access All Areas. However, this album wasn’t as well received as some of his previous work. Critics described it as overly produced, and despite collaborations with artists like The Pointer Sisters and members of the ’80s band Mr. Mister, it didn’t have the same impact Loggins had hoped for.
Perhaps the critique was valid, but Loggins would soon demonstrate that it doesn’t matter how a song is produced—what truly matters is the strength of the tune itself. His next major success came in the form of Danger Zone (1986), a track written for the blockbuster movie Top Gun. With its quintessential ’80s snare sound, Danger Zone became a major hit, cementing its place in pop culture.
From that point on, Loggins found continued success primarily through soundtracks. He went on to release Meet Me Half Way (from Over The Top with Sylvester Stallone, 1987), Nobody’s Fool (from Caddyshack II, 1988), and For The First Time (from One Fine Day, 1996), keeping his place in the world of movie music.
The last time I saw Loggins was in the late ’90s when he launched a children’s book inspired by his iconic song Footloose.
Check out the playlist above to hear all of his greatest hits, soundtracks, and even an interview promoting Footloose—the kid’s book!
Kenny Loggins Tunes | Related Pages
Footloose | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Footloose by Kenny Loggins using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| A N.C | N.C D/F# | A N.C | N.C D/F# |
Been working so hard, I’m punching my card…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Footloose (Kenny Loggins) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Kenny Loggins on the web
