» 1980s, Pop, Rock » Footloose – Kenny Loggins
Footloose – Kenny Loggins
I’m a child of the 80s. I know the music, the movies, the books, the TV shows. Besides John Hughes, the patron saint of 80s teen movies (see my list of the “Top 6 Greatest John Hughes Movie/Music Songs”, the patron saint of movie soundtrack hits is Kenny Loggins. Love him or hate him, you have to respect Loggins’ success during the 1980s.
Here’s the short list of big hits:
- Caddyshack – I’m Alright (#7 Billboard hit in 1980)
- Footloose – Footloose (#1 Billboard hit in 1984)
- Footloose – I’m Free (#60 Billboard hit in 1984)
- Top Gun – Danger Zone (#2 Billboard hit in 1986)
I caught about 15 minutes of Footloose on TV last week and it reminded me of the days when Kenny ruled the airwaves. He wasn’t just a soundtrack guy, however. The man had a total of five top-10 Billboard hits and four top -20 hits between 1978 and 1988. Plus, I’m not ashamed to admit that Kenny Loggins was ALMOST my first concert back in 1980. Unfortunately, Kenny fell off the dark stage as he was making his grand entrance and broke two ribs. True story. I was there and felt totally ripped off.
So tonight, enjoy a healthy slab of 80s cheese direct from the man, the legend, the closest rock star visually to the traditional Christian image of Jesus Christ, Mr. Kenny Loggins.
Buy The Essential Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins “Footloose” video
Kenny Loggins “Danger Zone” video
Kenny Loggins “I’m Alright” video from Caddyshack
Watch the “I’m Alright” video. It’s classic Kenny wearing an orange jumpsuit in 1980 with his big band.
Kenny Loggins “I’m Free” video
Written by Michael Waterman
I'm an obsessive music collector, cataloger, commenter and trivia nut. Sometimes I'm even a listener. One-hit wonders have always been a guilty pleasure.
Filed under: 1980s, Pop, Rock · Tags: 1980, 1983, 1985, Danger Zone, Footloose, I'm Alright, I'm Free, Kenny Loggins, Pop, Rock
If only Kenny had done MORE movie songs during the 80s. Some of these are cheesy, but they sound genius compared to some of the crap we heard during the 80s. For example, why couldn’t he have penned the theme song to Ghostbusters? Instead we were subjected to Ray Parker Jr.’s
Some other 80s lowlights…
Survivor may have struck gold with Eye of the Tiger from Rocky III, but they struck sh*t with “The Moment of Truth” from The Karate Kid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqZQsv1QPA4
And if that isn’t bad enough, “You’re the Best” by Joe Esposito, also from The Karate Kid, is even worse.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qae_TUTeGo
Then you have “Win In The End” by someone named Mark Safan from Teen Wolf. Just awful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4kfwhUm3O8&feature=related
Or, sticking with Michael J. Fox movies, Night Ranger’s “The Secret of My Success” from the movie of the same name just sucks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLv6RjnyvVc
Oh that Kenny Loggins could have penned any of those tunes. And if not Kenny, then another 80s stalwart like Huey Lewis (i.e. Back to the Future) or Lindsey Buckingham (i.e. Vacation) or Phil Collins (i.e. Against All Odds, Miami Vice, White Nights).
You hit it perfectly!
I just got The Essential Kenny Loggins! Anyone growin’ up in the 80′s has got to take your lunchmoney and get this, don’t be a wimp – don’t do it for your wife, do it for yourself and buy it now if you havn’t already.
You like good times and good memories, right? Loggins will do it!
Matt,
It’s time for your list of the top 5 greatest 80s soundtrack hits. You are supremely qualified for this task.
I love this site, and the previous commentors seem cool, but you are all on crack, and not in a good way.
Between Huey Lewis and the News, and Kenny Loggins (or, worse, Loggins and Messina), we have a clear demonstration of why humanity must be exterminated. and now I’ve got “Your Momma Don’t Dance, and Your Daddy Don’t Rock ‘n’ Roll” stuck in my head, which makes me sad. Why do you have to hurt me like this?
Jeremiadist,
Thanks for reading the site. Believe me, my mind has been damaged many times by songs that get lodged in there and won’t leave. Some songs that pop in are classics and never grow old. Others nearly require a lobotomy to excise.
Keep reading and commenting; I’ll do my part to keep posting the good and bad that runs through my brain.