Last week, a bad joke on my part prompted a suggestion from one of you wonderful readers, and, well, never let it be said that I’m not open to suggestions when it comes to Friday music posts. So this week, we get that great movie-theme performer, he whose signature tune evokes images of a young Tom Cruise climbing into an F-14 – not to mention either Kevin Bacon, or an animatronic gopher, dancing.
That’s right. Kenny Loggins--or, if you’re a fan of the TV show “Archer,” K-Log.
Danger Zone (1986): Best known from the movie “Top Gun,” this was also more or less the self-claimed theme song of the main character in the FX animated spy-comedy “Archer.” Sterling Archer was fond of proclaiming he was going into the “danger zone” with each new adventure, culminating in a self-voiced appearance by Kenny Loggins himself. He even performed the song on the show, in his guise as “K-Log.”
Yes, I like “Archer” more than “Top Gun.” Sue me.
I’m Alright (1980): Another soundtrack piece, this one the theme from the comedy “Caddyshack,” which proved beyond any argument that the late Rodney Dangerfield could steal the show even from Chevy Chase and Bill Murray. A single viewing of that film will render you forever unable to hear this song without picturing an animatronic dancing gopher.
See Related: Start Your Weekend Right With Five Great '80s Music Videos
With Jim Messina - Your Mama Don’t Dance (1972): A typically unserious, early ‘70s rock song, but it’s a fun one, with the lyrics bringing up images of some of the Generation Gap things that were the topic of conversation in that long-past decade. Like this:
You pull into a drive-in, and find a place to park
You hop into the backseat, where you know it's nice and dark
You're just about to move-in, thinkin' it's a breeze
There's a light in your eyes, and then a guy says, "Out of the car longhair Louie, you're comin' with me, the local police"
Good times. Except, you know, for the going to jail part.
With Stevie Nicks – Whenever I Call You Friend (1978): There’s an interesting contrast in this one; it’s a nice song, easy to listen to, and while it doesn’t make you want to get up and start throwing your feet around, it blends Loggins’ voice well with the rich vocals of the very young (and beautiful) Nicks. It’s not an award-winner, but it’s a good, solid tune.
See Related: Start Your Weekend Right With Five Great Fun Rock Tunes From the Early Seventies
With Michael McDonald - This Is It (1979): I remember this one getting a lot of radio play when I was a senior in high school, which was when it was released. It has a quick step to it, it’s upbeat and peppy – an all-around, great tune that shows off Kenny’s vocals pretty well. This song may have been “it,” or it may not, but it teamed him up with McDonald – yes, of the Doobie Brothers – and it hit #11 on the U.S. Billboard Top 100, so that’s not too bad.
And, yes, I suppose I have to include this one:
Footloose (1984): OK, I have to say, I was never a fan of the movie. My first wife was and insisted that I not only take her to the movie twice in the theater, but that we watch it a couple of years later on cable. (Back then, streaming services came into your house via cable, and that was called “cable television.”) That was just one of many things we didn’t see eye to eye on, which is why she was my first wife and not my present one.
But, I have to admit, the song, used to good effect in the film's last act, is one you can dance to.
Kenny Loggins is still around. He’s still in the game. Like many of us, he’s a little weatherbeaten, a little grayer, a little older. But he had a sound that was all his; he was a radio staple, and he brightened up the movie industry for us. That isn’t at all a bad legacy, not one bit of it.
