I did not get a call, but I did Jimmy Kimmel Live! about four years ago, and Tom was on the same show. How did that come about? Did Tom Cruise personally ask?
Seems like it was a safe assumption “Danger Zone” would be used in another Top Gun film. It’s really well written, a lot of character development for the new characters and a lot of Saturday matinee cliffhanging that really works for this film. I like the first one a lot, but this one has an energy to it that reminds me of Indiana Jones or Star Wars. What did you think of Top Gun: Maverick? Same excitement that you experienced from the original when you first saw it all put together in the theater? He also sheds some light on how those random Family Guy appearances came about. Loggins, who has two upcoming shows in July at the Hollywood Bowl with his former partner and collaborator Jim Messina, told The Hollywood Reporter he is equal parts elated and surprised his path has once again crossed with a serendipitous Tom Cruise project. 'The Simpsons,' 'Family Guy,' 'American Dad!' Production and IT Workers Win Voluntary Union RecognitionĪnd now, 36 years later, the up-tempo “Danger Zone” is back to greater pump viewers’ adrenaline in Paramount’s critically praised (97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) Top Gun: Maverick.
It would be more than a decade, after Moroder sold his catalog to Warner Bros., before Loggins would be properly compensated and credited as “Danger Zone” co-writer. So Loggins’ name was kept off the tune, and subsequently Moroder and Whitlock’s “Take My Breath Away” won for best original song. In fact, as he notes in his memoir, Loggins did enough to merit a co-writing credit, but that would have torpedoed Moroder and Whitlock’s eligibility to submit the required number of songs from Top Gun for Oscar consideration.
In the zone song rating series#
But, through a series of events, Loggins went on to rock the song, which became arguably his most synonymous hit, instantly cemented in pop culture as a quintessential ’80s anthem.Īlthough “Danger Zone” was a solid number when Moroder and Whitlock wrote it, Loggins had to tinker with the tune - chord changes and lyrics - for the final product to be a massive hit. For Kenny Loggins, the highway to the “Danger Zone” has been one hell of a ride.Īs he explains in his upcoming Still Alright: A Memoir, due out June 14, the iconic Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated musician wasn’t even among the top choices to record the high-octane number written by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock for the 1986 Top Gun soundtrack.