Kenny Loggins proved to be an extremely resilient hitmaker of the 1970s and ’80s. When you look at the time span between the first and last of the five songs (chronologically) in this list, you can see that he stood high on the Billboard pop charts for more than a decade.
And keep in mind that we’re only counting his solo songs here, not the time spent as a duo with Jim Messina, which adds a few more smash singles to his ledger. Here are the five highest-charting songs (in the U.S.) of Loggins’ solo career.
5. “Nobody’s Fool” (No. 8 in 1988)
Let’s be real honest here: Caddyshack II is not remembered very fondly, either by those who saw it or those who made it. Trying to recapture the anarchic spirit of the first movie was never a good idea, especially with hardly any of the folks who were responsible for the first one returning for the sequel. But somehow, Loggins, whose songs had played such a big part of the first film, managed to come back and keep his head above water. The spirited “Nobody’s Fool” was Loggins’ final Top-10 hit, and it proved once again that nobody was any better and delivering memorable movie songs.
4. “I’m Alright” (No. 7 in 1980)
We stay in the Caddyshack franchise for a song that has had much more staying power than “Nobody’s Fool.” In fact, hearing it will probably have those who were around at the time immediately thinking of a dancing gopher. Beyond all that, Loggins managed to get in the head of the main character in the film and make all that relatable for anyone who hadn’t seen the first Caddyshack film and just happened to hear the song blasting out of a car radio. Loggins’ rhythmic sensibilities make this one catchy as anything, and the cool vocal breakdown in the middle of the song never ceases to amaze.
3. “Whenever I Call You Friend” (No. 5 in 1978)
Loggins’ first solo album Celebrate Me Home features a couple songs that have shown legs over time, but didn’t do very well from a commercial standpoint when released. That’s why “Whenever I Call You Friend” proved to be an important song for him, as it established his ability to make it happen as a solo artist. Although, technically, he wasn’t solo, as he called on Stevie Nicks to come in and do a duet on the record (she wasn’t credited on the single). If you’re struggling to remember this one, you might be able to place it better based on the refrain’s first line: Sweet love showing us a heavenly light.
2. “Danger Zone” (No. 2 in 1986)
Giorgio Moroder knew a thing or two about producing soundtrack hits over the years, and he was sure he had one when he heard songwriter Tom Whitlock’s “Danger Zone,” with lyrics and a sense of high drama that played perfectly into the themes of Top Gun. The only problem is he couldn’t find anyone to accept the gig of performing the song. Allegedly, Jefferson Starship, Toto, REO Speedwagon, and Corey Hart all turned it down. Good thing, too, because we can’t imagine anybody but Loggins knocking it out of the park the way he did.
1. “Footloose” (No. 1 in 1984)
Let’s first contemplate how many different ways this could have gone wrong. The brief couldn’t have been easy: Write a song with the somewhat awkward title of “Footloose” and have it capture the spirit of the movie while also making sense to those who haven’t seen the film. But then again, there’s a reason why Loggins was the king of the soundtrack song, because he was able to handle these assignments so well. He and co-writer Dean Pitchford came up with a song where that title word represents a sense of freedom and zest for life in the face of the routine and drudgery surrounding us as we go about our daily existence.
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Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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