From the album
Title: “Danger Zone”
Artist: Kenny Loggins
Year: 1987
Writer(s): Giorgio Moroder/Tom Whitlock
Genre: Rock
Highest chart position (if applicable) 45 (UK) 2 (US)
Album: Top Gun OST
Did I own it? Yes
Album, single, both or neither? Album
Opinion then: Positive
Opinion now: Positive
These days: Crops up all the time, especially now that the movie has been remade. Must have made Kenny Loggins a rich man. Oh no wait: he didn’t write it. Oh well, it’s always associated with him. At least he doesnt’ have to play that damned sax any more. Ah, no. That’s Kenny G, innit?
Not all that surprising that a song from a movie about American F-14 fighter pilots would score higher on the Billboard chart than here at home, and though the movie was of course a hit everywhere, leading to a number 1 for Berlin with the ballad “Take My Breath Away”, here we only heard “Danger Zone” if we went to see the movie or if, like me, we bought the soundtrack album. It’s not a terrible album, as I reviewed it years ago in my journal, though of course it’s hardly the best ever. This is one of the better tracks though, and it bounces and rocks and punches its way along with a real sense of “hell yeah!” American gung-ho and USA! USA! USA! Blasting from the speakers.
It’s the perfect soundtrack to flying a Tomcat 30,000 miles up or whatever, sighting a Mig and letting the missiles fly. I mean, it’s total imperialist nonsense, as much as was
Independence Day, but it’s harmless, enjoyable, exciting imperialist nonsense, and the song really gets the blood pumping. That of course has mostly to be credited to Giorgio Moroder, more known for his electronic dance tunes, and Tom Whitlock, who wrote the lyric, and about whom I know nothing. Oh wait: I see he also wrote Berlin’s hit. But Loggins does well with what he’s given, although I suppose any good ol’ American boy could have done the same. In fact, many were approached, including Toto, REO Speedwagon, Jefferson Starship and Corey Hart. All turned it down for different reasons, Whatever your view on American defence and foreign policy though, or your stance on warmongering and glorifying combat and aggression, it stands as one hell of a tune.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK0P1Bk8Cx4