Kenny Loggins Re-Recorded ‘Danger Zone’ for ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ — Why the Sequel Passed On It
variety.comJazz Tangcay Artisans EditorKenny Loggins’ 1986 hit “Danger Zone” is climbing the iTunes chart again thanks to the phenomenal box office success of “Top Gun: Maverick.”The song first roared to success when it appeared in the original film and on the soundtrack. “Danger Zone” was composed by Giorgio Moroder and the lyrics were written by Tom Whitlock.
Before Loggins walked in the door and added his ideas to the tune, the song went through different vocalists including REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin, but Cronin couldn’t hit the high notes.Loggins could and did.The “Top Gun” soundtrack would go on to become one of the biggest-selling movie albums of all-time, so its sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick,” seemed a natural place to revisit the song.
Loggins spoke with Variety about re-recording “Danger Zone,” but why the original was deemed superior, and his upcoming autobiography, “Still Alright,” out June 14.Are you looking forward to having a new generation discover “Danger Zone?”The last thing I expected was a rerun of “Top Gun” 36 years later, but we have been talking about a sequel since the first film came out.And six years ago, I ran into Tom [Cruise] when we were both booked on Jimmy Kimmel.
I said, “I know you’re doing the new ‘Top Gun,’ but what’s the deal? Is ‘Danger Zone’ a part of it?’ He said, ‘It wouldn’t be ‘Top Gun’ without ‘Danger Zone.’ He stayed true to this word.The director met with me when I was playing at the Hollywood Bowl with Michael McDonald.
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