Danger Zone (song)
 |
| "Danger Zone" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "I'm Gonna Do It Right" |
"Danger Zone" is a song, with music composed by Giorgio Moroder and lyrics written by Tom Whitlock, which American singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins recorded and released in 1986. The song appeared on the soundtrack to the 1986 American motion picture Top Gun.
Background
The band Toto were originally intended to perform the track, but legal conflicts between the producers of Top Gun and the band's lawyers prevented this.[1]
Bryan Adams was approached to allow his song "Only the Strong Survive" on the soundtrack and perform "Danger Zone", but Adams refused any involvement, feeling that the film glorified war and he did not want any of his work linked to it.
REO Speedwagon were also approached to perform "Danger Zone", but the group declined due to not being allowed to contribute any of their own compositions to the soundtrack.
Eventually, the film producers agreed that "Danger Zone" would be recorded and performed by Kenny Loggins.[1]
Overview
Dann Huff, lead vocalist and guitarist from the 1980s hard rock group Giant, performed guitar on the selection. The bass line is a classic 1980s sound composed in the main of a plucked bass sound from the ubiquitous Yamaha DX7 synthesizer, with the drums being provided by the LinnDrum, a drum machine designed by Roger Linn, which also appears on hundreds of other 1980s pop hits. A tenor saxophone joins in near the end of the song.
Music video
A music video was released in May of 1986 to promote the single. The video was directed by Tony Scott and featured footage of Loggins singing, as well as clips from the film Top Gun, which Scott also directed.
According to the MuchMusic network's program Pop-Up Video, the U.S. Navy described this video as "the most effective recruiting poster ever produced."
Cover versions
- An animated portion of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show featured a cover of this song sung by a female vocalist.
- Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song in 1990 for The Chipmunks Go to the Movies episode "Batmunk" (a spoof of the 1989 Batman film).
- The song was sung on the 2013 episode "Girls (And Boys) On Film" from American TV series Glee, in a mash-up with Bob Seger's song "Old Time Rock and Roll" from the 1983 film Risky Business, also starring Tom Cruise.
- The animated comedy series Archer turned the song into a running joke. Loggins would later appear as himself in an episode, performing "Danger Zone" as a duet with one of the show's regular characters (season 5, episode 6).[2]
In other media
- The song featured in a trailer for the 2014 film adaption of The Penguins of Madagascar.
- The song is also featured in Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay; the song is played when the film's main characters get detained a second time.
Chart positions
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (RPM) | 7 |
| songid field is MANDATORY FOR GERMAN CHARTS | 10 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[3] | 12 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[4] | 6 |
| United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company) | 45 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 7 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 42 |
References
- ^ a b "Official TOTO Website - Encyclopedia". www.toto99.com. 2007-04-29. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
- ^ http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2014/01/archer-season-5-kenny-loggins-duet-soundtrack-lanas-baby-and-more.html
- ^ "Kenny Loggins – Danger Zone". Top 40 Singles.
- ^ "Kenny Loggins – Danger Zone". Swiss Singles Chart.