The week of July 19, 1986, found a trio of songs atop the Billboard Hot 100 that I’ve already covered: Genesis’ ‘Invisible Touch,’ Peter Gabriel’s ‘Sledgehammer,’ and Janet Jackson’s ‘Nasty.’
At #4 that week was Kenny Loggins’ ‘Danger Zone,’ the first of eight singles from the blockbuster soundtrack to the blockbuster movie Top Gun. Second single ‘Take My Breath Away,’ by Berlin, ended up making the bigger splash, reaching #1 and winning the Academy Award for Best Song. But this one was no slouch, peaking at #2 later that July.
Like ‘Take My Breath Away,’ this song was written by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock. Loggins was the fifth artist approached to perform it after the first four declined.
Toto passed first, after their lawyers couldn’t come to terms with the film’s producers. REO Speedwagon was next, declining because they preferred to write their own songs, not cover somebody else’s. Corey Hart said no for the same reason.
Bryan Adams took a more principled stand, saying he didn’t want to appear on the soundtrack of a movie that glorified the military industrial complex.
That left Loggins, who had his second-biggest hit with the song, following the #1 ‘Footloose’ from another iconic soundtrack two years earlier.
Old songs. Great memories.
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Revvin’ up your engine
Listen to her howlin’ roar
Metal under tension
Beggin’ you to touch and go
[Chorus]
Highway to the danger zone
Ride into the danger zone
[Verse 2]
Headin’ into twilight
Spreadin’ out her wings tonight
She got you jumpin’ off the deck
And shovin’ into overdrive
[Chorus]
Highway to the danger zone
I’ll take you right into the danger zone
[Bridge]
You’ll never say hello to you
Until you get it on the red line overload
You’ll never know what you can do
Until you get it up as high as you can go
[Verse 3]
Out along the edges
Always where I burn to be
The further on the edge
The hotter the intensity
[Chorus]
Highway to the danger zone
Gonna take it right into the danger zone
Highway to the danger zone
Ride into the danger zone
Highway to the danger zone
Gonna take it right into the danger zone
Highway to the danger zone
Ride into the danger zone
[Outro]
Highway to the danger zone
Gonna take it right into the danger zone
Highway to the danger zone
Ride into the danger zone
Highway to the danger zone
Gonna take it right into the danger zone
Meet Me In Montauk 
As someone who really liked Kenny Loggins’ earlier work, I was disappointed in his commercial money grab of doing “Footloose” and “Danger Zone.” I had assumed he had written both songs as well, so I’m somehow slightly less bothered that he didn’t write “Danger Zone.”
Interesting history of how this song happened and yes I like throwback weekends !