Kenny Loggins Plans ‘Danger Zone’ Duet for ‘Top Gun’ Sequel
Traffic may be ramping up on that highway to the danger zone, as Kenny Loggins hopes to recruit a younger rock act to recreate his classic Top Gun theme song for the movie's upcoming sequel.
Loggins recorded "Danger Zone" -- which was written by Georgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock, who also play on the track -- for the 1986 blockbuster Tom Cruise film, after Toto, Bryan Adams, REO Speedwagon and Corey Hart turned down the honor.
"I certainly hope so," Loggins recently said, when asked by TMZ whether the song will be featured in the sequel Top Gun: Maverick, which is currently filming. "I met Tom Cruise on [The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy] Fallon, and I asked him that question, and he said, of course, we have to use 'Danger Zone.'" Cruise will be reprising his role as hotshot pilot Maverick.
The veteran rocker wants to put a new spin on the song, infusing it with some young blood. "I'm hoping to do it, maybe as a duet, with a young act," he said, noting that he's put some feelers out, but did not reveal to whom, or whether it was a single artist or group. When asked whether he would offer a hint, Loggins said, "I'm thinking about that right now, and I'd like to but I don't think that's a good idea because they may want to keep it secret" but admitted "the rockers I'm interested in are male."
Loggins added that he'd "love to do a walk-on in the movie, but that probably won't happen ... even a photobomb."
The Top Gun soundtrack hit No. 1 the year it was released and remains one of the top-selling soundtracks in history. It featured tracks from some other classic rockers, including Cheap Trick's "Mighty Wings" and the "Top Gun Anthem" by keyboardist Harold Faltermeyer and guitarist Steve Stevens.
“My work in Top Gun was an extension of Billy [Idol]," Stevens said a few years ago. "Harold Faltermeyer was playing keyboards for our Whiplash Smile record. He casually mentioned this movie to me and how they needed someone to do the theme on guitar. At the end of the day we rolled tape, and I think it took all of three hours to complete. I had actually forgotten about it for a while."
Here's Loggins' original "Danger Zone" to get you pumped.