This week on their Fly on the Wall podcast, hosts Dana Carvey and David Spade welcome Yacht-Rock Captain Kenny Loggins to the program to discuss his favorite Saturday Night Live memories, and a whole lot more.
LISTEN NOW: Fly on the Wall | Kenny Loggins
Currently touring on his farewell trek, SNL alums Carvey and Spade dove right into the music with superstar singer and songwriter Kenny Loggins about some of his biggest hit songs -- solo and with songwriting partner Jim Messina -- as well as his amazing movie soundtrack inclusions, and his experiences performing on Saturday Night Live.
"It's very exciting, you hope you're ready," Kenny says looking back on his time on SNL. "I did the show a couple of times... One time was 'Heart To Heart,' and I'm pretty sure I did 'Footloose.' But I did the other [show] that was way better... 'Fridays' I think it was called." Sick burn, Kenny.
Of course, Kenny's Top Gun-theme "Danger Zone" had to be discussed, for one because David Spade always thought the lyrics were "I went into the Danger Zone," rather than the actual "highway" that had been penned.
"How dangerous is 'The Zone?' It's just a question," Dana Carvey joked when the single was brought up. "You wrote that down, did ya?," Kenny quipped back.
Kenny described being part of a "cattle call" of artists gathered to watch the original Jerry Bruckheimer flick and choosing to write a song for the volleyball scene, rather than the opening fighter jet sequence, knowing everyone else would shoot for that. "Because then you're on the album," he says, "and you're one of 10 or 12 songs that can be chosen for a single... that's what I went for."
"So, I got 'Playing with the Boys' in," he continues, "and when I was recording that, I got a call from [Giorgio] Moroder and his office," who needed a singer for "Danger Zone."
Writing credits, however, were another matter. "Here's the deal, I don't think I put this in the book," Kenny says. "Giorgio and [Tom] Whitlock his co-writer, they were trying for an Academy Award for their music in the movie. But it had to be the same two writers, so they couldn't add me as a writer." They agreed on publishing rights to cover him financially, but when Moroder sold his publishing company, "something got lost in the shuffle and my name was dropped off the record for like 10 years," Kenny says. "I didn't get paid for at least ten years, maybe twelve."
Once that has been settled, he's since been enjoying the new resurgence of the single from Top Gun: Maverick. He says his good friend and producer, Tommy Dowd, once told him, "Success is like a moving train, and for a minute you're in the window, then the train moves on." Kenny's train, he believes is, "like a Lionel. It just keeps comin' around. 'Danger Zone' is back in the window and it's cool again."
Listen to the full episode with Kenny Loggins above -- now playing on Audacy -- as Cadence13 invites you to be a Fly on the Wall with Saturday Night Live alumni Dana Carvey and David Spade behind the scenes as they reminisce about their most memorable stories and moments with friends of the show. In each episode, you’ll hear from your favorite cast members, hosts, writers, and musical guests as they share never-before-told stories about their careers.
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