10 Greatest Songs Written For Movies
9. Danger Zone - Kenny Loggins (Top Gun)
The '80s were truly the decade of the blockbuster soundtrack. While there were many phenomenal films being made left and right, you could probably fare much better by getting a great song to accompany your film. There have been plenty of big name stars who have benefited from a soundtrack song, but Kenny Loggins is one of the few artists who owes his career to his soundtrack contributions.
Many people can probably think of Loggins' theme song to Footloose as his pop masterpiece, but things didn't start getting interesting until he got to Top Gun. For the most part, the film is a typical action movie, with the usual car chase scenes being swapped with fighter pilots, but "Danger Zone" takes it to a much different place. Rather than be just another pump up jam, the buzz of the synthesizers make you feel like something epic is about to unfold when you hear it.
Given that the movie is about pilots, it also isn't a mistake that the hook line conjures up the image of a jet about to take off. The producers probably recognized the power of the song's hook, seeing as they use it multiple times during key scenes in the movie. Top Gun is already a good bit of cheesy awesomeness from the '80s, but it took "Danger Zone" to make it truly legendary.