Line Out Music & the City at Night

Slog

News & Arts

@SEAshows
Twitter feed of Seattle shows on sale now

« You Really Should Read "Embarrassin… | Who's Getting Trippy With Juicy J T… »

Friday, July 27, 2012

Life / Shotgunning Is "Highway to the Danger Zone" a Serious Song?

Posted by Emily Nokes on Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 12:09 PM

Jen Graves remembers a time when "Highway to the Danger Zone" was a serious song*. I do not remember this time, but I do remember back when Tom Cruise was a person, so it sounds like I just missed it. I took a re-listen and WHOA is this one seriously pumped-up Kenny Loggins testosteroney n' cheese fest! I didn't realize that: a) the airplane is a female who is "spreadin' out her wings tonight"; b) Kenny has affected a special accent just for this song; or that c) Kenny Loggins was born in Everett, WA??

The last one-and-a-half minutes of this three-and-a-half minute long song are just Kenny howling (in his special 80's Danger Zone accent) "hiiiiighwaaay to the daaaaangah zoooooooooooaaane." That is such a long time to repeat a chorus! Does this song pump you up? Are you serious about this song? Because let me tell you, "you'll never say hello to you until you get it on the red line overload."

*"It did seem really serious at the time. I thought it was serious. But I also thought I would have satin sheets when I grew up." - JG

FacebookShare

Comments (8) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

I am gay because of Top Gun.

Posted by Christopher Frizzelle on July 27, 2012 at 12:03 PM

No one makes motivational rock anymore.

Posted by Travis Ritter

on July 27, 2012 at 12:13 PM

@1: Trying hard to make a "Bottom Gun" joke here. I got nothing.

Posted by Emily Nokes on July 27, 2012 at 12:16 PM

LANAAAAAAAAAA!

Posted by madcap on July 27, 2012 at 1:02 PM

We took it VERY seriously when it was theme song to the "speed skate" portion of the evening. http://www.cityofwellman.com/wp-content/…

Posted by the management on July 27, 2012 at 1:38 PM

Well, Bill Walsh played "This Is It" to the 49ers in the locker room of their first Superbowl and the Niners won, so that must have been a serious song.

Posted by seatackled on July 27, 2012 at 3:08 PM

One way to figure out if this is a "serious" song or not might be to think of a serious artist it might be plagiarizing. Like how the band America pretends to be Neil Young on a "Horse With No Name." I have been thinking about it, but due to the extended lyrical minimalism of the final minute and a half, I can only think of Neil Young's "T-Bone." (An "A T-Bone In The Danger Zone" mash up would be mashed potatoes & gravy.)

Posted by Estey on July 27, 2012 at 3:48 PM