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Footloose (song)

1984 single by Kenny Loggins

1984 single by Kenny Loggins

FieldValue
nameFootloose
coverKennyLooginsFootlooseSingle.jpg
captionStandard picture sleeve (7-inch single pictured)
typesingle
artistKenny Loggins
albumFootloose: Original Soundtrack of the Paramount Motion Picture
B-sideSwear Your Love
releasedJanuary 11, 1984
recorded1983
genre
length3:48 (album version)
3:42 (single edit)
2:56 (video edit)
labelColumbia
writer
producer
prev_titleWelcome to Heartlight
prev_year1983
next_titleI'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)
next_year1984
misc

| B-side = Swear Your Love 3:42 (single edit) 2:56 (video edit)

"Footloose" is a song co-written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins. It was released in January 1984 as the first of two singles by Loggins from the 1984 film of the same name (the other one being "I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)"). The song spent three weeks at number one, March 31—April 14, 1984, on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Loggins' only chart-topper, and was the first of two number-one hits from the film. Billboard ranked it at the No. 4 song for 1984.

The song was very well received, and is one of the most recognizable songs recorded by Loggins. When the American Film Institute released its AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs, "Footloose" reached the 96th position. The song was covered by country music artist Blake Shelton for the 2011 remake of the 1984 film.

It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 1985 ceremony, losing to Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You" from The Woman in Red.

The single version is slightly shorter in length compared to the album version. It begins with a soloed guitar track instead of a drum intro, and features more prominent backing vocals in the mix, particularly towards the end of the song.

In 2018, it was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

The song has repeatedly been noted for resembling some of the James Gang's "Funk 49".

Music video

The music video for "Footloose" was directed by Brian Grant. It uses the single version and features several scenes from the film, in particular the warehouse where Kevin Bacon's character performs an unorchestrated dance routine (which was actually performed to a different song in the film itself).

Personnel

  • Kenny Loggins – lead vocals
  • Neil Larsen – keyboards
  • Steve Wood – keyboards, backing vocals
  • Buzz Feiten – guitar
  • Nathan East – bass guitar, vocals ("Put your feet on the ground")
  • Michael Boddicker – synth bass, percussion
  • Tris Imboden – drums
  • Paulinho da Costa – percussion
  • Marilyn Dorman, Rick Washington, & Lynn Fanelli – backing vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1984)Peak
position
Argentina (CAPIF)6
title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992last=Kentfirst=Davidauthor-link=David Kent (historian)publisher=Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.Wyear=1993isbn=0-646-11917-6}}1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)8
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)26
Canada Top Singles (RPM)1
Canada (The Record)5
Colombia (UPI)1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)11
Ireland (IRMA)4
Paraguay (UPI)3
Peru (UPI)1
Puerto Rico (UPI)6
South Africa (Springbok)1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)4
West Germany (Media Control Charts)4
Chart (2019)Peak
position

Year-end charts

Chart (1984)Rank
Australia (Kent Music Report)7
Canada17
New Zealand9
South Africa12
UK Singles (Gallup)82
US Billboard Hot 1004

All-time charts

Chart (1958–2018)Position
US Billboard Hot 100313

Certifications

Blake Shelton version

Blake Shelton covered the song for the 2011 remake of the film. Shelton's version also appears on the film's soundtrack. It charted at number 63 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in November 2011. A music video for Shelton's version of the song, directed by Shaun Silva, premiered in October 2011.

Music video

The video opens with Blake Shelton driving a pickup truck into a drive-in theater screening the 2011 remake of the 1984 movie wherein the manager and ticket seller tells him that the film was only about to start. He then enters the compound where the cinema patrons watch the film while his backing band set up their instruments, which make the patrons take notice of them. Shelton and his band begin to perform the song and the theater patrons join in dancing while scenes from the film are played. The music video was filmed in early 2011 at the Hi-Way 50 Drive In theater located in Lewisburg, Tennessee.

Personnel

  • Blake Shelton – vocals

Chart performance

Chart (2011)Peak
position

Certifications

Other cover versions

VeggieTales performed this song on the album Bob and Larry Sing the 80's.

The final episode of the second season of Regular Show titled "Karaoke Video", where Pops (voiced by Sam Marin) sings his version of the song towards the end.

American pop punk band Good Charlotte covered the song for the film Not Another Teen Movie.

Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet) and Artie Abrams (Kevin McHale) performed this song in the Glee season 4 episode "Girls (and Boys) On Film".

Andrew Goodwin and David Johnson sang a cover of this song for Final Space, season 2, episode 4, "The Other Side".

The song is featured on the dance-based music game Just Dance Kids 2014 and covered by The Just Dance Kids. It is also featured on Just Dance 2018 as a cover by Marc Martel (credited as "Top Culture" in game).

Swedish band Herreys recorded a Swedish version for their album Diggi Loo, Diggi Ley.

References

References

  1. Lamb, Bill. (2019-05-22). "The Top 100 Best Party Songs of All Time".
  2. Breihan, Tom. (August 12, 2020). "The Number Ones: Kenny Loggins' "Footloose".
  3. Molanphy, Chris. (September 16, 2024). "What's 1984 Got to Do with It Edition". [[Slate (magazine).
  4. Mitchell, Matt. (December 8, 2024). "Every #1 Hit From 1984, Ranked Worst to Best".
  5. [{{AllMusic
  6. [[Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1984]]
  7. (March 21, 2018). "National Recording Registry Reaches 500". Library of Congress.
  8. Vertex Effects. (2025-01-20). "Nathan East Breaks Down his Most Iconic Bass Parts".
  9. "Cash Box - International Best Sellers". Cash Box. 14 July 1984. p. 26..
  10. Kent, David. (1993). "[[Kent Music Report". Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W.
  11. "Kent Music Report No 548 – 31 December 1984 > National Top 100 Singles for 1984". [[Kent Music Report]].
  12. Hung, Steffen. "Kenny Loggins - Footloose".
  13. [http://top30-2.radio2.be/#/search/footloose Belgian peak] {{webarchive. link. (2012-04-09)
  14. (17 July 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada".
  15. Nanda Lwin. (1999). "Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide". Music Data Canada.
  16. (21 July 1984). "Canciones más populares en Colombia". [[La Opinión]].
  17. Pennanen, Timo. (2021). "Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021". Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava.
  18. "The Irish Charts - All there is to know".
  19. (16 June 1984). "Canciones más populares en Paraguay". [[La Opinión]].
  20. (3 August 1984). "Listas de éxitos". UPI.
  21. (4 May 1984). "Canciones más populares en Puerto Rico". [[La Opinión]].
  22. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989".
  23. "Kenny Loggins - Footloose".
  24. "musicline.de".
  25. "Top 100 Singles of 1984 – Volume 41, No. 17, January 05 1985". [[Library and Archives Canada]].
  26. "The Official New Zealand Music Chart".
  27. "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1984".
  28. "Top 100 Singles 1984". Music Week.
  29. "Top 100 Hits of 1984/Top 100 Songs of 1984".
  30. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart".
  31. (May 11, 1985). "And Fancy Free".
  32. "CMT : Videos : Blake Shelton : Footloose". [[Country Music Television]].
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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