Footloose (song)

"Footloose"
Standard picture sleeve (7-inch single pictured)
Single by Kenny Loggins
from the album Footloose: Original Soundtrack of the Paramount Motion Picture
B-side"Swear Your Love"
ReleasedJanuary 11, 1984
Recorded1983
Genre
Length
  • 3:48 (album version)
  • 3:42 (single version)
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Kenny Loggins
  • Lee DeCarlo
Kenny Loggins singles chronology
"Welcome to Heartlight"
(1983) 		"Footloose"
(1984) 		"I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)"
(1984)

"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.[5]

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".[6]

  1. ^ a b Lamb, Bill (2019-05-22). "The Top 100 Best Party Songs of All Time". LiveAbout. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  2. ^ a b Lecaro, Lina (November 19, 2016). "This Monthly Club Is a Non-Ironic Celebration of Rock's Softer Side". LA Weekly.
  3. ^ Breihan, Tom (August 12, 2020). "The Number Ones: Kenny Loggins' "Footloose". Stereogum. Retrieved July 29, 2023. It's also deeply cheesy — a thoroughly '80s take on '50s rockabilly...
  4. ^ Allmusic entry
  5. ^ Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1984
  6. ^ "National Recording Registry Reaches 500". Library of Congress. March 21, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018.