OS ANGELES, CA (February 16, 2024) – This week, music legend Kenny Loggins is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the movie Footloose, the smash 1984 movie that helped to cement the singer-songwriter’s reputation as “the Soundtrack King.” To mark this milestone, Paramount Home Entertainment has remastered the film and is releasing it for the first time as a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in standard and steelbook packages.
Released on February 17, 1984, Footloose was directed by the legendary filmmaker Herbert Ross (The Turning Point, Steel Magnolias) and concerned a Chicago teenager who moves to a small town and attempts to overturn its ban on dancing. The movie was an immediate hit and soon became a phenomenon, turning Kevin Bacon into a star and dominating music charts with a multi-million-selling soundtrack album that included two songs performed by Loggins: “I’m Free (Heaven Helps the Man)” and, of course, the iconic title track. Both songs were written by Loggins and Dean Pitchford.
“Footloose” exploded on radio and MTV, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, and in 2018 was placed in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry as being “culturally, historically or artistically significant.”
“Being a part of Footloose has been one of the biggest highlights of my life,” says Loggins. “Working with Dean Pitchford on both songs was definitely special for me. I can still remember singing some of the first lyrics to Dean in the laundry room of my house. Everything came together so organically. I’ve had a blast performing ‘Footloose’ for decades, and I still enjoy watching audiences jump out of their seats to dance every time they hear the first guitar riff.”
About Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins has sold more than 25 million albums and has won two Grammy Awards. In addition to his string of successful recordings, both solo and as a member of the famed duo Loggins & Messina, Loggins became the first major rock star to dedicate himself to recording music for children and families. His album Return to Pooh Corner remains the best-selling children’s album of the last 20 years. In 2016, he released his latest children’s project, the book Footloose (Moondance Press, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group USA), inspired by his 1985 Oscar-nominated and Grammy Award-winning “Song of the Year.”
His song “Conviction of the Heart” was hailed as the “unofficial anthem of the environmental movement” by Al Gore, when Loggins performed it on Earth Day in 1995 at The National Mall in Washington, D.C.
In 2016, he received the ASCAP Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award at the annual Chapin Awards hosted by WhyHunger. Later that year, The Guild of Music Supervisors honored Loggins with the organization’s first-ever Icon Award for his outstanding achievements in film, television and soundtracks.
His generous support of countless local organizations has made a lasting impact on the causes that are close to his heart. Through his work with Toys for Tots in Santa Barbara, CA, Loggins helped launch Unity Shoppe in 1988. An expansion of the Council of Christmas Cheer, which previously only existed during the holiday season, Unity Shoppe extended the program year-round so individuals could volunteer their services to help low-income families, children, the elderly, sick and disabled in Santa Barbara County. Loggins regularly lends his support to youth-based programs like Make a Wish, Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation and Little Kids Rock.
Loggins was honored with a Humanitarian of the Year Award from Little Kids Rock for his extensive commitment to children’s causes in 2016. In 2018, he helped re-open the original Notes for Notes (N4N) Studios at the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara and United Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara County, giving over 600 kids each year access to a world of musical expression.
Loggins released At The Movies on June 12, 2021 – a Record Store Day exclusive vinyl that included some of his career-spanning soundtrack hits for the first time ever on one album, including “I’m Alright” (Caddyshack), “Footloose” (Footloose), “Danger Zone” (Top Gun) and many more.
His hit song “Danger Zone” was featured once again in Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick, which become the biggest release of 2022, earning over $1.5B globally and saw “Danger Zone” earning over 1M streams per day at its peak.
On June 14, 2022, Hachette Books published Still Alright, Loggins’ long-awaited memoir. In Still Alright, Loggins gives fans a candid and entertaining perspective on his life and career as one of the most noteworthy musicians of the 1970s and ’80s.
Throughout 2023, Loggins crisscrossed the U.S. on his sold-out “This Is It” tour celebrating his spectacularly successful six-decade career as a hit songwriter and performer. On Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, he staged the closing show of his final concert tour in grand style – in his hometown of Santa Barbara at the beloved Santa Barbara Bowl.
For more information, please visit www.kennyloggins.com
