It was 1978 when Kenny Loggins first connected and started collaborating with Michael McDonald. At the time, McDonald was with the Doobie Brothers, and Loggins was already two years into his solo career after splitting from Loggins and Messina. Connecting to McDonald through the Doobie Brothers’ bassist Tiran Porter, the two made it a point to get together. During their first meeting, McDonald and Loggins wrote what would become a Doobie Brothers classic.
Both already had mutual admiration for one another’s work. Loggins’ was drawn to McDonald’s vocals on the Doobie Brothers’ 1977 song “Livin’ on the Fault Line,” written by Patrick Simmons.
“To me that song made it immediately recognizable that this guy’s [McDonald] gonna be a major force. same way I felt the first time I heard [Steve] Winwood’s voice with Traffic,” said Loggins in a joint interview with McDonald in 2018. “I just instantly related to what he was doing, and I wanted to be a part of it.”
Videos by American Songwriter
For McDonald, Loggins’ debut solo album, Celebrate Me Home, which features Stevie Nicks on the track “Whenever I Call You Friend,” first caught his attention. “When I heard Kenny’s first solo record, although I’d been a fan of Loggins and Messina, that was the moment that in my mind put him in a different place as a musician, writer, producer, arranger.”
McDonald and Loggins continued to collaborate on four more songs from the late 1970s through mid- ’80s. Loggins also wrote “I Gotta Try” for McDonald’s 1982 solo debut album, If That’s What It Takes, and later covered it on his fourth album, High Adventure.
Decades later, Loggins and McDonald reunited to co-write another song in 2017 and continue to perform live together.
“What a Fool Believes,” Kenny Loggins (1978) / The Doobie Brothers (1979)
Written by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins
The first time Loggins and McDonald started working on “What a Fool Believes” was the day they first met. Loggins had driven over to McDonald’s home in Los Angeles for their first get-together and heard McDonald singing parts of the song. “I was unpacking my guitar, and the door to his house was open, and I heard him singing ideas around ‘What a Fool Believes,’” recalled Loggins.
“He had that verse melody; it was pretty solid,” added Loggins. “Then he stopped where he had no more ideas, and my imagination kept going, and I heard the B section in my head. So I knocked on the door, and we shake hands and I go, ‘I think I know the next part of that song.’”
The two ended up co-writing “What a Fool Believes,” for Loggins’ second album, Nightwatch, in 1978. Later that year, the Doobie Brothers released their eighth album Minute by Minute, and the band’s version of “What a Fool Believes” went to No. 1 and picked up two Grammy awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
In 2024, “What a Fool Believes” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
“This Is It,” Kenny Loggins (1979)
Written by Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald
By the late ’70s, the two co-wrote “This is It” for Loggins’ third album, Keep the Fire. The album also features Michael Jackson on backing vocals on the track “Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong,” while McDonald also sang on”This Is It.”
At first, Loggins had the melody in place for “This Is It,” but the lyrics weren’t coming together until he visited his father, who was dealing with a life-threatening illness. His father’s condition changed his perspective on the song. “‘I’ve got it,’ I announced to Michael,” said Loggins. “It’s not a love song. It’s a life song.”
Once released, “This Is It” peaked at No. 11 and won a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1981.
“Heart to Heart,” Kenny Loggins (1982)
Written by Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, and David Foster
On Loggins’ fourth album, High Adventure, the pair co-wrote “Heart to Heart” with producer David Foster. A tribute to relationships that outlast, the song features McDonald on piano, synth, and backing vocals, and David Sanborn on sax, and went to No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for five weeks.
“No Looking Back,” Kenny Loggins (1985) / Michael McDonald (1985)
Written by Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, and Ed Sanford
Initially, both wrote “No Looking Back” for Loggins’ fifth album, Vox Humana, but McDonald brought more attention to the track when he released it on his 1985 album of the same name, and it went to No. 4. The song was later featured on the soundtrack of the 1991 film Thelma & Louise.
“Show You The Way,” Thundercat (2017)
Written by Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, and Stephen Bruner (Thundercat)
In 2017, Loggins and McDonald teamed up to write “Show You the Way,” for Thundercat’s third album, Drunk. The album also features guest appearances from Pharrell, Kendrick Lamar, Wiz Khalifa, and late rapper Mac Miller. Co-written along with Thundercat, real name Stephen Bruner, “Show You The Way” also features Loggins and McDonald on the track.
Photo: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.