This could seem like a hot take or clickbait, but after writing a couple of drafts of this, my assertion is indeed not a joke.
"I'm Alright" (aka "The Theme from Caddyshack") just might be the best song of all time.
First, Kenny
For starters, let's get something straight: Kenny Loggins is incredibly underrated, particularly as a songwriter and producer.
Loggins might seem like a 70s or 80s curio and inconsequential because his stuff can at first seem light or like a Yacht Rock punchline.
And Kenny in his heyday looked more like a cool youth pastor than a rockstar.
But he is such a great combination of earnest and self-deprecating that it's really refreshing.
Just watch his talking head interview in the Blue Jean Committee double episode of Documentary Now! or listen to either of the podcasts cited at the bottom of this article to see what I mean.
His real arrival in our consciousness was his partnership with Jim Messina as Loggins & Messina.
They made 4 albums of classic rock and only trail Hall & Oates for most successful duo of the 1970s.
Kenny's musical ambition started to outgrow their collaboration and they parted ways amicably.
Then he just started making hits with the regularity of a guy filing his quarterly taxes.
14 Top 40 singles in a remarkably short period; and that doesn't even count the collaborations with Michael McDonald which are the cornerstone of an entire genre in Yacht Rock, and also non-charting classics like "Celebrate Me Home."
All of this was before his 80s-and-forward career of being the go-to guy for writing a great rock song for a soundtrack.
That career started with Caddyshack.
Producer Jon Peters - who seems nuts, Bradley Cooper played an on-point version of him in P.T. Anderson's movie Licorice Pizza.
He somehow parlayed being Barbra Streisand's hairdresser into a career as a movie producer and, since it was the 70s, I suspect cocaine played a role.
Peters wanted a big song for Caddyshack and had some experience with Loggins since Kenny wrote the hyperkinetic song "I Believe In Love" which Barbra sang in the 1976 version of A Star Is Born (and the best one).
Music
I just mentioned how hyper the song "I Believe In Love" is, both Barbra's hit and Kenny's later solo recording.
Kenny Loggins is a man after my own heart; why use 3 chords when you can use 20 in a song.
Another vintage Kenny example is the Stevie Nicks duet "Whenever I Call You Friend".
Very soon I’m releasing a cover version of it that was one of the most enjoyable things I've ever done, but the amount of chord changes is staggering.
"Whenever I Call You Friend" also starts with crazy a cappella vocals and harmonies that Brian Wilson could only dream of.
Similarly, watch the opening of Caddyshack here.
It's not the studio version, it starts with even more crazy harmonies and then morphs somehow into slap bass to underscore the now-legendary gopher puppet, which both Kenny Loggins and director Harold Ramis had serious reservations about.
Musically, there's enough material for three songs here that Loggins jams into the one - very Paul McCartney of him.
Additionally, when he was demoing the song he was using a drummer who was pretty limited, so he intentionally dropped the idea of counterpoint in the rhythm and just used very basic drums in the chorus, which turned out to be a blessing.
Lyrics
It really seems like Kenny Loggins took his storytelling duties seriously on Caddyshack, "I'm alright / Nobody worry about me / Why you got to gimme a fight / Can't you just let me be" really is the story of Danny in the movie - which was originally going to be more about him and less about Chevy, Rodney and Bill Murray until it turned into the first true freestyle comedy.
But for fans of the movie, there are a couple of great little lyrical Easter eggs in the song.
- "Cinderella kid" (Bill Murray narrating his "Cinderella story" before "It's in the hole!"
- "Cannonball it right away" (for when Carl insists that Ty chase the giant spliff with a shot, "Cannonball coming"
Production
I mentioned that the song has five different movements or parts that come in and out of this song.
1) The chorus - driven by acoustic guitar and bouncy drum beat
2) Verse with different instrumentation
3) Pre-chorus ("Gonna catch you later ...") - where it bursts into a rock song
4) Music stop and a cappella "Listen to your heart beating" - After that it ends with a hitch and an extra "boom-boom-boom" that fuck up the rhythm but now I can picture it not being there.
It’s so fucking bold for production, a big swing (pardon the golf pun).
5) Play out at the end - For those of you who see Kenny in concert, it turns into a big moment.
By the way, were you aware that Eddie Money was an extra voice here ("Cannonball it right away"), before he hit the charts?
Eddie wasn't credited apparently; listen to Kenny's interview with the Professor of Rock linked below for the more innocuous true story.
Loggins was never afraid of a strong voice to duet with: Steve Perry killing it on Kenny's "Don't Fight It", Stevie Nicks on "Whenever I Call You Friend", Michael McDonald repeatedly.
It's Got a Great Beat and You Can Dance to It
Does this song make you want to dance?
Hell yes.
Not only just dance however you like because it drives, but you've also got the Caddyshack gopher dance to do.
HEADING
Kenny and the Movies
This kicked off Kenny Loggins as soundtrack music legend.
This guy might be the king of soundtracks AND yacht rock.
Let us not forget, Kenny put together a soundtrack here and multiple songs.
The song "Mr. Night" is his and what's playing when the caddies take over the swimming pool at the club; the music is key to that.
Kind of reminds me about everybody associates Loggins "Danger Zone" with Top Gun but how about his second song in the film, "Playing With The Boys" for the most unintentionally homo-erotic volleyball scenes in movie history.
"Footloose" was a phenomenon.
But let's also remember a couple of tougher assignments.
"Meet Me Halfway" was the only part of Stallone's armwrestling movie Over The Top that was worth watching.
And Kenny's song for the sequel Caddyshack II, "Nobody's Fool" actually ultimately charter higher as a single than "I'm Alright."
Further Reading or Listening
Excellent podcast of Kenny talking "I'm Alright" with the Professor of Rock.
