Don't Fight It

Album: High Adventure (1982)
Charted: 17
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This was one of Kenny Loggins' first melodic-style tunes, and it featured Steve Perry in one of his first non-Journey outings. The two co-wrote it with Dean Pitchford, who would go on to write "Footloose" with Loggins, which was a huge deal because the promise of Loggins doing the theme song helped Pitchford get his screenplay for Footloose made into a movie. Kenny has since sung "Don't Fight It" solo in his concerts. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Sara - Silver Spring, MD
  • Asked about the cracking whip sound in an interview with the St. Petersburg Times, Loggins said, "The bullwhip is from the locker where they kept the Indiana Jones soundtrack sounds. We snuck in there and we got the bullwhip and we sampled it."
  • Loggins first heard Journey when both acts were playing at an outdoor festival, and he was blown away by Perry's voice. At the time, unbeknownst to Loggins, Perry was getting the ball rolling on a solo album and was looking to connect with other songwriters. They didn't end up writing anything for Perry's Street Talk, but they did knock out this tune for High Adventure. They got together at Loggins house and kicked around some ideas. Loggins told him, "I want a rocker, and I want something really simple."

    He recalled in a Rock History Music interview, "I tend to write complicated songs, and so we just went mindless on it. 'Where's the groove, just play the groove, and let's sing the first thing that comes to our minds.'"
  • Loggins also said he was fascinated by Perry's ability to be a vocal chameleon. He explained: "My favorite memory from that process is being in the studio where Steve and I were both singing our lead vocals at the same time, which almost never happens. You usually send one guy in for a day then you send the other guy in for a day. So we're singing at the same time and between takes, he's just riffing on voices that he somehow can magically do. And I remember all of the sudden he starts singing a Rod Stewart song, and he sounds exactly like Rod Stewart and then of course, Sam Cooke, which is like his go-to. One voice after another. He just had the ability to mimic all the rock greats, and plus, not just be a ventriloquist and sound like other people, but to actually create a voice of his own. I think it stands out as one of the great voices certainly of the '80s, if not all time."
  • This features guitar work from Neil Giraldo, who is Pat Benatar's husband and longtime musical partner.
  • This was the first of three Top 40 singles from Loggins' fourth solo album, followed by "Heart To Heart" and "Welcome To Heartlight." It also peaked at #4 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
  • In 1983, this was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, but lost to Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger."
  • This was included on the 1997 compilation Yesterday, Today, And Tomorrow. In the liner notes, Loggins described the track as "an experiment in pushing my limits to include rock."
  • This was covered on the children's TV show Kids Incorporated in the episodes "The Ghost of the P*lace" (1984) and "Boy Wonder" (1986).

Comments: 1

  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyIn 1965 Wilson Pickett released a completely different record titled "Don't Fight It", it peaked at No. 53...
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Jimmy Jam

Jimmy JamSongwriter Interviews

The powerhouse producer behind Janet Jackson's hits talks about his Boyz II Men ballads and regrouping The Time.

Curt Kirkwood of Meat Puppets

Curt Kirkwood of Meat PuppetsSongwriter Interviews

The (Meat)puppetmaster takes us through songs like "Lake Of Fire" and "Backwater," and talks about performing with Kurt Cobain on MTV Unplugged.

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New Words

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New WordsSong Writing

Where words like "email," "thirsty," "Twitter" and "gangsta" first showed up in songs, and which songs popularized them.

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete BlondeSongwriter Interviews

The singer/bassist for Concrete Blonde talks about how her songs come from clairvoyance, and takes us through the making of their hit "Joey."

Don Felder

Don FelderSongwriter Interviews

Don breaks down "Hotel California" and other songs he wrote as a member of the Eagles. Now we know where the "warm smell of colitas" came from.

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.