Leap of Faith

Album: Leap of Faith (1991)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Heavy on guitar and percussion, Loggins describes this song as having appeared in a dream. It was written while he and his future (second) wife Julia were on a romantic adventure in Hawaii. It tells of a man (Kenny) who feels the "mountains disappear without a trace." The song is clearly one man's dream of finding his love again. Of course Kenny is the man in the song!
  • Kenny wrote this and "Sweet Reunion" (another song he wrote in a letter to Julia) on a cabin off Highway One.
  • Smokey Robinson and Sheryl Crow make cameo appearances singing background on this track. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Sara - Silver Spring, MD, for all above
  • The '80s brought on a new phase of Loggins' career as The Soundtrack King, with movie hits like "I'm Alright," "Footloose," and "Danger Zone." But, as Loggins told Good Morning America in 1991, writing for a character in a movie means writing for someone else's emotions instead of your own. Leap Of Faith, which is about falling out of love with his first wife and falling in love with his second wife, is a return to form for the singer, whose most meaningful songs have come from personal experience.

    He said: "It's essential for me that I touch more deeply into who I am because I found in my career every time I really hit it on with what I'm feeling and what's happening in my life - like 'This Is It' or 'Celebrate Me Home' or 'Danny's Song' - songs that really matter to me, matter the most to the people that like my music. And those are the ones that end up sort of being theme songs for me, or songs that last."
  • In the intervening years since he released his previous album, Back To Avalon, in 1988, Loggins reassessed many areas of his life, including his marriage, and made some big changes. He told Later with Bob Costas in 1991, "At one point, I fired my manager, I had requested my attorney to get me off my record label [he ultimately didn't leave Columbia Records until the label dropped him in the early 2000s]. That was well before I even realized that the marriage was falling apart. It's sort of a variation of what people might call mid-life crisis. But I consider that a demeaning terminology for a moment of clarity. And that what came to me was a time to look at what was going on in my life and assess it in a clear place, in a courageous way, and eliminate what wasn't working and fix what I could and keep what was. It wasn't a wholesale firing of everyone and everything in my life, but simultaneously with that, as those values start to come into scrutiny, my wife and I started to look at our marriage."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Barry Dean ("Pontoon," "Diamond Rings And Old Barstools")

Barry Dean ("Pontoon," "Diamond Rings And Old Barstools")Songwriter Interviews

A top country songwriter, Barry talks about writing hits for Little Big Town, Tim McGraw and Jason Aldean.

Martin Page

Martin PageSongwriter Interviews

With Bernie Taupin, Martin co-wrote the #1 hits "We Built This City" and "These Dreams." After writing the Pretty Woman song for Go West, he had his own hit with "In the House of Stone and Light."

Song Cities

Song CitiesMusic Quiz

Nirvana, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen are among those who wrote songs with cities that show up in this quiz.

Danny Clinch: The Art of Rock Photography

Danny Clinch: The Art of Rock PhotographySong Writing

One of rock's top photographers talks about artistry in photography, raising funds for a documentary, and enjoying a County Fair with Tom Waits.

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About Transgenderism

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About TransgenderismSong Writing

A history of songs dealing with transgender issues, featuring Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Morrissey and Green Day.