Peace of Mind

Album: Sittin' In (1971)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Along with "Lovin' Me" and "To Make a Woman Feel Wanted," this is one of three songs in a trilogy on the first Loggins and Messina album. Sittin' In was originally intended to be a Kenny Loggins solo album but didn't end up that way, as it became clear the producer Jim Messina should be billed as an artist.
  • Jim Messina wrote this when he was in the band Poco in the late 1960s, and it has the feeling of a protest song.
  • When Loggins & Messina reunited for a reunion tour in 2005, Kenny decided to improvise on Messina's song by singing his own lines. This can be seen on the DVD Live Sittin' In Again at the Santa Barbara Bowl.
  • "Peace of Mind" was released on the same single as "House at Pooh Corner." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Sara - Silver Spring, MD, for all above
  • Messina formed Poco with guitarist Richie Furay after their band Buffalo Springfield split up in 1968. But Messina and Furay weren't on the same wavelength creatively, as Furay was pushing for a harder rock direction than Messina wanted to go. He eventually quit pitching his songs to Furay, but found an ideal collaborator in Loggins.

    He told ZigZag in 1974: "Tunes like 'Peace Of Mind,' I'd written then, and when I heard Kenny sing it, I knew he was the one that was supposed to do it. It's really funny to write a song and have somebody interpret the material, but that's what I felt I needed when I was working with Poco. Kenny satisfies my desires – I write a particular song and he adds his personal touch to it and that's the kind of relationship I'd hoped Richie and I would have when he first started out, but it was never there."

Comments: 1

  • Katie from HondurasDoes anybody know what the extra lyrics are that Loggins threw in at the Sittin In Live concert in Santa Barbara? I can't make out white what he's saying during the end when he improvised. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E451THwrPqk
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Intentionally Atrocious

Intentionally AtrociousSong Writing

A selection of songs made to be terrible - some clearly achieved that goal.

Billy Joe Shaver

Billy Joe ShaverSongwriter Interviews

The outlaw country icon talks about the spiritual element of his songwriting and his Bob Dylan mention.

Songs About Movies

Songs About MoviesSong Writing

Iron Maiden, Adele, Toto, Eminem and Earth, Wind & Fire are just some of the artists with songs directly inspired by movies - and not always good ones.

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up Musicians

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up MusiciansSong Writing

Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.