#Danger zone soundtrack how to

When Bruckheimer and Simpson reached out to Moroder, his usual lyrical collaborators weren't around: Keith Forsey was producing Billy Idol's album in New York City, and Pete Bellote was living in the United Kingdom. He would also work on his own songs, finally getting one of Moroder's publishers' attention.

#Danger zone soundtrack how to

It was a blast!'Īfter 5 p.m., Whitlock's patience paid off when he learned how to record and witnessed the Flashdance and Scarface soundtracks getting made. If Giorgio's mother wanted groceries from Gelson's, I went to Gelson's. If Brian De Palma wanted bagels, I got bagels. 'If I needed to sleep on the floor to get up and let carpenters in at 5 a.m., I did that. 'If the Lamborghini broke down in Venice Beach, I would go sit there all night until the right kind of tow truck was available,' Whitlock said, looking back at his hustle and determination. During the day, Whitlock would work the phones, handle billings, and run errands. The producer liked what he saw in Whitlock and hired him to work as his assistant. Whitlock went to Pep Boys, bought some Castrol brake fluid, and got Moroder's Ferrari working just right. It was Moroder, and he was angry the brakes on his Ferrari were not responding to his liking coming down Coldwater Canyon. One fateful day, Whitlock was helping his friend move some speakers at a studio in the Valley when he overheard someone stomping down the hallway cursing. Tom Whitlock started writing songs at 15, and after some false starts he moved to California in 1983 to advance his music career. 'Danger Zone''s lyrics were written, essentially, by Moroder's car mechanic. Moroder was disappointed, but then he composed 'Danger Zone' and 'Take My Breath Away' (which would win him another Oscar). Bruckheimer and Simpson didn't like them. It was then that Bruckheimer and Simpson turned to Giorgio Moroder, a producer who by then had already amassed an impressive music career, producing hits for Donna Summer, and bringing home Oscars for the Midnight Express and Flashdance soundtracks, the latter of which was another Bruckheimer/Simpson production. Bruckheimer, Simpson, and Dilbeck agreed to listen to all of the songs together, under the condition that if any one of them didn't like a song in the first five seconds, they would move on to the next one. Hundreds of songs were submitted to the filmmakers for possible inclusion in the film, and they were put together on an estimated 100 cassette tapes. Long before 'Danger Zone' achieved ironic fame status as a running gag on the likes of NPR's All Songs Considered and Archer, film producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson and music supervisor Michael Dilbeck were just trying to find the perfect music for Top Gun. The song reached number two on the Billboard charts and, unlike thousands of other tunes written specifically for movies during that decade, it still stands tall today. Top Gun -the Tom Cruise-starring tale of brash Navy aviators flying with reckless abandon and a need for speed-wouldn't have its machismo without Kenny Loggins's hard-rocking (and very '80s) tune 'Danger Zone' scoring the opening sequence.