Kenny Loggins is once again calling out Garth Brooks.
With the new Top Gun movie out (and I hear it’s pretty damn good), you can’t help but think about Kenny Loggins’ 1986 hit “Danger Zone.” I mean, what a jam.
But if you were around in the early ’90s, you might remember that Kenny Loggins and Garth Brooks had quite the beef on their hands over a stolen song.
In Loggins’ new memoir Still Alright: A Memoir, he details a number of moments throughout his life, covering everything from his music to his drug abuse… and even his Garth lawsuit.
According to Page Six, Kenny Loggins and his guitarist, Guy Thomas, sued Garth Brooks for ripping them off with “Standing Outside The Fire.”
Loggins and Thomas had written a song called “Conviction of the Heart” that was released as the lead single from his 1991 Leap Of Faith album.
In 1993, Garth Brooks released a song called “Standing Outside the Fire” from his In Pieces record, and it sounds quite a bit like the Loggins hit from a few years earlier.
But rather than sue Garth for copyright infringement, Loggins thought they could work it out. He says that Garth admitted that he copied the song, but when Loggins suggested that Garth pay him a royalty for it, Garth wasn’t having it.
“Garth didn’t like that idea at all. His tone grew steely and defensive.”
So they sued Garth for $5 million dollars and it was time to lawyer up.
But then, Garth did the most Garth in the world…
“Garth actually showed up in the courtroom with an acoustic guitar, ready to play the song live for the judge.”
However, there was no need for him to actually play it, as the judge called them back into chambers and they settled the case. However, despite Loggins claiming that Garth admitted to ripping the song off, Garth has always publicly maintained that there was no infringement.
Loggins added that he hadn’t seen him since:
“Afterward, he said publicly something like, ‘Sometimes. you just have to pay to get people off your back.’ I let that one go. I haven’t seen him since.”
You be the judge…
“Conviction Of The Heart”
“Standing Outside The Fire”