Keep the Fire
Keep the Fire is the third solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins, released on September 28, 1979, by Columbia Records.[1] Produced by Tom Dowd, the album marks Loggins's continued evolution in soft rock and yacht rock styles following the breakup of Loggins & Messina, blending smooth jazz elements with more assertive rock arrangements.[2] It features ten tracks, including the hit single "This Is It," co-written with Michael McDonald, who also performs on the song.[3] The album achieved commercial success, peaking at number 16 on the Billboard 200 chart and earning platinum certification from the RIAA for sales exceeding one million copies in the United States.[4] "This Is It" reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1981, while the title track, "Keep the Fire," peaked at number 36 on the same chart.[5] Notable guest appearances include Michael Jackson providing background vocals on "Who's Right, Who's Wrong" and contributions from musicians such as saxophonist Michael Brecker and guitarist Fred Tackett.[3] Critically, Keep the Fire is praised for Loggins's broadening artistic scope, incorporating innovative elements like vocoder effects on the title track and themes of personal reflection and optimism, which helped solidify his transition to a prominent solo artist in the late 1970s pop-rock landscape.[3] The album's polished production and collaborative songwriting contributed to its enduring appeal among fans of adult contemporary and soft rock genres.[6]Background and Development
Album Concept and Influences
Following the dissolution of Loggins & Messina in 1976, Kenny Loggins pursued a solo career that allowed for greater personal expression and musical experimentation. His debut solo album, Celebrate Me Home (1977), and follow-up Nightwatch (1978) marked this shift, but Keep the Fire (1979) represented a deliberate push toward a more eclectic sound, blending introspective songwriting with diverse genres to reflect his evolving artistic identity.[3][7] Loggins drew influences from jazz, pop, and rock, the soulful style of Michael McDonald, which informed the album's sophisticated arrangements. These elements built on his prior jazz-pop collaborations, such as with Bob James, while incorporating rock energy inspired by acts like The Who, aiming for a bolder, multifaceted palette. A brief collaboration with McDonald on co-writing the track "This Is It" exemplified this fusion of influences.[3] The album's central theme, encapsulated in the title track co-written with Loggins' then-wife Eva Ein, uses "keeping the fire" as a metaphor for sustaining passion in romantic relationships and artistic pursuits. This concept stemmed from Loggins' personal experiences in the late 1970s, including his marriage to Ein in 1978, which infused the lyrics with an intimate perspective on enduring love and creative vitality. As Loggins noted in a contemporary interview, the collaboration with Ein provided a "female approach to saying 'I love you' in a new way."[8][9]Pre-Production Planning
During pre-production for Keep the Fire, Kenny Loggins curated a set of nine tracks, emphasizing collaborative songwriting to expand his musical palette beyond the folk-rock leanings of his earlier solo efforts. Key contributions included the co-write "This Is It" with Michael McDonald, who also provided vocals and instrumentation on the track, and "Who's Right, Who's Wrong," which incorporated backing vocals from Michael Jackson.[10][3] Other co-writes involved Stephen Bishop, Richard Page, and Eva Ein, allowing Loggins to blend introspective lyrics with upbeat rhythms while finalizing the album's structure around personal themes of resilience, including the titular "fire" motif drawn from his life challenges.[3] Loggins developed initial demos and arrangement sketches in collaboration with producer Tom Dowd, targeting a more produced and layered sound that incorporated jazz elements and rock energy, a deliberate evolution from the simpler arrangements of albums like Celebrate Me Home.[3] These preparations aligned with negotiations with Columbia Records, setting the stage for the album's September 1979 release.[11]Recording and Production
Studio Sessions
The recording sessions for Keep the Fire took place primarily in 1979, spanning several months leading up to the album's September release.[12] Most tracks were captured at Filmways/Wally Heider Recording in Hollywood, California, with the exception of "Mr. Night," which was recorded at Santa Barbara Sound Recording in Santa Barbara, California.[12] Loggins was deeply involved in the studio process, handling vocals and basic instrumentation during multi-week tracking periods that emphasized his collaborative songwriting with contributors like Michael McDonald and Stephen Bishop.[3] The sessions faced logistical hurdles, particularly in coordinating guest appearances; for instance, Michael Jackson's harmony vocals on "Who's Right, Who's Wrong" were secured spontaneously during a shared benefit event, requiring flexible scheduling around his post-Off the Wall commitments.[3] These efforts contributed to the album's polished yet expansive sound, built incrementally over the extended timeline.[12]Key Collaborators and Techniques
Producer Tom Dowd oversaw the recording of Keep the Fire, leveraging his extensive experience at Atlantic Records where he had engineered and produced landmark recordings across genres including jazz, R&B, soul, and rock.[13] Dowd's background enabled him to blend jazz-pop elements with rock arrangements, creating a polished, multifaceted sound that distinguished the album from Loggins' earlier work.[3] Dowd, credited with pioneering multitrack recording techniques during his time at Atlantic, applied these methods to Keep the Fire, including multi-tracking vocals to layer harmonies and live band overdubs to enhance tracks like "This Is It."[13] These approaches allowed for rich, dynamic textures, with the band laying down core performances before adding vocal and instrumental layers.[3] Mixing and mastering took place at Criteria Recording Studios in Miami, Florida.[14] Session musician Michael McDonald contributed significantly to "This Is It," providing acoustic piano and backing vocals that infused the track with soulful depth, complementing Loggins' lead performance.[15] His involvement extended the song's yacht rock sensibilities, drawing on his Doobie Brothers-era expertise in keyboard and vocal arrangements.[1]Musical Content
Track Listing
The album Keep the Fire comprises nine tracks on its standard release, with a total runtime of 40:38.[2] The track listing is as follows:| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Love Has Come of Age" | Kenny Loggins | 3:51 |
| 2. | "Mr. Night" | Kenny Loggins, Richard Stekol, George Hawkins | 3:20 |
| 3. | "This Is It" | Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald | 4:06 |
| 4. | "Junkanoo Holiday (Fallin'-Flyin')" | Kenny Loggins | 4:30 |
| 5. | "Now and Then" | Kenny Loggins, Jeff Bouchard | 3:52 |
| 6. | "Who's Right, Who's Wrong" | Kenny Loggins, Richard Page | 5:38 |
| 7. | "Keep the Fire" | Kenny Loggins, Eva Ein Loggins | 4:34 |
| 8. | "Give It Half a Chance" | Kenny Loggins, Stephen Bishop | 4:57 |
| 9. | "Will It Last" | Kenny Loggins, Eva Ein Loggins | 5:50 |