I LOVE THIS SONG ...
Family,
First let me begin by saying Jesus does not look like Kenny Loggins and when you see those street vendors with those framed glass pictures of Kenny Loggins tell the vendor this is not what Jesus looks like and see what he says... :-)
Second, I always thought this song was amazing. In the late 70's and into the 80's the musical landscape that traditional radio offered was simply the best. Michael McDonald (The Doobie Brothers), Kenny Loggins, Hall & Oates, Bobby Caldwell and others offered us something very special in the way of what became know as Blue Eyed Soul.
Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins were during this post disco era great collaborators. I would love to know what their first meeting was like or what did they hear in one another's music that brought them together. They co-wrote "What A Fool Believes" which earned Michael McDonald and the Doobie Brothers a "Song of the Year" Grammy in 1980 and they co-wrote "This Is It" which earned Kenny Loggins a "Best Pop Vocal Performance Male" Grammy 1981. BTW ...you don't have to listen to hard to hear Michael McDonald on the background...I don't know that the song would have been a monster hit without what his signature vocals added...
"This is It" was a favorite for me because I loved the rhythmic nature of the music, it's composition (it was more than a "track"). I loved the emphasis on the chorus. I loved the break in the Piano just before the chorus rung out ...This is it !!! as though Kenny Loggins was really trying to tell us something. The song feels like a wake up call, right ?
Fast forward 30 years and the song more than holds up across today's musical landscape. It is played in heavy rotation on LA's KTWV the Wave (a format of soul, contemporary jazz, soft rock, adult contemporary...basically anybody over 35 has somewhere to go on their AM/FM dial). As I heard it twice in a span of 3 or 4 days I was given a chance to meditate and reflect on the lyrics. I was immediately taken back to a time when "the living was easy...(or at least easier)", but I also became VERY INSPIRED !!!
Though I am a lover of ALL things 70's most 80's and an all around vintage girl in a modern world, it was more than nostalgia that moved me when I heard the song. The lyrics...the sermon...came alive. I am sure the original intention was a love song. The lyrics seem to suggest that if you ever leave that other dude alone, I am here for you. He sings, "Let him believe /Or leave him behind /But keep me near in your heart /And know, whatever you do /I'm here by your side."
But you guys know ART, it stubbornly resists one meaning...one interpretation. There is more than "double entendre", there are a multitude of meanings based on every individual experience. It is up to the listener...every listener to decide. I also believe that Carl Jung was on to something though when referring to our "Collective Unconscious". I say that because Kenny Loggins' song "This is It" was a huge hit. It resonated meaningfully enough with consumers who bought the single or the whole album. Either or both went Platinum (at least 1 million sold).
So I share the lyrics and a couple of videos here because this song for me...my meaning...my interpretation is a call to action...to as folks say all the time..."keep doing what you doing !" I realize everyday as Kenny preached in his record, "This is It...The waiting is over ...No room to run ..No way to hide ...No time for wondering why ...It's here ...The moment is now" ....I truly believe ....THE MOMENT IS NOW !
Thanks Be To God
Danna
"This Is It"
written by Kenny Loggings & Michael McDonald
There have been times in my life
I've been wondering why
Still somehow I believed
We'd always survive
Now I'm not so sure
You're waiting to hear
One good reason to try
But what more can I say
What's left to provide
You think that maybe it's over
Only if you want it to be
Are you gonna wait for your sign, your
miracle
Stand up and fight
This is it
Make no mistake where you are
This is it
Your back's to the corner
This is it
Don't be a fool anymore
This is it
The waiting is over
No room to run
No way to hide
No time for wondering why
It's here
The moment is now
About to decide
Let him believe
Or leave him behind
But keep me near in your heart
And know, whatever you do
I'm here by your side
You said that maybe it's over
Not if you don't want it to be
For once in your life, here's your miracle
Stand up and fight
This is it
Make no mistake where you are
This is it
You're going no further
This is it
Until it's over and done
No one can tell you what you know
Who makes the choice of how it goes
It's not up to me this time
You know
There comes a day in every life
This is it
Make no mistake where you are
This is it
You're going no further
This is it
Until it's over and done
This is it
One way or another
This is it
No one can tell what the future holds
This is it
Your back's to the corner
This is it
You make the choice of how it goes
This is it
The waiting is over
This is it
No one can tell what the future holds
This is it
You're going no further
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