What makes the story remarkable is that Loggins saw the movie before it was even finished — long before the now-famous dancing gopher made its appearance. Even in its unfinished form, the film had him in stitches.

“I just laughed my head off. I said, ‘This is hilarious — I want to write every song for this.’”

Loggins ended up writing several songs for the film, including the now-iconic track I’m Alright, which became closely associated with the movie and remains a staple of classic playlists today.

But an even bigger opportunity was about to come along — and it arrived thanks to a close friend.

Screenwriter and lyricist Dean Pitchford asked Loggins if he would read a screenplay he had written. Pitchford needed a couple of songs for the project and hoped his friend might be interested.

The screenplay was called Footloose.

At the time, Loggins admits it didn’t seem particularly extraordinary. In Hollywood, scripts circulate constantly and everyone seems to have one.

“People don’t realise in Hollywood — the cab driver has a screenplay.”

So as a favour to his friend, Loggins wrote a couple of songs.

A year later, that favour turned into one of the biggest film soundtracks of the decade. The title track Footloose exploded onto radio stations around the world and became one of Loggins’ signature songs.

The film itself became a cultural phenomenon, cementing its place in 1980s pop culture and helping define the sound of a generation.

Looking back, Loggins says there was simply no way to predict the success that would follow.

“It was a year later and suddenly it’s the biggest movie of the summer. You can’t see that coming.”

Yet through a combination of friendship, timing and a little Hollywood magic, Kenny Loggins helped create the soundtrack to some of the most memorable moments in movie history — proving that sometimes the biggest hits start with nothing more than helping out a friend.