Who sang the theme song from Top Gun?

There's so much talk about multiverses these days, consider this: What if Starship had actually agreed to sing "Danger Zone" for "Top Gun"?

Instead, after Starship – the purveyors of tunes such as "We Built This City" and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" – turned it down, the iconic tune went at the last minute to Kenny Loggins, who was already working on his own number for the 1986 film, "Playing With the Boys." 

The sequel "Top Gun: Maverick" (in theaters May 27) features Lady Gaga's dramatic new power ballad "Hold My Hand," as well as Loggins' original version of "Danger Zone," one of four songs by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock on the original "Top Gun" soundtrack. The first film arrived at a time when a blockbuster movie could spawn multiple instant hits, and that record in particular had noteworthy chart-toppers and solid deep cuts. 

In honor of the new "Top Gun," we're feeling that need for speed and to rank every song on the '86 soundtrack:

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10. Marietta, 'Destination Unknown'

Highly melodramatic and aggressively mediocre, it's not hard to understand why it was stuck near the end of the album. The song just kind of meanders without any real high points, which is probably fitting considering the title.

9. Miami Sound Machine, 'Hot Summer Nights'

Seeing Gloria Estefan's group on an '80s soundtrack would usually be an exciting proposition, but "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" this is not. A really hooky chorus does help lift an otherwise average track.

8. Loverboy, 'Heaven in Your Eyes'

Those who enjoy pure '80s cheese – like that gooey, comes-out-of-a-spray-can stuff – will find it with this very earnest rock ballad. Not terrible, not great either, yet just right for when you want to hold up a lighter.

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7. Larry Greene, 'Through the Fire'

This is pretty much "Danger Zone Lite": While it has the same hard-charging vibe, and the Fortune lead singer does what he can, the song doesn't quite reach the same heights as Loggins' number. 

6. Cheap Trick, 'Mighty Wings'

This is a very different outing for the band known for "I Want You to Want Me" and "The Flame." Co-written by "Top Gun" composer Harold Faltermeyer, the synth-rocker manages to showcase some of Cheap Trick's signature sound even with lyrics about fighter jets.

5. Teena Marie, 'Lead Me On'

Maybe Marie accidentally got the Miami Sound Machine song? Backed with brassy flair by a funky trumpet section, the R&B and soul singer excels on an up-tempo number that offers a funky counterpart to the album's heavy dose of '80s rock.

4. Kenny Loggins, 'Playing With the Boys'

Simply put, it's the perfect tune to match with a bunch of tanned, ripped dudes playing beach volleyball. Loggins sidelines the rock bombast a bit and just has some retro Reagan-era fun.

3. Harold Faltermeyer and Steve Stevens, 'Top Gun Anthem'

Although some may prefer Faltermeyer's quintessential synth-pop theme "Axel F" (from "Beverly Hills Cop"), we'll take this instrumental gem – starring Stevens' memorable guitar-shredding melody line – every time. 

2. Kenny Loggins, 'Danger Zone'

Who doesn't automatically have this come into their mind when seeing Tom Cruise sitting in a fighter jet? Loggins' passionate vocals partner with an unapologetically '80s sonic tapestry for one of the most earworming movie tunes ever. 

1. Berlin, 'Take My Breath Away'

An Oscar and Golden Globe winner for best original song, it's more than just a great cinematic number. We're talking an all-timer power ballad – not to mention a staple at weddings and school dances ever since – thanks to Terri Nunn's gorgeous yearning amid an ethereal orchestral atmosphere.

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(Image credit: Paramount)

When the original 1986 Top Gun hit theaters, it skyrocketed Tom Cruise into movie star status, but another big element of the movie was its soundtrack that remains iconic today. Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone,” Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” and The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” have become synonymous with the hit movie. So for the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, it was important for Lady Gaga’s big song to land. As the movie’s main composer has shared, her song has a double meaning. 

Lady Gaga penned and performs Top Gun: Maverick’s big song “Hold My Hand,” which plays during the film and was infused in the score as well. It was composed by Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer, and produced by Lorne Balfe. When speaking to the film’s music, Balfe shared this about Gaga’s knockout track: 

We start using that theme when it’s to do with the love of two people, but also when it’s an emotional moment, embracing the sacrifices that these pilots go through. The love of flight was always a subject we talked about. At the end of that first sequence, when Maverick’s trying to beat the speed record, we hear a nod to that theme.

The composer, who has also worked on recent Mission: Impossible films and Black Widow, among other big action films, told Variety that Lady Gaga’s song was implemented as a theme for multiple meanings within the film. On the one hand, it’s about romantic love, and on the other hand, it’s about the passion of flight and the love that goes into the profession Top Gun highlights. 

As you get ready to Top Gun: Maverick in theaters this Memorial Day weekend, if you haven’t been part of the box office records the movie is already breaking, check out the music video for Lady Gaga’s Top Gun: Maverick song “Hold My Hand”: 

The emotional power ballad was written across years, according to Lady Gaga, who shared on Instagram back in April that she spent a lot of time “perfecting” it. She called it a “love letter to the world during and after a very hard time.” When Tom Cruise heard the track, as the Top Gun star admitted to CinemaBlend, the singer alleviated a concern he had about the sequel being able to breathe alongside the original soundtrack. 

Tom Cruise and Lady Gaga have apparently become close since working together on the soundtrack for Top Gun: Maverick. For instance, Cruise attended one of Gaga’s concerts last month. As Tyler Joseph of Twenty One Pilots recently revealed, the alternative rock band was originally working on a song for the movie before they were fired. 

After many delays for Top Gun: Maverick, the action film is finally playing in theaters! You can check out CinemaBlend’s interviews with the Maverick cast and stay tuned for more coverage on upcoming movies.  

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Who sang the theme song in the original Top Gun movie?

What's the theme song from Top Gun?