With the premiere of the movie 'Footloose' only eight days away, fans are bound to recall the original 1984 film, which starred Kevin Bacon and John Lithgow. Comparisons will no doubt also be aplenty when it comes to both movie's soundtracks. The flick's theme song, sung by Kenny Loggins for the original, became one of the biggest hits of his career. The pop icon admits he has mixed feelings about Blake Shelton's version for the movie remake.

"They paid a lot of attention to the original version, you can tell. I just think they went a little bit crazy with the Pro Tools," Kenny tells the Los Angeles Times, adding that he feels Blake did a "good job" with his version of the chart-topping smash.

Staying true to the original was the whole idea, even though the new version was recorded by one of the countriest country singers out there. "It's like a lot of stuff from that era -- it was rock at the time, but is pretty much what we hear on country radio today. So I knew that we didn't have to stray that far away from the original," Blake tells The Boot. "When I open my mouth, what comes out is country. It was going to sound country no matter what, but I didn't want it to be too different. There are two ways to bring back a song: one is to try to make it your own, and in this instance, you have to remove yourself from it and step into the role of what's best for the movie and that particular scene. There's really only one way to approach it when you think of it that way: a fun, uptempo, catchy version just like Kenny Loggins did."

Listen to a Clip of Blake Shelton's 'Footloose'


Kenny, whose songs can be heard in several other hit films, including 'Top Gun' and 'Caddyshack,' says it was 'Footloose' that changed his career. "It was the only song that actually went to No. 1 and stayed there a while. And the tickets followed," he notes. "Because really, I've been more of a performing act than a recording act, so to have a No. 1 song really lifted that cachet."

The 63 year old is still performing and recording, both as a solo act and as part of the Blue Sky Riders, with Nashville songwriters Gary Burr and Georgia Middleman. The new trio was, he admits, a successful pairing that surprised everyone.

"What a meeting!" Kenny recalls of their first session. "We wrote our first song and were singing with a three-part blend that comes once in a lifetime."

The new 'Footloose,' which stars Julianne Hough, Kenny Wormald, Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell, includes several country artists on the soundtrack. Zac Brown, Jana Kramer, Big & Rich with Gretchen Wilson, Whitney Duncan and Hunter Hayes all lend their voices to the new CD, which can be purchased here.

'Footloose' cuts loose in theaters nationwide on October 14.

Watch the 'Footloose' Movie Trailer


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