Loggins was born in Everett, Washington and is the youngest of three brothers. His mother was Lina (née Massie), a homemaker, and his father, Robert George Loggins, was a salesman. They lived in Detroit and Seattle before settling in Alhambra, California. Loggins attended San Gabriel Mission High School, graduating in 1966. He formed a band called the Second Helping that released three singles during 1968 and 1969 on Viva Records. Greg Shaw described the efforts as "excellent punky folk-pop records" that were written by Loggins who was likely to be the bandleader and singer as well; Shaw included "Let Me In" on both Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 2 and the Pebbles, Volume 9 CD.
Loggins had a short gig playing guitar for the New Improved Electric Prunes in 1969 before writing four songs for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, which were included in their Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy album. During his early twenties, he was part of the band Gator Creek with Mike Deasy. An early version of "Danny's Song" (later recorded by Loggins and Messina and a No. 7 Hot 100 hit for Anne Murray in 1973) was included in a record on Mercury Records.
Loggins appears in the 2013 video game Grand Theft Auto V playing himself as the host of an in-game radio station called Los Santos Rock Radio. He also lends the songs "Danger Zone" and "I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)", and sings station jingles.
In 2014, Loggins appeared as himself in the episode "Baby Shower" of the fifth season of the animated comedy series Archer. His song "Danger Zone" had been a recurring joke in the show. At the end of the episode and during the credits, Loggins also performs a country version of "Danger Zone" as a duet with the character of Cherlene. Loggins stated in a later interview that his in-show nickname 'K-Log' is a complete creation of the show, stating, "It was always a joke. That's why it works, because it's so absurd.
A Year's Worth of Distance
Kenny Loggins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I guess that's just too much to ask of you
Cause every time we come face to face
It takes me back in time and space
Girl I can hardly breathe
It's like you got a hold of my heart
And you're tearing it out of me
Here I'm never getting over you
I got one shot
I know what I gotta do
All that I need's
A second of silence
A moment of grace
A breath of clean air
In a wide open place
With a blue horizon slidin' into view
A hundred miles of highway'll
Make a new man of me
With nothing but beginnings as far as I can see
Girl I know the place I'm comin' to
It's just a years worth of distance from you
Don't know what it's gonna take
But from here on
I'm runnin' on blind faith
"N the only way I'm getting' through
Is to walk on from now on
Without you
All that I need's
A moment of grace
A breath of clean air
In a wide open place
With a blue horizon slidin' into view
A hundred miles of highway'll
Make a new man of me
With nothing but beginnings as far as I can see
Girl I know the best thing I can do
It's just a years worth of distance from you
Everything you were to me
Everything you touch
I oughta hate you girl
But I still love you too much
A hundred miles of highway'll
Make a new man of me
With nothing but beginnings as far as the eye can see
Girl I know the place I'm comin' to
It's just a years worth of distance from you
To build up my resisitance
I'll take a years worth of distance
Distance from you
"A Year's Worth of Distance" is a heart-wrenching ballad by Kenny Loggins about a broken relationship. The lyrics express the desire for truth and closure from a past love, but recognizing that it may be too much to ask for. Every time the singer sees the ex-lover, it takes him back in time and space, making it hard to move on. The lyrics suggest that the singer needs time and space to heal and build up his resistance to the memories of the past relationship. He needs a second of silence, a moment of grace, and a breath of clean air in a wide-open place, with a blue horizon sliding into view.
The chorus of the song repeats the motif of distance from the past love, with the singer wanting to put a year's worth of distance from his ex-lover. He recognizes that it's not going to be easy, and that he will need to be on blind faith and walk away without her. The lyrics are poignant and beautifully express the pain and confusion of moving on from a past love. The song's melody is also melancholic and emphasizes the emotional depth of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
All I want is the truth
I want you to be honest with me
I guess that's just too much to ask of you
But I don't think you can give me that
Cause every time we come face to face
When I see you again
It takes me back in time and space
It feels like I'm reliving our past
Girl I can hardly breathe
Seeing you affects me deeply
It's like you got a hold of my heart
You have an emotional hold on me
And you're tearing it out of me
But it hurts me at the same time
Here I'm never getting over you
I don't think I'll ever be able to move on from you
I got one shot
But I have to try
I know what I gotta do
I know what I need to do to try to move on
All that I need's
What I require is
A second of silence
Some peace and quiet
A moment of grace
Some kind of spiritual support
A breath of clean air
Some fresh positivity
In a wide open place
Surrounded by freedom
With a blue horizon slidin' into view
Looking ahead to a brighter future
A hundred miles of highway'll
Going on a long journey
Make a new man of me
To change and grow as a person
With nothing but beginnings as far as I can see
Starting fresh with a new outlook
Girl I know the place I'm comin' to
I have a destination in mind
It's just a years worth of distance from you
Putting some distance between us would help me heal
Don't know what it's gonna take
I don't know what I need to do
But from here on
But I know that from now on
I'm runnin' on blind faith
I'm just hoping for the best
"N the only way I'm getting' through
This is the only way for me to get through this
Is to walk on from now on
To move forward from this point on
Without you
Without you in my life
Everything you were to me
Everything you meant to me
Everything you touch
Everything you came into contact with
I oughta hate you girl
I should hate you
But I still love you too much
But I can't help still loving you
To build up my resisitance
To become stronger
I'll take a years worth of distance
I need to put some distance between us for a year
Distance from you
To try to move on and heal
Contributed by Cameron I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.