Top Gun (soundtrack)

Notes

• The original version released in 1986 included 10 tracks. Tracks 11 to 15 are available on a special expanded edition released in 1999. Tracks 16 to 20, available on a deluxe edition released in 2006, do not appear in the film, nor are they related to it in any way. The song "Through the Fire" can only barely be heard playing on the radio in the locker room scene that takes place after the first hop.

Toto were originally intended to perform the track "Danger Zone" but legal conflicts between the film's producers and the band's lawyers prevented this. Bryan Adams was approached to allow his song "Only The Strong Survive" on the soundtrack and perform the track "Danger Zone". But Adams refused any involvement, feeling that the film glorified war and he did not want any of his work linked to it. REO Speedwagon were also approached to perform "Danger Zone," but the group declined due to not being allowed to contribute any of their own compositions to the soundtrack. Corey Hart was also approached to perform "Danger Zone," but he declined, preferring to write and perform his own compositions. Hart, however, would later record a song he did not write, "Hold On," for the soundtrack to Beverly Hills Cop II. Eventually, the film producers agreed that "Danger Zone" would be recorded and performed by Kenny Loggins.[6]

Members of Toto also wrote and intended to perform a track called "Only You" that would have been used as the love theme instead of "Take My Breath Away," but the legal conflicts prevented any use of "Only You."[6] The Motels were originally considered for "Take My Breath Away." A demo version exists on their compilation, Anthologyland.

Judas Priest were also approached to allow their song "Reckless" on the soundtrack, but declined, both because they thought the film would flop and because it would have meant leaving the song off their 1986 album Turbo.[7]

ABC members Martin Fry and Mark White were invited to see the director's rough cut version of Top Gun in 1986. “They were looking to offer a few British bands soundtrack opportunities. Mark and I weren’t impressed with the film and chose not to contribute any music to it.”

The Cars song "Stranger Eyes" (from their 1984 album Heartbeat City) was featured in an early teaser trailer, though it was absent from the final cut of the film.

Bobby Blotzer of Ratt proposed using the song "Reach for the Sky", an outtake from Ratt's 1984 album Out of the Cellar. Though the rest of the band seriously considered the idea, they declined under the beliefs their long-time fans would not like the song and would accuse the group of selling out.[8] Though the song title "Reach For The Sky" would become the title of a 1988 album, the track itself was never officially released. Ratt would, however, later contribute "Body Talk" from Dancing Undercover to the soundtrack for The Golden Child.