Top Gun Anthem
Encyclopedia
"Top Gun Anthem" is an instrumental rock
song played on guitar
by Steve Stevens
. It was the theme for the 1986 film Top Gun
. A variant of the song without the electric guitar is played at the introduction when an F-14 Tomcat
is being prepared to takeoff from the aircraft carrier
. After the F-14's engines are on full afterburner
s and the aircraft subsequently launches from the catapult
, the music changes immediately to "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins
.
Top Gun Anthem won a 1987 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance
. The song's music video
, directed by Dominic Sena
, shows Harold Faltermeyer
playing the piano and Stevens on electric guitar in a hangar
with Naval aircraft. This video was re-released within the 2004 Top Gun Collector's Edition DVD.
The song was put together by composer Harold Faltermeyer, who was recording keyboard parts for Billy Idol
's Whiplash Smile
album. Harold asked Stevens to play guitar on the track. Stevens was shown a clip of the then untitled film, and agreed to play on the track because the film seemed like it would be a smash hit. A guitar track had already been laid on the demo that was given to Stevens. Stevens wanted to record his parts using one track, and avoid any overdubbing.
Stevens used a Hamer SS into an old plexi-front 100 watt Marshall to record his part. He also used a small Boss compressor pedal to add more sustain. There is only one guitar track throughout the entire piece, with the exception of the fade.
The song is available on both the original Top Gun soundtrack
album and the expanded edition.
A similar tune was found in the 1988 Amiga
flight simulator F/A-18 Interceptor
.
Rapper T.I.
sampled the guitar riff for his song ig Things Poppin'].
It's main melody was also used in the 2002 DJ's @ Work track "Fly With Me (to the stars)".
On July 3, 2008, Activision
released a free downloadable version of the "Top Gun Anthem" covered by Steve Ouimette
for both the PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360
versions of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
.
Instrumental rock
Instrumental rock is a type of rock music which emphasizes musical instruments, and which features very little or no singing.Examples of instrumental rock can be found in practically every subgenre of rock, often from musicians who specialize in the style, most notably Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Link...
song played on guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
by Steve Stevens
Steve Stevens
Steve Stevens is an American guitarist and songwriter.He is best known for playing for other artists and less known for his critically acclaimed solo efforts , collaborations Steve Stevens (born as Steven Schneider on May 5, 1959, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American guitarist and songwriter.He...
. It was the theme for the 1986 film Top Gun
Top Gun
Top Gun may refer to:* Top Gun is a 1986 film starring Tom Cruise.**Top Gun , soundtrack to the movie**Top Gun , a number of games based on the movie...
. A variant of the song without the electric guitar is played at the introduction when an F-14 Tomcat
F-14 Tomcat
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental program following the collapse of the F-111B project...
is being prepared to takeoff from the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
. After the F-14's engines are on full afterburner
AfterBurner
The AfterBurner is a lighting solution for the Game Boy Advance system that was created by Triton-Labs.Originally, portablemonopoly.net was a website created to petition Nintendo to put some kind of light in their Game Boy Advance system...
s and the aircraft subsequently launches from the catapult
Aircraft catapult
An aircraft catapult is a device used to launch aircraft from ships—in particular aircraft carriers—as a form of assisted take off. It consists of a track built into the flight deck, below which is a large piston or shuttle that is attached through the track to the nose gear of the aircraft, or in...
, the music changes immediately to "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins
During the next decade, Loggins recorded so many successful songs for film soundtracks that he was referred to as, King of the Movie Soundtrack.He began with "I'm Alright" , "Mr. Night", and "Lead the Way" from Caddyshack...
.
Top Gun Anthem won a 1987 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance
Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance was awarded between 1969 and 2011.*In 1969 it was awarded as Best Contemporary-Pop Performance, Instrumental*From 1970 to 1971 it was awarded as Best Contemporary Instrumental Performance...
. The song's music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, directed by Dominic Sena
Dominic Sena
-Life and career:Sena was born in Niles, Ohio. He is of Italian-American heritage. His family hails from the town of Bagnoli Irpino, Avellino, Italy. As one of the founders of Propaganda Films, Sena worked primarily in music videos early in his career. Sena directed several of Janet Jackson's...
, shows Harold Faltermeyer
Harold Faltermeyer
Harold Faltermeyer is a German musician, keyboardist, composer and record producer.He is recognized as one of the composers/producers who best captured the zeitgeist of 1980s synth-pop in film scores...
playing the piano and Stevens on electric guitar in a hangar
Hangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
with Naval aircraft. This video was re-released within the 2004 Top Gun Collector's Edition DVD.
The song was put together by composer Harold Faltermeyer, who was recording keyboard parts for Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
's Whiplash Smile
Whiplash Smile
Whiplash Smile is Billy Idol's third full-length album. Released in 1986, it was supported by the singles "To Be a Lover", "Sweet Sixteen", and "Don't Need a Gun"...
album. Harold asked Stevens to play guitar on the track. Stevens was shown a clip of the then untitled film, and agreed to play on the track because the film seemed like it would be a smash hit. A guitar track had already been laid on the demo that was given to Stevens. Stevens wanted to record his parts using one track, and avoid any overdubbing.
Stevens used a Hamer SS into an old plexi-front 100 watt Marshall to record his part. He also used a small Boss compressor pedal to add more sustain. There is only one guitar track throughout the entire piece, with the exception of the fade.
The song is available on both the original Top Gun soundtrack
Top Gun (soundtrack)
Top Gun is the soundtrack from the film of the same name, released in 1986 by Columbia Records. In 1999, it was reissued in a Special Expanded Edition with additional songs. In 2006, it was reissued again in a Deluxe Edition with more additional songs...
album and the expanded edition.
Other uses
The theme was played on an organ as an intro to Don't Need a Gun during Billy Idol's Whiplash Smile tour.A similar tune was found in the 1988 Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
flight simulator F/A-18 Interceptor
F/A-18 Interceptor
F/A-18 Interceptor is a combat flight simulator released for the Commodore Amiga in 1988. It is widely known for its use of 3D graphics and arcade-style gameplay....
.
Rapper T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
sampled the guitar riff for his song ig Things Poppin'].
It's main melody was also used in the 2002 DJ's @ Work track "Fly With Me (to the stars)".
On July 3, 2008, Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
released a free downloadable version of the "Top Gun Anthem" covered by Steve Ouimette
Steve Ouimette
Steve Ouimette is a rock guitarist. He is known for performing a cover version of the hit song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" for the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, in which the parts played on the fiddle are instead played on an electric guitar...
for both the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
versions of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is a music video game, the third main installment in the Guitar Hero series, and the fourth title overall...
.