"This Is It" is a song 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...

, from his 1979 album Keep the Fire

Keep the Fire

Keep the Fire is soft rock album, released in 1979 by Kenny Loggins. It was his third solo album after Loggins & Messina disbanded, and is perhaps best-known for the hit single "This is It". The song was co-written by Michael McDonald, who also performed on the track...

. It reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 and number 17 on the Adult Contemporary

Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks

The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...

 chart. "This Is It" was also successful on the soul chart, reaching number 19.
"This Is It" is a song 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...

, from his 1979 album Keep the Fire

Keep the Fire

Keep the Fire is soft rock album, released in 1979 by Kenny Loggins. It was his third solo album after Loggins & Messina disbanded, and is perhaps best-known for the hit single "This is It". The song was co-written by Michael McDonald, who also performed on the track...

. It reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 and number 17 on the Adult Contemporary

Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks

The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...

 chart. "This Is It" was also successful on the soul chart, reaching number 19.
"This Is It" is a song 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...

, from his 1979 album Keep the Fire

Keep the Fire

Keep the Fire is soft rock album, released in 1979 by Kenny Loggins. It was his third solo album after Loggins & Messina disbanded, and is perhaps best-known for the hit single "This is It". The song was co-written by Michael McDonald, who also performed on the track...

. It reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 and number 17 on the Adult Contemporary

Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks

The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...

 chart. "This Is It" was also successful on the soul chart, reaching number 19. The song features additional vocals by Michael McDonald

Michael McDonald (singer)

Michael McDonald is a five-time Grammy Award winning American singer and songwriter. McDonald is known for a soulful baritone singing style and a multi-octave range. He began his career singing back-up vocals with Steely Dan...

, who co-wrote the song with Loggins. The song won a Grammy in 1980 for best male pop vocal performance

Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance

The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance was awarded between 1966 and 2011...

.

Background and writing

At one point in the song's evolution, its melody was underway, but the lyrics were incomplete. Loggins moved it forward after a visit to his ailing father, who had undergone a series of surgeries for vascular problems stemming from small strokes and was discouraged at the prospect of another. His perspective on the lyrics then changed: "'I've got it,' I announced to Michael, it's not a love song. It's a life song."

Chart positions

Chart (1979)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...	11
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...	17
U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles	19
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary	16
Canadian RPM Top Singles	9
Dutch Singles Chart	26
New Zealand Singles Chart	35