Loggins And Messina’s Biggest Hit From 1972 Was an Afterthought for Them

Loggins and Messina’s “Your Mama Don’t Dance” became their biggest hit despite being a hastily written studio lark and a departure from their usual earnest folk sound. Its success brought the duo to a wider audience and helped launch a run of popular singles and albums in the early 1970s.

Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina wrote the song while waiting for their bandmates, drawing on Messina’s stepfather’s disapproval of rock and roll. It reached No. 4 in 1972; the pair had formed when Messina joined what was meant to be Loggins’ solo debut, 1971’s *Sittin’ In*. They split in 1976, and Poison’s cover reached the Top 10 in 1989.