{"id":485174,"date":"2026-02-23T06:02:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T06:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/485174\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T06:02:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T06:02:11","slug":"michael-mcdonald-recalls-his-magical-first-collaboration-with-kenny-loggins-which-yielded-an-all-time-classic-doobie-brothers-hit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/485174\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael McDonald Recalls His Magical First Collaboration With Kenny Loggins, Which Yielded an All-Time Classic Doobie Brothers Hit"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of Michael McDonald<\/a>\u2019s most famous songs is the chart-topping 1979 Doobie Brothers<\/a> classic \u201cWhat A Fool Believes,\u201d which he co-wrote with Kenny Loggins<\/a>. In a recent interview with the Australian talk show Today Extra<\/a>, the 73-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer recalled the almost-magical way the soulful soft-rock tune came together.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a way, that\u2019s the song that almost wasn\u2019t,\u201d McDonald said, explaining that he\u2019d started writing the tune long before Loggins helped complete it.<\/p>\n

[RELATED: 5 Times Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins Collaborated, Including The Doobie Brothers Classic They Co-Wrote]<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a great habit of mine, but I\u2019ll start an idea for a song and sit on it for the next two years without finishing it, Michael explained. \u201cAnd I had played that idea for [Doobie Brothers] producer, Ted Templeman, early on, and he literally got to the point of begging me to finish that song. He goes, \u2018I\u2019m telling you, that\u2019s a hit. You got to finish that song.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

McDonald then shared that Doobie Brothers bassist Tiran Porter put him in touch with Loggins. He and Kenny subsequently made plans to meet and write together.<\/p>\n

As he nervously waited for Loggins to arrive at his home for their first writing session, McDonald said he played some of the ideas he had for his sister, who was there cleaning his messy place.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I played her that little bit of \u2018What A Fool Believes,\u2019 a little piano riff and some words that I had,\u201d he recalled. \u201cAnd she goes, \u2018I don\u2019t know.\u2019 She goes, \u2018It\u2019s okay. \u2026 He might think you\u2019re trying to write a circus song or something.\u2019 And then the doorbell rang.\u201d<\/p>\n

How Loggins Helped McDonald Finish the Song<\/p>\n

McDonald explained that when he greeted Loggins and let him into his home, Kenny immediately said, \u201cBefore we say anything, \u2026 you were just playing something at the piano. Is that something new?\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael said he told Loggins it was new, noting that he was playing it for his sister and wondering if it was something worth showing Kenny.<\/p>\n

As McDonald recalled, \u201cHe goes, \u2018Fantastic \u2026 I want to work on that first.\u2019\u201d To Michael\u2019s amazement, Loggins had already written the song\u2019s soaring bridge \u201coutside the door before we even met.\u201d<\/p>\n

Loggins actually recorded \u201cWhat A Fool Believes\u201d first, releasing his version on his 1978 solo album, Nightwatch. The Doobie Brothers\u2019 rendition was released on the band\u2019s 1979 album Minute By Minute. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for one week in April 1979.<\/p>\n

McDonald Also Discussed His New Collaboration with Loggins and Charlie Puth<\/p>\n

McDonald and Loggins went on to collaborate on quite a few other songs over the years. Most recently, Michael and Kenny lent their talents to \u201cLove In Exile,\u201d a new song by pop singer-songwriter Charlie Puth<\/a>. The tune will appear on Puth\u2019s forthcoming album, Whatever\u2019s Clever, which is due out on March 27.<\/p>\n

\u201cCharlie, what a talented kid,\u201d McDonald told the Today Extra co-hosts. \u201cHe\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, \u201c[I]t\u2019s amazing to [Kenny and me] that artists that are so contemporary in their own right and cutting edge \u2026 in a field of artists that we really appreciate have reached out over the years and talked about being fans of ours. And \u2026 that\u2019s really flattering to us, \u2019cause these are the young artists that we look at and go, \u2018Wow, I don\u2019t think we could have done it that well in our day at our prime.\u2019 \u2026 So, it\u2019s great to be associated with and even better to get a chance to work with artists like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Puth recently posted a video on his social media pages<\/a> discussing his collaboration with McDonald and Loggins.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love yacht rock,\u201d he says in the clip, then plays a snippet of \u201cWhat A Fool Believes.\u201d Puth continues, \u201cAnd I thought to myself, \u2018How am I gonna make a new album and not have Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins on it?\u2019 The answer is you can\u2019t. So, what did a music lover like myself do? I called up Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins, and they came over to my house.\u201d<\/p>\n

Puth then proceeded to share details about McDonald\u2019s and Loggins\u2019 musical and vocal contributions to the track. He also played isolated tracks and a clip of the finished recording.<\/p>\n

(Photo by Scott Dudelson\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n