Songfacts®:

• This song is not what it appears on first listen. You might assume the lyrics reflect a back and forth conversation with two people that have a history together. Perhaps a strained romance. In reality, the lyrics relay the words of a man talking with himself. The words reflect the exchange between the head and heart. The man's heart wants to take a girl home. His head wants him to slow down and think it through, it may not be a good idea. A classic dilemma. The song delivers one of the finest lines from the album: "blah, blah, blah, in my head all day, I don't listen to a word you say."
• The Honky Tonk backbeat is laid down right out of Bourbon Street. Close your eyes and envision Dr. John passing by. A boogie-woogie style piano kicks off in the first measure and does not stop until the final note. Not credited in the album's liner notes is a Hammond B-3 organ that highlights the song's defiant attitude. The vocals are handed off flawlessly between Kenny Loggins, Georgia Middleman, and her husband Gary Burr.
• Blue Sky Riders is comprised of Kenny Loggins along with the husband-and-wife team of Gary Burr and Georgia Middleman. In our interview with Georgia Middleman, she explains the process that went into writing this song: "We talk about writing a saying. There's a saying that Gary and I always say to each other, which is the title of the song 'You're Not The Boss Of Me.' We're married, but we were dating at the time when we were making this record, and we always are really snarky with each other: 'Well, you're not the boss of me, you can't tell me what to do." We took that line and made it sloppy on the record. That's one of my favorites, because it's just so snarky and it's so much fun. The groove is really rockin'. It's like a soulful New Orleans groove. That's one of my favorites, and I love playing it on stage because you can dance to it."