A quick search of Wikipedia reveals no social fraternities nor academic honor societies (such as Phi Beta Kappa) named “Beta Chi,” and it doesn’t appear Kenny went to college anyway.
Is (was) there some sort of honor society or fraternity or such named “Beta Chi” in Kenny’s day? Or did he just need three syllables and he went with something that sort-of made sense to the casual listener?
Also, is “Pisces Virgo rising” actually considered a good sign (by people who believe in that sort of thing, that is), or was Kenny once again just grabbing syllables that made sense?
Well, I’m not very up on astrology, but Pisces and Virgo are two constellations exactly opposite each other on the zodiac, so it seems unlikely to me that they could be rising at the same time. 
What’s wrong with a fictitious fraternity? If you hadn’t told me there was no such frat, I wouldn’t have known, and the lyrics would have worked fine.
True. In these sort of situations (songs, TV shows, movies, etc.), it’s often preferable to make up a fictitious organization rather than use a real one. That way no one from the real organization complains or tries to claim you were writing about them.
I always tell people I was a TKB.
Tappa Kegga Bru.
(“Where?” “Wassamatta.”)
In Texas, wiseacres often claim to have been SAB- “Skaggs Apha Beta.” (That used to be a big grocery/drugstore chain).
Regardless, the whole idea of the song is that a young man finds himself married with a baby. He’s thinking, “Wow, seems like just the other day, I was a carefree kid in college, and now… my whole life and world and all my priorities have changed.” The song wouldn’t have worked any better or worrse with the Greek letters of a real fraternity.
It’s probably fictitious, but nobody has a trademark on greek letters in general, so there could be a school with an independent organization called Beta Chi somewhere. I was in Alpha Kappa Tau in college, and you won’t find anything on Wikipedia about it, because it wasn’t part of any national organization.
I remember a story - I think by Max Shulman - that had a graduate of State Penn. who belonged to Cracka Bitta Rock.
???
Wikipedia has several entries which include “Beta Chi”.
A quick Google search reveals various recognized and unrecognized fraternities and sororities that use the letters.
Kenny Loggins states the song is written about his brother Dan and the birth of his son.
Apparently, there is(was) a Beta Chi at California State Polytechnical in Pomona which Dan Loggins purportedly attended in the late 1960’s.
Upon further reading, I’m wondering whether Loggins was actually referencing the Beta Chi Chapter of Sigma Nu at Stanford in California who made a lot of headlines in the 60’s for their progressive reforms.
Pisces is the time of year (where the sun is), Virgo rising is the time of day (which one’s ascending on the horizon). The fact that they are opposite each other suggests birth at sundown, if I’m not mistaken.
Searching for the astrological import of such a birth sign produces the same made-up nonsense that ranges from the uselessly general to the flat-out incomprehensible as any horoscope. That said, it is possible to parse the writing about this particular sign as denoting a strong shoulder to cry on.
I have no idea why Loggins picked it; whether it just fit the song or whether it was the actual sign of the actual baby he was singing about.
I always thought it was about being more carefree and less of a tool:
The lyrics would sound eerily perfect from Will Ferrell doing his Dubya impression.
And then he was sucked back into the family business and his life sucked for ever after.
Beta Chi was a local fraternity at Cal State Los Angeles which later became a chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Dan Login’s (Danny’s Song), Kenny’s brother and I were in the same pledge class at the time, circa early 60’s.
I didn’t know there were fraternities for zombies.
I studied the tab for this song and played it on the piano. And I find when I do that, any flaw in the lyrics really stands out, and this song has this:
He will be like she and me, as free as a dove
Conceived in love
The sun is gonna shine above
Ugh in so many ways. First, “like she and me”? WTF?! It irks me when people use the nominative with multiple pronouns when the accusative is called for (“He gave it to she and I”), but this actually mixes the nominative and accusative in a manner that doesn’t even reflect how people actually talk.
Then you have the ultra-cliche love/above rhyme, further shittened with “dove.” Plus, “conceived in love” is just so ooey-gooey oh no.
This song has a beautiful melody, but the lyrics are pretty pap-y. For better Loggins (with Messina not just “sitting in”), I recommend Mother Lode.
Fun fact: the baby referenced in the song had his own wedding announced in the New York Times in 2007.
It’s not really that much of a zombie thread and, besides, it’s updated with relevant and new information directly on-topic.
In his defense, he wrote it when he was 23. Not his best work, but I cringe when I think of some of the stuff I did when I was 23, and none of it was preserved for future consumption.