Dan Fogelberg Passes On

Singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg died on Sunday, three years after being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. He was 56.

Fogelberg, a native of Peoria, Illinois, broke into the music industry in the early 1970s, at a time when it was embracing introspective songwriting, or "soft rock," by such acts as the Eagles and America.

Fogelberg, who distinguished himself with his angelic vocals and lyrics that celebrated beauty and romance, hit his commercial and creative peak in 1981 with "The Innocent Age," which yielded three top-10 singles, "Hard to Say," "Same Old Lang Syne" and "Leader of the Band."

His most recent release, "Full Circle," came out in 2003. The following year, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, and urged men over the age of 50 to get tested for the disease.

** I posted this song on my blog about this time last year. It reminded me of a similar experience I had. Bitter-sweet memories in a beautiful song.

Same Old Lang Syne
Dan Fogelberg -

Met my old lover in a grocery store
The snow was falling Christmas Eve
Stole behind her in the frozen foods and I touched her on the sleeve
She didn't recognize the face at first but then her eyes flew open wide
Tried to hug me and she spilled her purse and we laughed until we cried
Took her groceries to the checkout stand
The food was totaled up and bagged stood there lost in our embarrassment as the conversation dragged
Went to have ourselves a drink or two but couldn't find an open bar
Bought a six-pack at the liquor store and we drank it in the car
We drank a toast to innocence, we drank a toast to now
Tried to reach beyond the emptiness but neither one knew how
She said she'd married her an architect
Kept her warm and safe and dry
She said she'd like to say she loved the man but she didn't want to lie
I said the years had been a friend to her and that her eyes were still as blue
But in those eyes I wasn't sure if I saw doubt or gratitude
She said she saw me in the record store and that I must be doing well
I said the audience was heavenly but the traveling was hell
We drank a toast to innocence we drank a toast to time
We're living in our eloquence, another old lang syne
The beers were empty and our tongues grew tired and running out of things to say
She gave a kiss to me as I got out and I watched her drive away
Just for a moment I was back in school
And felt that old familiar pain
And as I turned to make my way back home the snow turned into rain