Dan Fogelberg

A local radio station has already started playing Christmas music, trying to get us in the mood for holiday shopping. Mix 94.5 (WMXL) in Lexington launched its Mixmas 2008 on Friday morning and they will continue to play Christmas music all day, every day until December 25th. Although this format will get very old before Christmas, the first few days, sometimes weeks, really puts me in the mood for the holiday season.


On the way in to work this morning, I was shocked with a blast from the past, Dan Fogelberg singing "Same Old Lang Syne" from the album The Innocent Age. This will be a sad Christmas for all Fogelberg fans, because Dan died December 16, 2007 after a long battle with prostate cancer.

Fogelberg was one of favorite singers from the time I was 11 years old. Over the years I've seen him numerous times in concert - several of these at Kings Island in Ohio (at TimberWolf Theater).

Fogelberg trivia (Thanks Wikipedia):
--"Run For The Roses" was written for the 1980 Kentucky Derby.
--In a Bloom County comic strip, the character Lola Granola confesses to having a tattoo of Dan Fogelberg's face. Her boyfriend, Opus the Penguin, is oblivious and refers to him as "Dan Fogerburp".
--Jay Leno cited Same Old Lang Syne as one of his favorite holiday songs.

Same Old Lang Syne

Met my old lover in the grocery store
The snow was falling Christmas Eve
I 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
She went to hug me and she spilled her purse
And we laughed until we cried
We took her groceries to the checkout stand
The food was totalled up and bagged
We stood there lost in our embarrassment
As the conversation dragged
We went to have ourselves a drink or two
But couldn't find an open bar
We bought a six-pack at the liquor store
And we drank it in her car
We drank a toast to innocence, we drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness but neither one knew how
She said she'd married her an architect
Who kept her warm and safe and dry
She would have liked to say she loved the man
But she didn't like 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 stores
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 now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness but neither one knew how
We drank a toast to innocence, we drank a toast to time
Reliving in our eloquence, another 'auld lang syne'
The beer was empty and our tongues were 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 at school
And felt that old familiar pain
And as I turned to make my way back home
The snow turned in to rain...