Dan Fogelberg, 1951-2007

Although I've added boldfaced highlighting of certain info and some links—mostly to DanFogelberg.com for lyrics, song commentary by Fogelberg, and audio clips—the following is an undercoverhd.com article by Paul Cashmere:

Singer/songwriter Dan Fogelberg has lost his three year battle with cancer.

In May 2004, Dan was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. After undergoing hormonal treatment during the first year, things started to look promising when it was found he had a remission and they thought the cancer had stopped spreading. But it was only temporary.

In a statement at danfogelberg.com it says "Dan left us this morning at 6:00 am. He fought a brave battle with cancer and died peacefully at home in Maine with his wife Jean at his side. His strength, dignity and grace in the face of the daunting challenges of this disease were an inspiration to all who knew him."

Fogelberg was born Daniel Grayling Fogelberg on August 13, 1951. In 1971, at the age of 20, he was discovered by the man who was going to go on to be a powerhouse of the music industry, Irving Azoff. Azoff and Fogelberg moved to California and in 1972, Dan released his debut album Home Free.

Irving is a man who nurtured talent, and with patience, his belief in Fogelberg paid off when the 1974 album Souvenirs became an American hit.

The major success came in 1979 with the album Phoenix. It featured the world-wide hit ballad "Longer," a song which went on to be played at many a wedding.

The big, big album was The Innocent Age from 1981. The double album was home to the Fogelberg classics "Leader of the Band" and "Same Old Lang Syne."

Fogelberg's last album was 2003's Full Circle. After being diagnosed with cancer, he spent the rest of his life enjoying time with his family and wife Jean.

I just discovered Fogelberg did a Christmas album titled The First Christmas Morning. That's not necessarily my kind of thing as I don't generally go wild over Christmas albums, but it seems appropriate to at least mention it given the timing of Fogelberg's passing.

One of my Mother's favorite songs was the Kentucky Derby anthem "Run For The Roses" from The Innocent Age.

I can't say I ever had any of his individual albums, but I do have his Greatest Hits so am spinning that now in memory. Aside from his much loved ballads as mentioned in the article above I've always felt a couple of his up-tempo hits, "The Power Of Gold" and especially "Part Of The Plan," were neglected by radio in later years...

Part Of The Plan
Written by Dan Fogelberg
©EMI April Music, Inc./Hickory Grove Music (ASCAP)

I have these moments all steady and strong
I'm feeling so holy and humble
The next thing I know I'm all worried and weak
And I feel myself starting to crumble

The meanings get lost and the teachings get tossed
And you don't know what you're gonna do next
You wait for the sun, but it never quite comes
Some kind of message comes through to you
Some kind of message comes through

And it says to you...

(CHORUS)
Love when you can, cry when you have to
Be who you must, that's a part of the plan
Await your arrival with simple survival
And one day we'll all understand
One day we'll all understand
One day we'll all understand

I had a woman who gave me her soul
But I wasn't ready to take it
Her heart was so fragile and heavy to hold
And I was afraid I might break it

Your conscience awakes and you see your mistakes
And you wish someone would buy your confession
The days miss their mark and the night gets so dark
And some kind of message comes through to you
Some kind of message shoots through—

And it says to you...

(CHORUS)

There is no Eden or heavenly gates
That you're gonna make it to one day
But all of the answers you seek can be found
In the dreams that you dream on the way

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And in a much lighter vein, to this day I still fondly recall this classic Bloom County strip by Berke Breathed (who for quite some time has had it posted as one of his favorite strips he's ever done).