The 25 Best Dan Fogelberg Songs, from Part of the Plan to Same Old Lang Syne

What is Dan Fogelberg's most famous song?

"Longer" is Dan Fogelberg's most famous song and his biggest hit, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980 and becoming one of the most played wedding songs of its era. "Leader of the Band" and "Same Old Lang Syne", both top ten hits, are just as loved, along with "Hard to Say" and "Run for the Roses".

Dan Fogelberg's biggest hits

1. "Longer", 1980: a gentle acoustic love song and a number two hit.
2. "Leader of the Band", 1981: a tribute to his father, a top ten hit.
3. "Same Old Lang Syne", 1980: a true story of meeting an old love on Christmas Eve, a top ten hit.
4. "Hard to Say", 1981: a top ten single from The Innocent Age.
5. "Run for the Roses", 1982: a song written for the Kentucky Derby.
6. "Part of the Plan", 1974: his first hit, from Souvenirs.
7. "Heart Hotels", 1980: a top 20 hit from Phoenix.
8. "The Power of Gold", 1978: a hit from his album with flutist Tim Weisberg.
9. "Missing You", 1982: a new song from his greatest hits album.
10. "Make Love Stay", 1982: a tender ballad from the same greatest hits album.

Songs from the 70s

11. "To the Morning", 1972: a quiet highlight of his debut album, Home Free.
12. "There's a Place in the World for a Gambler", 1974: a sweeping song from Souvenirs.
13. "Nether Lands", 1977: the orchestral title track of his fourth album.
14. "Phoenix", 1979: the title track of his 1979 album.
15. "Tullamore Dew", 1979: a short, Celtic-flavored instrumental from Phoenix.

Songs from The Innocent Age (1981)

The Innocent Age, a double album released in 1981, is often called Fogelberg's masterpiece. It holds four of his hit singles and a set of songs about memory, family and growing older.

16. "The Innocent Age", 1981: the reflective title song.
17. "Ghosts", 1981: a haunting album track.
18. "Only the Heart May Know", 1981: a duet with Emmylou Harris.
19. "The Reach", 1981: a song inspired by the sea and the coast of Maine.

Songs from the 80s and later

20. "The Language of Love", 1984: an upbeat rock single from Windows and Walls.
21. "Believe in Me", 1984: a warm ballad from the same album.
22. "Down the Road (Mountain Pass)", 1985: a bluegrass song from High Country Snows.
23. "She Don't Look Back", 1987: a rocking single from Exiles.
24. "Rhythm of the Rain", 1990: his version of the Cascades classic, from The Wild Places.
25. "The First Christmas Morning", 1999: the title song of his Christmas album.

Who was Dan Fogelberg?

Dan Fogelberg was born on August 13, 1951, in Peoria, Illinois. His father, Lawrence, was a band director, and his mother was a classically trained pianist. He started out playing folk clubs while at the University of Illinois, moved to Los Angeles and released his first album, Home Free, in 1972. Over the next decade he became one of the leading singer-songwriters of the era, playing nearly every instrument on many of his records and selling millions of albums. He later moved to Colorado and then to Maine, where he died on December 16, 2007, at the age of 56, after a battle with prostate cancer.

The story behind Same Old Lang Syne

"Same Old Lang Syne" is a true story. On Christmas Eve in the mid-70s, while home in Peoria for the holidays, Fogelberg ran into his high school girlfriend at a convenience store. They bought a six-pack, sat in her car and talked about their lives, and the song ends with a saxophone playing the melody of "Auld Lang Syne". The site of the store is now on a street named in his honor, and the song is played on radio every December. For more holiday music, see our sad Christmas songs and New Year's Eve songs.

The story behind Leader of the Band

Fogelberg wrote "Leader of the Band" for his father, Lawrence Fogelberg, a band director who taught music for decades in Peoria. He often told how his father let him conduct a university band when he was 14. Released in 1981, the song became a top ten hit, and Lawrence heard it before he died a year later. Today it is one of the most requested songs for fathers, especially for a Father's Day dedication or a memorial for a dad who shaped your life; see our songs about dads for more.

The story behind Longer

"Longer" is built on simple acoustic guitar, and its gentle melody and devoted words made it a wedding standard in the early 80s. It reached number two in 1980 and remains one of the best-known love songs of the decade.

Twin Sons of Different Mothers

In 1978 Fogelberg teamed up with jazz flutist Tim Weisberg for Twin Sons of Different Mothers, a mostly instrumental album that blended folk, rock and jazz. It was a surprise success, with "The Power of Gold" as its hit single, and the two friends reunited in 1995 for a second album, No Resemblance Whatsoever.

Dan Fogelberg albums to start with

• Souvenirs (1974): his breakthrough, produced by Joe Walsh, with "Part of the Plan".
• Nether Lands (1977): a lush, orchestral album.
• Phoenix (1979): with "Longer" and "Heart Hotels".
• The Innocent Age (1981): the double album most fans call his masterpiece.
• Greatest Hits (1982): the essential collection, with two new songs.
• High Country Snows (1985): a heartfelt bluegrass album.

Run for the Roses and the Kentucky Derby

"Run for the Roses" was written for the 108th running of the Kentucky Derby in 1982 and became a top 20 hit. Its story of a young horse growing up to race at Churchill Downs is still played on Derby Day in Louisville. For more horse songs, see our songs about horses.

Dan Fogelberg songs for Christmas

"Same Old Lang Syne" is a Christmas radio staple every December, and The First Christmas Morning, his 1999 holiday album, mixes traditional carols with original songs for a quiet, reflective season. Together they make a gentle soundtrack for a snowy evening at home.

Dan Fogelberg songs for a wedding

"Longer" is the classic first dance, and "Make Love Stay" and "Believe in Me" are tender alternatives. For a slideshow, "The Innocent Age" and "Same Old Lang Syne" add a nostalgic touch. For more, see our old love songs and 80s wedding songs.

Dan Fogelberg songs for a memorial

"Leader of the Band" is often played at a father's funeral, and "To the Morning" and "Part of the Plan" offer quiet comfort. For more, see our funeral songs for dad.

A song as personal as Leader of the Band

Dan Fogelberg's best songs were about the real people in his life: his father, his first love, his hometown. A personalized song can tell your own story the same way: their name, the memories you share and the moments that made them who they are. It makes a moving Father's Day, anniversary or memorial gift.

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