"Same Old Lang Syne" by Dan Fogelberg

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  0441
Date:  12/13/1980
Debut:  75
Peak:  9
Weeks:  18
Genre:  Pop, Adult Contemporary



Pop Bits:  Fogelberg's previous album yielded his first and biggest Top 10 hit, the #2 "Longer," along with the #21 "Hearts Hotel." To herald his upcoming album "The Innocent Age," this single was released far in advance of the double LP. Due to the nature of the song (see below), it may have been rush released ahead of the album in order for it to fit in to the holiday season. It payed off as the song became Fogelberg's second Top 10 hit.

ReduxReview:  What a terrific story song. Everything just comes together with the Michael Brecker sax solo at the end tying everything up with a bow. It is a bowl full of introspective melancholy, but it just seems so real, which it was (see below). Even though it wasn't his biggest hit, I think it will be the one that endures the most.

ReduxRating:  9/10

Trivia:  This song tells the story of a musician who runs into his old girlfriend at a hometown grocery store on Christmas Eve. The song is based on an actual even that happened to Fogelberg. While visiting his family in Peoria, Illinois, for the holidays, he was sent out to look for whip cream and the only place open was a convenience store. An old girlfriend from high school just happened to be out an an errand as well and they ran into each other at the store. The story in the song is pretty much the way it happened with the exception of a few minor details. The woman who is the focal point of the song admitted to being the person following Fogelberg's death in 2007 and verified the story of the song. Since it takes place on Christmas Eve, the song often gets played during the holiday season and is becoming a standard for that time of year.

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