Dan Fogelberg

DAN Fogelberg. I have never known his name until I moved to Makassar, South Celebes in 2001 to 2004 due to my job. As a journalist, I never could refuse my placement all over Indonesia. In this nice town, Makassar, far away from home, I listened again Dan Fogelberg voice, Longer. Undoubtly, Longer was his immortal song. I have ever listened this song when I was in senior high school at my village, but in Makassar I just known the name: Dan Fogelberg. I picked my guitar and then tried to search the Longer notes.

Longer is just one of his greatest song. May be you still remember another Dan’s song such as Rhythm of The Rain, The Power of Gold, The Language of Love, and Lonely in Love. When I backed home to Jakarta in 2006 after finished my jobs at Surabaya, East Java for more than two years, I bought some CD’s Dan. Of course one of them is consist his everlasting song, Longer, which you can see the lyrics below, add Leader of The Band, the song dedicated to his father. You can ask me another Dan’s lyrics, then I’ll give you all.

Well, Longer become my special song because this song remind me to someone who lives wherever.

His complete name is Daniel Grayling “Dan” Fogelberg, born  on August 13, 1951 in Peoria, Illinois, USA. He was the youngest of Lawrence and Margaret Fogelberg’s three sons. His father was a high school band director who spent most of his career at Peoria, and his mother was a pianist. Dan is capable in Hawaiian slide guitar which produce melow sound and taught himself to play this music. Before, his grandfather give him Hawaiian guitar. He learned also piano and become master. But personally, I love his accoustic music instrument.

Later, I heard Dan Fogelberg was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2004. If you visit his web, you can read that in his 54th birthday, in August 31, 2005, he thanked to his many fans for their support and declared that he had no immediate plans to return to making music. He just want to enjoy spending time with his wife, musician Jean Fogelberg. I pray for you, Dan, hope you will get your healty as soon as possible.

Longer

Longer than there’ve been fishes in the ocean
Higher than any bird ever flew
Longer than there’ve been stars up in the heavens
I’ve been in love with you.

Stronger than any mountain cathedral
Truer than any tree ever grew
Deeper than any forest primeval
I am in love with you.

I’ll bring fire in the winters
You’ll send showers in the springs
We’ll fly through the falls and summers
With love on our wings.

Through the years as the fire starts to mellow
Blurring lines in the book of our lives
Though the binding cracks and the pages start to yellow
I’ll be in love with you.
I’ll be in love with you.

Longer than there’ve been fishes in the ocean
Higher than any bird ever flew
Longer than there’ve been stars up in the heavens
I’ve been in love with you
I am in love with you..

Rhythm of The Rain

Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain
Telling me just what a fool I’ve been
I wish that it would go and let me cry in vain
And let me be alone again

The only girl I’ve ever loved has gone away
Looking for a brand new start
But little does she know that when she left that day
Along with her she took my heart

Rain please tell me now does that seem fair
For her to steal my heart away when she don’t care
I can’t love another when my heart’s somewhere far away

Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain
Telling me just what a fool I’ve been
I wish that it would go and let me cry in vain
And let me be alone again

The only girl I’ve ever loved has gone away
Looking for a brand new start
Little does she know that when she left that day
Along with her she took my heart

Rain won’t you tell her that I love her so
Please ask the sun to set her heart a glow
And rain in her heart and let the love we know start to grow

Rain please tell me now does that seem fair
For her to steal my heart away when he don’t care
I can’t love another when my heart’s somewhere far away

Oh listen to the falling rain
Oh rhythm of the falling rain
Oh listen to the falling rain
Oh rhythm of the falling rain

Leader of The Band

An only child alone and wild
A cabinet maker’s son
His hands were meant for different work
And his heart was known to none
He left his home and went his lone and solitary way
And he gave to me a gift I know
I never can repay

A quiet man of music
Denied a simpler fate
He tried to be a soldier once
But his music wouldn’t wait
He earned his love through discipline
A thundering, velvet hand
His gentle means of sculpting souls
Took me years to understand.

The leader of the band is tired
And his eyes are growing old
But his blood runs through my instrument
And his song is in my soul

My life has been a poor attempt
To imitate the man
I’m just a living legacy
To the leader of the band.

My brothers’ lives were different
For they heard another call
One went to Chicago
And the other to St. Paul
And I’m in Colorado
When I’m not in some hotel
Living out this life I’ve chose
And come to know so well.

I thank you for the music
And your stories of the road
I thank you for the freedom when it came my time to go

I thank you for the kindness
And the times when you got tough
And, papa, I don’t think I
Said ‘I love you’ near enough

The leader of the band is tired
And his eyes are growing old
But his blood runs through my instrument
And his song is in my soul
My life has been a poor attempt
To imitate the man
I’m just a living legacy
To the leader of the band
I am the living legacy
To the leader of the band.

The Language of Love

She says no
When she means yes
And what she wants
You know that I can’t guess
When we want more
You know we ask for less
Such is the language of love…

I say leave
When I mean stay
But she don’t see
And so she moves away
What we really want
You know we rarely say
Such is the language of love.

It’s tooth for tooth
and eye for eye
We hide our hearts
And then we won’t say why
It’s truth for truth
and lie for lie
Such is the language of love.

One cries foul
And will not speak
The other claims a little victory
And all the time
You know we fail to see
This is the language of love.

When a loves begins to wander
No one ever knows
But we feel it deep inside us
Long before it shows
Long before it shows.

We hem and haw
We balk and bluff
Our words don’t ever seem to
say enough
But a simple smile
A tender touch
Speaks the true language of love.

When a loves begins to wander
No one ever knows
But we feel it deep inside us
Long before it shows
Long before it shows.

She says no
When she means yes
And what she wants
You know that I can’t guess
When we want more
You know we ask for less
Such is the language of love
Such is the language of love…