Yesterday’s classic song of the day was “Taxi,” a story song about two old lovers running into each other years later. It follows, then, that today’s classic song of the day is another story song about two old lovers running into each other years later, this time during the holiday season. The song, and you know it, is “Same Old Lang Syne” by Dan Fogelberg.
This story song tells the story of a famous musician (Fogelberg) who runs into an old lover in a grocery store on Christmas Eve. They grab a six pack of beer and retire to his car to reminisce. The woman married an architect, but not for love. The musician loves performing but hates traveling. Neither one seems particularly happy in their lives. They talk for a few hours and, when they’re done, she kisses him on the cheek and drives away. The singer walks home in the snow, remembering the pain of their breakup those many years ago. As the lyrics put it:
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 into rain
“Same Old Lang Syne,” much like “Taxi” yesterday, was somewhat inspired by real-world events. Mr. Fogelberg was visiting his parents in Peoria, Illinois, over Christmas in 1975 when he ran into his old high school girlfriend, Jill Anderson, at the Convenient Food Mart on Abington Street Hill. It was Christmas Eve and they shared a few beers and reminisced. And, according to Mr. Fogelberg, the snow really did turn into rain as he drove home.
“Same Old Lang Syne” was released in November of 1980 and peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February of the following year. That means it was rising up the charts during the holiday season, which is appropriate.
Dan Fogelberg was a pretty big deal in the late ’70s and early ’80s. He had a string of big hits, including “Part of the Plan” (#31 in 1975), “The Power of Gold” (#24, 1978), “Longer” (#2, 1979), “Heart Hotels” (#21, 1980), “Hard to Say” (#7, 1981), “Leader of the Band” (#9, 1981), “Run for the Roses” (#18, 1982), “Missing You” (#23, 1982), “Make Love Stay” (#29, 1983), and “The Language of Love” (#13, 1984). He performed up until his death from prostate cancer in 2007. He was just 56 years old.
