The youngest of three sons, Dan was born in Peoria, Illinois, the son of Margaret (née Irvine), a classically-trained pianist, and Lawrence Peter Fogelberg, a high school band director, who spent most of his career at Peoria Woodruff High School and Pekin High School. Dan Fogelberg's mother was a Scottish immigrant and his father was of Swedish descent. His father would later be the inspiration for the song Leader of the Band. Using a Mel Bay course book, Dan taught himself to play a Hawaiian slide guitar his grandfather gave to him; he also learned to play the piano. He started his music career at age 14 when he joined his first band, The Clan, which paid homage to The Beatles. His second band was another cover combo, The Coachmen, which in 1967 released two singles on Ledger Records: "Maybe Time Will Let Me Forget" and "Don't Want To Lose Her." Another was the blues band, Frankie and the Aliens, who toured regionally during the 1980s covering songs by Cream and Muddy Waters, among others.
After graduating from Woodruff High School in 1969, he studied theater arts and painting at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and began performing as a solo acoustic player in area coffeehouses including the Red Herring Coffeehouse where he made his first solo recordings as part of a folk festival recording in 1971. There, he was discovered in 1971 by Irving Azoff. Fogelberg and Azoff – who started his music-management career promoting another Champaign-Urbana act, REO Speedwagon – moved to California to seek their fortunes. Fogelberg became a session musician who played with pop-folk artists like Van Morrison. In 1972, he released his debut album Home Free to lukewarm response. His second effort was much more successful: the 1974 Joe Walsh-produced album Souvenirs and its hit song "Part of the Plan" made him a major star.
Following Souvenirs, Fogelberg released a string of gold and platinum albums, including Captured Angel (1975) and Nether Lands (1977), and found commercial success with songs like "The Power of Gold." His 1978 Twin Sons of Different Mothers was the first of two collaborations with jazz flutist Tim Weisberg. 1979's Phoenix reached the Top 10, with "Longer" becoming a #2 hit and wedding standard in winter 1980. This was followed by his Top 20 hit "Heart Hotels."
The Innocent Age, released in October 1981, was Fogelberg's critical and commercial peak. This double album song cycle included four of his biggest hits: "Leader of the Band," "Hard To Say," "Run for the Roses", and "Same Old Lang Syne," based on a real-life accidental meeting with a former girlfriend (Jill Anderson). In 1984, he rocked a little again with the album Windows And Walls.
later years:
Fogelberg released High Country Snows in 1985. Recorded in Nashville, it showcased his (and some of the industry's best) talent in the bluegrass genre. Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Doc Watson, Jerry Douglas, David Grisman, Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen were among those who contributed to the record. In a world defined by "life in the fast lane" Fogelberg described the music as "life in the off-ramp." 1987 heralded a return to rock with Exiles, while 1990's The Wild Places was a tribute to Earth preservation. In 1991, he released the live album Greetings from the West.
River of Souls, released in 1993, was Fogelberg's last studio album for Sony Records. In 1997, Portrait encompassed his career with four discs, each highlighting a different facet of his music: "Ballads," "Rock and Roll," "Tales and Travels" (which displayed his talents as a narrative songwriter) and "Hits." In 1999 he fulfilled a career-long dream of creating a Christmas album called First Christmas Morning, and in 2003, Full Circle showcased a return to the folk-influenced, 1970s soft rock-style of music for which he and other singer-songwriters from his era had gained popular recognition.
Fogelberg also used his music to address social issues, including peace and Native American concerns. He was particularly outspoken about his commitment to the environment and to finding alternatives to nuclear power. To that end, Fogelberg included "Face the Fire" on the Phoenix album and performed at a number of the Musicians United for Safe Energy "No Nukes" concerts in 1979 and 1980.
His live concerts won acclaim across the nation over the years. Fogelberg said one of his proudest moments came in 1979 when he played New York City's Carnegie Hall for an audience including his mother and father. Most summers, Fogelberg would perform with full band or in solo acoustic setting; the formats allowed him to show the breadth and depth of his talent as a singer, guitarist, pianist and bandleader. In 2002, fans showed their appreciation by choosing Fogelberg to be one of the first 10 inductees into the Performers Hall of Fame at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado.
In May 2004, Fogelberg was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. He underwent therapy and achieved a partial remission, which did not eliminate his cancer but reduced it and stopped its spread. On August 13, 2005, his 54th birthday, Fogelberg announced the success of his cancer treatments and he thanked fans for their support. He said that he had no immediate plans to return to making music but was keeping his options open and enjoying spending time with his wife, musician Jean Fogelberg.
Fogelberg maintained residences in Deer Isle, Maine and at Mountain Bird Ranch, a 610-acre property near Pagosa Springs, Colorado that he bought in 1982. The ranch was put up for sale in 2005.
After battling prostate cancer for three years, Fogelberg died on December 16, 2007 at his home in Maine with his wife Jean by his side.
Soon after his death, Fogelberg's wife, Jean, announced that a song written and recorded for her by Fogelberg for Valentine's Day 2005, Sometimes a Song, would be sold on the Internet and all proceeds would go to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. The song was released on Valentine's Day 2008. She further announced that this song would be included in a collection of eleven previously unrecorded songs (nine originals) to be released on a CD provisionally entitled "Love In Time".
Faces Of America
Dan Fogelberg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When a man could be sure of where he stood
I used to work at the yard, working honest and hard
The hours were long but the pay was oh so good
I had a family and friends, oh so many friends
We'd drive to the lake on holidays
Back then it wasn't so dear for a sandwich or beer
Certain things that you depend upon
There are places that you know
And the faces of america
Oh, where do they go, where did they go
I was born on a farm, a mid-western farm
I rode on the tractor with my dad
And though we never had much it was always enough
And we made the best with what we had
But then came four years of drought and the bottom dropped out
My father was broken like the rest
And I can still see his hands signing over his lands
And the bankers grow fat on the flesh of the dispossessed
Certain things that you depend upon
There are places I can go I sift the ashes of america
For someplace I used to know
Someplace I used to know
Someplace I used to know
There was a time, a simpler time
When a man could be sure of where he stood
I used to work at the yard, working honest and hard
The hours were long but the pay was oh so good
Certain things that you depend upon I used to think were guaranteed
Like the right of every man to work and feed his family
And the faces of america seem so distant and estranged
Have their eyes become too blind to see
How much their hearts have changed
How much their hearts have changed
How much their hearts have changed
The song "Faces of America" by Dan Fogelberg is a melancholic reflection on a time that has changed. The songstress is remembering a time when life was simpler, and people had a clear understanding of where they fitted in. He talks about starting his career at a yard, a place where he worked hard, and although the hours were long, the pay was good. He had family and friends who he used to go on trips with too. However, time took its toll, and things started to change. He says he used to depend on some things and places that he knew, but he is unsure of where these places and things went. Dan comments that he was born and raised on a farm in middle-western America. He recounts how he used to ride on tractors with his dad and how they never had much, but it was always enough to make ends meet. But hard times hit, and they had to make tough choices.
The song then takes a turn to make a commentary on the state of America. Dan talks about how certain things that people depend on, like the right to work and feed their families, are beginning to erode. The faces of America, people he once knew, now seem distant and estranged, and it is apparent that their hearts have changed. The song concludes on a sad and desolate note, with Dan wishing for places he used to know. It's a poignant reflection on the passage of time, the changes in the economic climate, and how people's attitudes have changed over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a time, a simpler time
In the past, life was easier and less complex.
When a man could be sure of where he stood
People used to have a clear understanding of their place in society.
I used to work at the yard, working honest and hard
The singer used to work in physical labor, but he was proud of the honest work he did and the effort he put in.
The hours were long but the pay was oh so good
Although the work was tough, the artist was compensated well for his efforts.
I had a family and friends, oh so many friends
The artist had a close-knit group of loved ones and a strong sense of community.
We'd drive to the lake on holidays
The singer and his friends and family would take trips to enjoy nature and make memories.
Back then it wasn't so dear for a sandwich or beer
Things like food and drink were more affordable in the past.
At night I still dream I can see their faces
The artist fondly remembers the people he cared about and still thinks of them frequently.
Certain things that you depend upon
There are some things that people rely on to survive or prosper.
There are places that you know
People have familiar and comfortable surroundings that they love and feel connected to.
And the faces of america
The people who make up America and contribute to its culture.
Oh, where do they go, where did they go
The artist wonders where these people have gone and what has happened to them.
I was born on a farm, a mid-western farm
The singer grew up in a rural area in the Midwest.
I rode on the tractor with my dad
The singer spent quality time bonding with his father while helping him work on the farm.
And though we never had much it was always enough
The family was content with what they had, even though they didn't have many material possessions.
And we made the best with what we had
The family was resourceful and made the most of their situation.
But then came four years of drought and the bottom dropped out
The farm experienced a period of hardship due to climate conditions, which caused a significant decline in profits.
My father was broken like the rest
The singer's father was devastated, like many other farmers in similar situations.
And I can still see his hands signing over his lands
The singer has a vivid memory of his father selling off their property.
And the bankers grow fat on the flesh of the dispossessed
The banks who held the farmers' loans took advantage of their misfortune for their own gain.
I sift the ashes of america
The artist is looking for remnants of what he remembers from the past.
For someplace I used to know
He longs to return to a time and place that he feels has been lost.
Certain things that you depend upon I used to think were guaranteed
The singer reflects on the things he used to believe were surefire guarantees, but now realizes are not certain.
Like the right of every man to work and feed his family
He laments the loss of opportunities for people to make a living and support themselves and their loved ones.
And the faces of america seem so distant and estranged
The singer feels disconnected from the people who make up the country and its values now.
Have their eyes become too blind to see
He wonders if people have lost sight of what is truly important in life.
How much their hearts have changed
The singer suggests that people's priorities are different now than they were in the past, and not necessarily for the better.
How much their hearts have changed
This line is repeated to emphasize the artist's sense of disappointment and loss.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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