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".
River
Dan Fogelberg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rolling past a town
Given no direction
Just told to keep my head down
As I took my position
A man fired a gun
I was so steeped in tradition
That I could not run
Weaned upon the sky
And in the mirror of the waters
I saw myself learn to cry
As my tears hit the surface
I saw what had been done
I gave feet to my freedom
And I did run
Someday later
I saw the writing in the dust
It told me how I should travel
It told me who I was
I ran far from the river
Far as I could see
And as the sun hit my shoulders
I felt it burning me
How I longed for the waters
As the fire raged
How I longed for the river
As I aged
I will die by a river
As it rolls away
Bury me in the nighttime
Do not waste the day
High above the waters
That roll on to the sea
All the angels in heaven
Will laugh at me
They will laugh at me
My life was naught but a river
Rolling through my brain
Made of so many teardrops
Made of so much pain
The River, by Dan Fogelberg, is a song about a person's journey through life. The lyrics describe the singer's birth and upbringing by a river that gave no direction, just a command to keep their head down. As the person takes their position in life, they witness an act of violence that they feel powerless to stop. The singer's reflection in the river shows their tears and the aftermath of what has been done. Eventually, they break free from tradition and run away from the river, symbolizing their desire for change and freedom. The person experiences life away from the river but ultimately longs for it as they feel a burning desire returning to the place they were raised, where they first learned to cry. The song ends with the singer accepting their fate, realizing that their life is just a river rolling through their brain, made of so much pain and tears. They express their desire to be buried near the river and expect ridicule from the angels in heaven.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born by a river
My birthplace was situated beside a river
Rolling past a town
The river flowed by a nearby town
Given no direction
I had no specific guidance or purpose given to me
Just told to keep my head down
I was instructed to avoid drawing attention to myself
As I took my position
As I assumed my place in life
A man fired a gun
Someone used a firearm in my presence
I was so steeped in tradition
I was heavily influenced by traditional beliefs and practices
That I could not run
I did not have the courage or inclination to escape my circumstances
I was raised by a river
I grew up near a body of water
Weaned upon the sky
My upbringing instilled in me a love of the natural world
And in the mirror of the waters
I saw myself reflected in the river's surface
I saw myself learn to cry
My emotional vulnerability became apparent to me
As my tears hit the surface
I realized the river could bear witness to my sorrow
I saw what had been done
Looking into the river confirmed the harsh realities of my life
I gave feet to my freedom
I took action to escape my oppressive situation
And I did run
I fled from the situation I was born into
Someday later
After some time had passed
I saw the writing in the dust
I discovered a clue or revelation through a chance occurrence
It told me how I should travel
The writing gave me direction or guidance for my life's path
It told me who I was
The writing informed me of my identity and purpose
I ran far from the river
I distanced myself from my childhood home
Far as I could see
As far as my eyes could perceive
And as the sun hit my shoulders
I felt the heat of the sun upon the upper part of my body
I felt it burning me
The sun's rays were causing me physical discomfort
How I longed for the waters
I deeply yearned for the comfort and familiarity of the river
As the fire raged
As my internal struggle became stronger and more intense
As I aged
As I grew older
I will die by a river
I will end my life near a river
As it rolls away
As the current carries on downstream
Bury me in the nighttime
Inter me during the darkness of night
Do not waste the day
Avoid using the daytime for mourning or grieving
High above the waters
Looking down from an elevated position over the river
That roll on to the sea
The river flows towards the ocean
All the angels in heaven
Supernatural beings watching from above
Will laugh at me
They will mock or scorn me
My life was naught but a river
My existence was shaped by my proximity to the river
Rolling through my brain
The river's image was engraved in my memory
Made of so many teardrops
The river symbolized my many sorrows and disappointments in life
Made of so much pain
The river represented the emotional difficulties I faced throughout my life
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAN FOGELBERG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind