Famous Sites in Popular Music -- Part One
Dan Fogelberg: Same Old Lang Syne

My first in a series of posts about famous sites in popular music will focus on a local guy, Dan Fogelberg. Fogelberg grew up in central Illinois, attending high school in Peoria and college at the University of Illinois. He hit his peak of popularity from the mid 1970's to the early 1980's with his smooth voice and tender ballads. His monster hit Longer was a staple at weddings and proms for many years.

However, one of his most treasured and touching songs was his story of a random meeting with a former girlfriend on Christmas Eve 1975 -- Same Old Lang Syne. The song began:

Met my old lover in the grocery store
The snow was falling Christmas Eve
I stole behind her in the frozen foods
And I touched her on the sleeve

She didn't recognize the face at first
But then her eyes flew open wide
She went to hug me and she spilled her purse
And we laughed until we cried

We took her groceries to the checkout stand
The food was totalled up and bagged
We stood there lost in our embarrassment
As the conversation dragged

We went to have ourselves a drink or two
But couldn't find an open bar
We bought a six-pack at the liquor store
And we drank it in her car

The stores mentioned were not actually a grocery store and a liquor store, but one store -- a local Convenient store. Artists can take some liberty with the facts, right?

For years I had wondered where the store was and had wanted to see it myself. I finally did so this past June, stopping in Peoria, IL on my way back home from another famous music site which will be the subject of my second post in this series.

The store as it looks today:

If you were a Fogelberg fan and remember the song, you will probably love to read the whole story of the chance Christmas Eve meeting. If you are a real trivia junkie like me, you'll probably want to know the name of the guy who sold Fogelberg the beer and the brand of beer he bought.

Sadly, Dan Fogelberg died of prostate cancer In December, 2007. The street adjacent to the store was renamed Fogelberg Parkway in honor of the contributions of the Fogelberg family (including Dan's father, the "Leader of the Band").

A memorial to Dan Fogelberg is being dedicated on August 28, 2010 in his home town, Peoria.

Same Old Lang Syne

Met my old lover in the grocery store
The snow was falling Christmas Eve
I stole behind her in the frozen foods
And I touched her on the sleeve

She didn't recognize the face at first
But then her eyes flew open wide
She went to hug me and she spilled her purse
And we laughed until we cried

We took her groceries to the checkout stand
The food was totalled up and bagged
We stood there lost in our embarrassment
As the conversation dragged

We went to have ourselves a drink or two
But couldn't find an open bar
We bought a six-pack at the liquor store
And we drank it in her car

We drank a toast to innocence, we drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness but neither one knew how

She said she'd married her an architect
Who kept her warm and safe and dry
She would have liked to say she loved the man
But she didn't like to lie

I said the years had been a friend to her
And that her eyes were still as blue
But in those eyes I wasn't sure if I saw doubt or gratitude
She said she saw me in the record stores
And that I must be doing well
I said the audience was heavenly but the traveling was hell

We drank a toast to innocence, we drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness but neither one knew how
We drank a toast to innocence, we drank a toast to time
Reliving in our eloquence, another 'auld lang syne'

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 in to rain...