"Same Old Lang Syne' by Dan Fogelberg.

OK, girls and boys, back to the 80s: This iconic singer/songwriter from Peoria, IL penned and recorded a poignant autobiographical ballad in 1980 about a chance encounter with an old flame at a convenience store while visiting his hometown for the Holidays. It peaked at #9 on Billboard's Hot 100. The melody is loosely based on Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" and the final notes, which invoke the title, are played on solo sax. Over the years, it has received extensive air play during the December festivities. Song? Singer/songwriter? Answer: "Same Old Lang Syne" by Dan Fogelberg. After Fogelberg's death the dedicatee, Jill Anderson Grenlich, revealed herself in an article in a Peoria paper. They had dated in high school. He took two poetic licences - her eyes were green instead of blue and her husband was a teacher, not an architect (they had since divorced). Dan Fogelberg left us on December 16, 2007. That same night we had an open mic at the Eagles' Club here in town. We had all just heard the news of his passing and everyone was quite affected. I played both "Same Auld Lang Syne" and "Leader of the Band" and the entire audience joined in - I will never forget that moment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmVXYOJzAJM

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