Leader of the Band
| "Leader of the Band" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Dan Fogelberg | ||||
| from the album The Innocent Age | ||||
| B-side | "Times Like These" | |||
| Released | December 1981 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:15 (single version) 4:48 (album version) | |||
| Label | Full Moon/Epic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Dan Fogelberg | |||
| Producer(s) | Dan Fogelberg, Marty Lewis | |||
| Dan Fogelberg singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| Dan Fogelberg - Leader of the Band (from Live: Greetings from the West) on YouTube | ||||
"Leader of the Band" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg for his 1981 album The Innocent Age. The song was written as a tribute to his father Lawrence Fogelberg, a musician and leader of a band who was still alive when the song was released.[1][2] Before Lawrence's death in August 1982, he granted many media interviews because of the song.[3]
The single was released in late 1981 and peaked at no. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[4] in March 1982.[5] It became Fogelberg's second no. 1 song on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, following his 1980 hit "Longer".[6] On the Radio & Records charts, "Leader of the Band" peaked at no. 2 on the CHR/Pop chart, and hit no. 1 on the AC chart.
Charts
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[7] | 9 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[8] | 1 |
| Year-end chart (1982) | Rank |
|---|---|
| US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[9] | 35 |
Other versions
- The Mercey Brothers recorded the song in 1984 for their compilation album Latest and Greatest Volume 1. It peaked at #9 on the Canadian country music chart and at #21 on the Canadian adult contemporary chart.
- Lucie Arnaz has performed a version of the song as a tribute to her late father Desi Arnaz. However, she changed the line "A cabinet maker's son" to "A mayor's son" as her grandfather was mayor of Santiago de Cuba from 1928 until 1932.
- Regine Velasquez recorded the song in 2008 for her album Low Key, and she also performed the song for her father Gerardo Velasquez.
- Zac Brown recorded the song in 2017 as part of a tribute album to Dan Fogelberg. He also dedicated it to his father.
See also
References
- ^ "Dan Fogelberg Official Website Frequently Asked Questions (As answered in 2003)". 2003. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
"Leader of the Band" was written for my father Lawrence Fogelberg who was a musician, educator, and band leader. I was so gratified that I was able to give him that song before he passed on.
- ^ A Song for the Ages: How Dan Fogelberg's 'Leader of the Band' Came to Be
- ^ Fogelberg, Dan. "FAQ's". danfogelberg.com. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996)
- ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1982-03-06. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
- ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)
- ^ "Dan Fogelberg Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "Dan Fogelberg Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ "Talent in Action : Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 94, no. 51. December 25, 1982. p. TIA-20.
