"Same Old Lang Syne" is a song written and sung by Dan Fogelberg from his 1981 album The Innocent Age. The song is a narrative ballad told in the first person and tells the bittersweet story of two long-ago lovers meeting on Christmas Eve. The melody phrase at the beginning of each verse is taken by Fogelberg from Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. During its debut, the song peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and is now frequently played during the holiday season and is integrated with traditional Christmas songs, despite having nothing to do with Christmas other than a brief mention of Christmas Eve.

Story

The narrator sees a former lover in a grocery store on a snowy Christmas Eve. She suddenly recognizes him; reaching to embrace, she drops her purse, and the two laugh until they cry. As she buys her groceries, the conversation lags. They decide to have a drink but can't find an open bar, so they buy beer at the liquor store and drink it in her car.

They toast to the past and the present, but they don't know how to "reach beyond the emptiness" in their lives. She married someone who takes care of her but she doesn't love him. The narrator, a musician, likes his audiences but not the traveling.

Finally they run out of things to say. She kisses him, he gets out of her car, and as she drives off he feels "that old familiar pain."

The song ends with a soprano saxophone solo by Michael Brecker that includes the melody from the original Auld Lang Syne.

Origins

Given the first person narrative of the song, many listeners have frequently wondered how valid the song really is. Fogelberg himself had confirmed on his official website that the song is indeed autobiographical:

"In 1975 or 76 I was home in Peoria, Illinois visiting my family for Christmas. I went to a convenience store to pick up some whipping cream to make Irish coffees with, and quite unexpectedly ran into an old high school girlfriend. The rest of the song tells the story."

After Fogelberg's death in 2007, the Peoria Journal-Star reported that the girlfriend referred to was Jill Greulich (née Anderson) who attended Woodruff High School with Fogelberg.

Association with Christmas

"Same Old Lang Syne" is frequently played on radio stations (particularly those having oldies formats) during the holidays. The song begins mentioning Christmas Eve and ends with the acknowledgment of snow, a common weather occurrence during the winter in the higher latitudes of the northern hemisphere. Apart from the initial (and final) reference, there is no further association with the holiday or holiday season. However, since the song's release, both the reference in the title and the musical quote of Auld Lang Syne (traditionally sung on New Year's Eve) as the epilogue have encouraged the song's popularity during December.

Musicians

• Dan Fogelberg: Piano, Bass, Electric Piano, Lead and Background Vocals
• Russ Kunkel: Drums
• Michael Brecker: Soprano Saxophone

References