Longer
Encyclopedia
"Longer" is a song written and recorded by the American
singer-songwriter
Dan Fogelberg
. The song can be found on Fogelberg's 1979 album Phoenix
. It was also included on his 1982 greatest hits album
as well as various other retrospective and compilation recordings.
Fogelberg, who had released more rock-oriented songs throughout the 1970s, jokingly described "Longer" in the liner notes to one of his retrospective albums as "the song that put me on the elevators." He wrote the song while vacationing in Maui
, "lounging in a hammock one night and looking up at the stars. It just seems this song was drifting around the universe, saw me, and decided I'd give it a good home." Accompanying Fogelberg's vocals is an acoustic guitar
(played by the singer) as well as a flugelhorn
solo by Jerry Hey
.
Lyrically, the song compares various events ("Longer than there've been stars up in the heavens") with his emotional attachment to the one he loves ("I've been in love with you").
in late 1979, prior to the release of the album Phoenix. It became Fogelberg's highest-charting hit of his career, spending two weeks at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart in March 1980. It was kept from the summit the first week by "Crazy Little Thing Called Love
" by Queen
, and remained in the runner-up spot the next week behind "Another Brick in the Wall
" by Pink Floyd
. In addition, "Longer" became the first of the singer's four #1 songs on the Billboard
adult contemporary chart between 1980 and 1984. The song reached #85 on the Billboard country music chart
.
In the United Kingdom, "Longer" was Fogelberg's only song to reach the UK Singles Chart
, where it peaked at #59.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Dan Fogelberg
Dan Fogelberg
Daniel Grayling "Dan" Fogelberg was an American singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, whose music was inspired by sources as diverse as folk, pop, rock, classical, jazz, and bluegrass music...
. The song can be found on Fogelberg's 1979 album Phoenix
Phoenix (Dan Fogelberg album)
Phoenix is the sixth album by American singer/songwriter Dan Fogelberg, released in 1979 .-Track listing:All songs written by Dan Fogelberg.#"Tullamore Dew" – 1:16#"Phoenix" – 7:06#"Gypsy Wind" – 3:59#"The Last to Know" – 3:11...
. It was also included on his 1982 greatest hits album
Greatest Hits (Dan Fogelberg album)
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by American adult contemporary artist Dan Fogelberg. It included two previously unreleased tracks, "Missing You" and "Make Love Stay", both of which were released as singles and peaked at chart positions #23 and #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, respectively...
as well as various other retrospective and compilation recordings.
Fogelberg, who had released more rock-oriented songs throughout the 1970s, jokingly described "Longer" in the liner notes to one of his retrospective albums as "the song that put me on the elevators." He wrote the song while vacationing in Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
, "lounging in a hammock one night and looking up at the stars. It just seems this song was drifting around the universe, saw me, and decided I'd give it a good home." Accompanying Fogelberg's vocals is an acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
(played by the singer) as well as a flugelhorn
Flugelhorn
The flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
solo by Jerry Hey
Jerry Hey
Jerry Hey is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, horn arranger, string arranger, orchestrator and session musician who has played on hundreds of commercial recordings, including Thriller and the distinctive flugelhorn solo on Dan Fogelberg's hit Longer....
.
Lyrically, the song compares various events ("Longer than there've been stars up in the heavens") with his emotional attachment to the one he loves ("I've been in love with you").
Charts
"Longer" was released as a singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in late 1979, prior to the release of the album Phoenix. It became Fogelberg's highest-charting hit of his career, spending two weeks at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart in March 1980. It was kept from the summit the first week by "Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is a song by the rock band Queen. Written by Freddie Mercury in 1979, the track featured on their 1980 album The Game, and also appears on the band's compilation album, Greatest Hits...
" by Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, and remained in the runner-up spot the next week behind "Another Brick in the Wall
Another Brick in the Wall
"Another Brick in the Wall" is the title of three songs set to variations of the same basic theme, on Pink Floyd's 1979 rock opera, The Wall, subtitled Part 1 , Part 2 , and Part 3...
" by Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
. In addition, "Longer" became the first of the singer's four #1 songs on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
adult contemporary chart between 1980 and 1984. The song reached #85 on the Billboard country music chart
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
.
In the United Kingdom, "Longer" was Fogelberg's only song to reach the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, where it peaked at #59.
Chart performance
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 19 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary | 6 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 64 |
| UK Singles Chart | 59 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 85 |