A variety of musical influences shaped my tastes growing up – two musician parents certainly helped, it’s not every five-year-old who gets to see Angela Lansbury in Sweeney Todd from the 6th row… But my dad’s love of Jazz, my mom’s love of Broadway, and my rebellion to run out and buy Run DMC’s "Raising Hell" when I was 14 all put me on the path to a surprisingly well-rounded love of music.

Dan Fogelberg played a small part in that. I remember finding a copy of his Greatest Hits album on a cassette (A cassete was something like an mp3, except it played in a casette player, or in later years, a Sony Walkman or similar, and didn’t sit on your computer, which you didn’t have at the time anyway.)

Anyhow, two of his songs resonate with me. The first one, of course, is Same Old Lang Syne, a song about love, loss, and "what if’s." Turns out it was based on a true story.

The second song is "Leader of the Band," a tribute to Dan’s father, Lawrence, also a musician and, like my father, a band leader. Because of who my father is, I’ve always held a special place in my heart for that song.

As Dan wrote in the FAQ on his website:

Who did you write "Leader of the Band" for?

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. In his final years he was interviewed many times by the national press because of it. He went out in a blaze of glory, which meant a lot to me and my family.

So with that… Thank you for the music, Mr. Fogelberg. Hope you’re up there, jamming with your dad again. Rest in Peace.

"So here’s our idea – Those New Yorkers, they’re always running around on those underground busses – I think they call them "subways" or something. Anyhow, what if we put little audio jacks there, and people can listen to our music on the platform through our advertisements?"

"Great idea! And I was watching Sex and the City last night, it seems like the city is incredibly safe now, so I doubt anyone would ever steal the iPod the people have to hold in their hands to plug into our ads!"

"Definitely! OK. Let’s do it. Good job, guys. Wanna get some dinner?"

"Sure! How about Bennigans?"

"Sweet!"

<end pitch meeting.>

Sigh. Who’s brilliant idea was this?

In ’02, it was Cher’s "Song for the Lonely," and in ’03, ATB’s "I Don’t Wanna Stop" was huge. I was dating someone at the time whose parents had the 2nd largest house in the Pines, so it reaffirmed my love of dance music.

My prediction for this year is two-fold:

Idina Menzel’s "Defying Gravity" remixes, and Sonny Jim: "Can’t Stop Moving."

Sonny Jim is below. Trust me – this is gonna blow big.

Happy Friday! Can’t stop moving Can-Can’t stop moving!

99 Kriegsminister
Streichholz und Benzinkanister
Hielten sich fuer schlaue Leute
Witterten schon fette Beute
Riefen: Krieg und wollten Macht
Mann, wer haette das gedacht
Dass es einmal soweit kommt
Wegen 99 ballons

Otherwise known as…

You and I in a little toy shop
Buy a bag of balloons with the money we’ve got
Set them free at the break of dawn
’till one by one they were gone
Back at base, sparks in the software
Flash the message "something’s out there"
Floating in the summer sky
Ninety nine red balloons go by

I remember thinking back in 83, when I was 11, that the German version sounded SO much cooler.

Some say that this was the first protest song of the 80′s – Later, they’d come out with others, like "Dear Mr. Jesus," which was a call to arms against child abuse, (as was "Luka," by Suzanne Vega, but much more understated.)

Some more good info on Nena here.

Happy birthday, 99 Red Balloons.