Hard To Say

1981

Dan Fogelberg

The wild thing about Dan Fogelberg's second biggest hit is the fact that it's the one I've heard the least on Oldies stations.

It's still an awesome little tune though, with an upbeat but mellow melody, and meaningful soulful lyrics...the latter definitely one of Dan Fogelberg's specialties. He wrote 'Hard To Say' while recovering form surgery, and (My take here) its a retrospective on how much a guy loves his girlfriend or wife, even though they're apart. Of course, their can be as many meanings of songs as there are fans of that song. What ever your take on it, it's very definite soulful ear candy, and makes you pause and reflect (Likely while mouthing the lyrics!)

'Hard To Say' was Dan's second biggest hit, peaking at #7 on The Hot 100 on Halloween of 1981 after being released two months earlier, on August 28^th. It hung around the charts for 19 weeks.

I..and everyone else alive and teenage to young Twenty-something in late summer and Fall of '8...heard it constantly, usually on WRVQ...'Q-94'...in Richmond, though it was also a force over on the area's easy listening station (98.1, or 'Lite98', WTVR-FM). Like all four of Dan Fogelberg's 'Big 4' . it was also a huge hit on the Adult/Contemporary charts, where it spent three weeks at #2

It always amazes me when songs this good don't show up on Oldies stations any more than they do. This is a sweet, thoughtful little tune, and it should be around forever.

So Enjoy! Hard To Say by Dan Fogelberg.

I really like the way this video gives a tip o' the hat to Dan Fogelberg's backing band...and let me tell ya, Dan had some pretty accomplished musicians backing him up on 'Hard To Say'. Tom Scott was blowin' the sax, and there are only a very few other saxophone players who approach his abilities on than most awesome of all wind instruments. He lent his talents to a slew of hits and popular TV theme songs during the 70s and 80s. Glen Frye...who was also lent his vocal skills to a little group called 'The Eagles...sang back-up vocals, and Keyboard duties were handled by Mike Utley, who for years played keyboard with Margaritaville's mayor and best know resident, the one and only Jimmy Buffet.