LONGER

DAN FOGELBERG
SONGWRITER: DAN FOGELBERG
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: PHOENIX
LABEL: EPIC RECORDS
GENRE: SOFT ROCK
YEAR: 1979
 
        Daniel Grayling Fogelberg (August 13, 1951 – December 16, 2007) was an American musician, songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his 1980s songs, including "Longer" (1979), "Same Old Lang Syne" (1980), and "Leader of the Band" (1982).
        "Longer" is a song written and recorded by the American singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg and released in 1979 by Full Moon Records and Epic Records. 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").

Longer than there've been fishes in the ocean
Higher than any bird ever flew
Longer than there've been stars up in the heavens
I've been in love with you
 
Stronger than any mountain cathedral
Truer than any tree ever grew
Deeper than any forest primeval
I am in love with you
I'll bring fire in the winters
You'll send showers in the spring
We'll fly through the falls and summers
With love on our wings
 
Through the years as the fire starts to mellow
Blurring lines in the book of our lives
Though the binding's cracked and the pages start to yellow
I'll be in love with you
 
I'll be in love with you
I am in love with you.

WANDERING

JAMES TAYLOR
SONGWRITER: JAMES TAYLOR
WHERE: LIVE AT THE BEACON THEATER
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: GORILLA
LABEL: WARNER BROS
 GENRE: SOFT ROCK
YEAR: 1975
 
            James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 100 million records worldwide.
           Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the Nº. 3 single "Fire and Rain" and had his first Nº. 1 hit in 1971 with his recording of "You've Got a Friend", written by Carole King in the same year. His 1976 Greatest Hits album was certified Diamond and has sold 12 million US copies. Following his 1977 album JT, he has retained a large audience over the decades. Every album that he released from 1977 to 2007 sold over 1 million copies. He enjoyed a resurgence in chart performance during the late 1990s and 2000s, when he recorded some of his most-awarded work (including Hourglass, October Road, and Covers). He achieved his first number-one album in the US in 2015 with his recording Before This World.
            He is known for his covers, such as "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" and "Handy Man", as well as originals such as "Sweet Baby James".
           Gorilla is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter James Taylor. Released in May 1975, it was more successful than Walking Man, his previous release, with two hits: "Mexico" and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)", which rose to the top five on the Billboard charts. This would be his second-to-last release of new material for Warner Bros. Records, his last being In the Pocket. In many ways, Gorilla showcased Taylor's electric, lighter side that became evident on Walking Man. The song "Sarah Maria" is about his daughter Sally (born Sarah Maria Taylor on January 7, 1974). His then wife Carly Simon was featured on "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)", originally recorded by Marvin Gaye. Jimmy Buffett recorded "Mexico" on his 1995 album Barometer Soup and performed "Lighthouse" during his Salty Piece of Land tour of 2005.

I've been wandering early and late from New York City to the Golden Gate,
and it don't look like I'll ever stop my wandering.
 
My daddy was an engineer, my brother drives a hack,
my sister takes in laundry while the baby balls the jack,
and it don't look like I'll ever stop my wandering.
 
I've been in the army, I've worked on a farm
and all I've got to show is the muscle in my arm,
and it don't look like I'll ever stop my wandering.
 
My ma, she died when I was young, my daddy took to stealing and he got hung,
and it don't look like I'll ever stop my wandering.
 
Snakes in the ocean, eels in the sea, I let a redheaded woman make a fool out of me,
and it don't look like I'll ever stop my wandering.
 
I've been wandering early and late from the New York City to the Golden Gate,
and it don't look like I'll ever stop my wandering.
No, it don't look like I'll ever stop my wandering.

LAST TIME I SAY SORRY

JOHN LEGEND & KANE BROWN
SONGWRITERS: JOHN LEGEND; ANDREW GOLDSTEIN; KANE BROWN & MATTHEW MCGINN
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: LAST TIME I SAY SORRY
LABEL: COLUMBIA RECORDS
GENRE: COUNTRY
YEAR: 2020
 
             John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, film producer, theatre director, and philanthropist. Prior to the release of Legend's debut album, Get Lifted (2004), he had collaborated with already established artists and signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music. Legend has sung on Jay-Z's "Encore", Alicia Keys's "You Don't Know My Name", Dilated Peoples' "This Way", Slum Village's "Selfish", Fort Minor's "High Road", and played piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything". Legend's single "All of Me" from his fourth studio álbum Love in the Future (2013) was a Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit.
           In 2007, Legend received the Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Legend won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and Golden Globe Award in 2015 for co-writing the song "Glory" from the film Selma. He has also won eleven Grammy Awards. In 2017, Legend received a Tony Award for co-producing Jitney for the Broadway stage. In 2018, Legend portrayed Jesus Christ in NBC's adaptation of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. He received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his acting role, and won for his role as a producer of the show, making him one of 16 people and the first black man to have won all four of the following awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT). Legend is also the second youngest person to have achieved this milestone. Since 2019, Legend has been featured as a coach on The Voice.
          Kane Allen Brown (born October 21, 1993) is an American singer and songwriter. Brown first came to the attention of the public through social media. He released his first EP, titled Closer, in June 2015 and followed it with a new single, "Used to Love You Sober", in October 2015. After Brown signed with RCA Nashville in early 2016, the song was included on his EP Chapter 1, released in March 2016. He released his first full-length album, the self-titled Kane Brown, on December 2, 2016. The single "What Ifs" came from this album, and in October 2017, Brown became the first artist to have simultaneous number ones on all five main Billboard country charts. Brown released his second album, Experiment, in November 2018, which became his first number one album on the Billboard 200. 

I won't say I'm sorry over and over
Can't just say I'm sorry, I've gotta show you
I won't do it again, I'll prove my love is true
I hope the last time I said sorry
Is the last time I'll say sorry to you
 
The first time I slept on the couch was our first New Year's Eve
I heard words come out my mouth that I still can't believe
Broken hearts and shattered champagne
We both don't wanna feel that again
 
The second I apologized you said, "Boy, I don't know"
I said it 'cause I meant but you still wouldn't let it go
So I swallow my pride see it from your side
I promise I'll do the best I can do
 
I won't say I'm sorry over and over
Can't just say I'm sorry, I've gotta show you
I won't do it again, I'll prove my love is true
I hope the last time I said sorry
Is the last time I'll say sorry to you
 
(No, oh, oh)
(No, oh, oh)
To you
(No, oh, oh)
(No, oh, oh)
The last time I said sorry
Is the last time I'll say sorry
 
If I could build a perfect world I'd only make you smile
I'd hang the stars, the sun and moon outside this room but I'll
I'll never be perfect though I'm gonna try
Oh, I'm gonna do better I swear that I
 
Won't say I'm sorry over and over
Can't just say I'm sorry, I've gotta show you
I won't do it again, I'll prove my love is true
I hope the last time I said sorry
Is the last time I'll say sorry to you
 
(No, oh, oh)
(No, oh, oh)
To you
(No, oh, oh)
(No, oh, oh)
The last time I said sorry
Is the last time I'll say sorry to you
 
(No, oh, oh)
(No, oh, oh)
To you
(No, oh, oh)
(No, oh, oh)
I hope the last time I said sorry
Is the last time I'd said sorry
To you.

AMARILLO BY MORNING

GEORGE STRAIT
SONGWRITERS: PAUL FRASER & TERRY STAFFORD
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: STRAIT FROM THE HEART
LABEL: MCA
GENRE: COUNTRY
YEAR: 1982
 
            George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. George Strait is known as the "King of Country" and is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time. He is known for his neotraditionalist country style, cowboy look, and being one of the first and most prominent country artists to bring country music back to its roots and away from the pop country era in the 1980s.
          Strait's success began when his first single "Unwound" was a hit in 1981. During the 1980s, seven of his albums reached number one on the country charts. In the 2000s, Strait was named Artist of the Decade by the Academy of Country Music, was elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and won his first Grammy award for the album Troubadour. Strait was named CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1989, 1990 and 2013, and ACM Entertainer of the Year in 1990 and 2014. He has been nominated for more CMA and ACM awards and has more wins in both categories than any other artist.
         By 2009, he broke Conway Twitty's previous record for the most number-one hits on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart when his 44 number one singles surpassed Twitty's 40. Counting all music charts, Strait has amassed a total of 60 number-one hits, breaking a record also previously set by Twitty, giving him more number one songs than any other artist in any genre of music.
         Strait is also known for his touring career when he designed a 360-degree configuration and introduced festival style tours. For example, the Strait Tours earned $99 million in three years. His concert at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in June 2014 drew 104,793 people, marking a new record for largest indoor concert in North America.
           Strait has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. His certifications from the RIAA include 13 multi-platinum, 33 platinum, and 38 gold albums. His best-selling album is Pure Country (1992), which sold 6 million (6×platinum). His highest certified album is Strait Out of the Box (1995), which sold 2 million copies (8× Platinum due to being a box set with four CDs). According to the RIAA, Strait is the 12th best-selling album recording artist in the United States overall.
        Strait from the Heart is the second studio album by American country music artist George Strait, released on June 3, 1982 by MCA Records. The album includes Strait's first Nº. 1 single, "Fool Hearted Memory", as well as follow-up singles "Marina del Rey", "Amarillo by Morning" and "A Fire I Can't Put Out", reaching No. 6, No. 4, and No. 1 respectively on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. The album peaked at Nº. 18 on the US Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Strait from the Heart is certified platinum by the RIAA.
           There were three cover songs on the album: "Honky Tonk Crazy", which had been released a couple months earlier in 1982 by the duo of Gary Stewart and Dean Dillon on their Brotherly Love album; 2) the Guy Clark song, "Heartbroke", which was first recorded by Rodney Crowell on his 1980 album, But What Will the Neighbors Think; and 3) "Amarillo by Morning" which was first recorded by Terry Stafford in 1973. "The Only Thing I Have Left" was later recorded by Tim McGraw for his 1993 debut album Tim McGraw.

Amarillo by morning
Up from San Antone
Everything that I've got
Is just what I've got on
When that sun is high
In that Texas sky
I'll be bucking it to county fair
Amarillo by morning
Amarillo I'll be there
 
They took my saddle in Houston
Broke my leg in Sante Fe
Lost my wife and a girlfriend
Somewhere along the way
Well I'll be looking for eight
When they pull that gate
And I'm hoping that
Judge ain't blind
Amarillo by morning
Amarillo's on my mind
 
Amarillo by morning
Up from San Antone
Everything that I've got
Is just what I've got on
I ain't got a dime
But what I've got is mine
I ain't rich
But Lord I'm free
Amarillo by morning
Amarillo's where I'll be
 
Amarillo by morning
Amarillo's where I'll be.