"Leader of the Band" is one of those timeless songs that touches anyone claims to have warm, red blood flowing through their hearts. And yet, we can also claim it as an '80s classic.

Written by Dan Fogelberg and released in 1981, the song was intended as a tribute to his late father, Lawrence Peter Fogelberg, a musician and high school band director. In the years since its release and rise through the charts, the song has been adopted by many more of us, who lean on Dan's prose and soulful voice as we still struggle with our own losses.

"The leader of the band is tired
And his eyes are growing old
But his blood runs through my instrument
And his song is in my soul
My life has been a poor attempt
To imitate the man
I'm just a living legacy
To the leader of the band."

Dan Fogelberg, who passed away in December of prostate cancer, would have turned 57 years old today.