For most people, this one is a no-brainer. Cats in the Cradle, the Harry Chapin classic, rules over any other “Call Your Dad” song. Except in Movember. Then it’s all Leader of the Band by Dan Fogelberg.
Before I explain why, let’s define “Call Your Dad” songs. Those are the songs you hear on the radio and it makes you want to phone your Dad that second—usually because you haven’t in a while or there’s some sort of conflict that the two of you haven’t resolved.
So why Leader of the Band?
While Cats in the Cradle talks about all the times a father misses in their children’s lives due to work, Leader of the Band goes a bit deeper. In addition to the whole “too busy” theme, It delves into sons trying to be like our fathers but never quite getting there–at least in our eyes–and then being okay with it.
Yet that’s not why this song rings truer in Movember than other “Call Your Dad” songs. It has more to do with the fact that Dan Fogelberg died of prostate cancer at age 56.
He was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2004. Could his life had been extended with early detection? Without knowing much more than what Wikipedia provides, it’s difficult to say. But with the advances made in recent years—thanks, in part, to funds contributed by the Movember Foundation—I feel comfortable in saying there would have been more music.
Even if Dan Fogelberg or Harry Chapin aren’t your cup of tea, we need those songs in our lives. The ones that touch our hearts, embrace our souls. It’s why we need to donate to Movember to help ensure the next Fogelberg doesn’t leave before his song should be over.
To donate to my Movember campaign, click here.
