The Power of Gold
{{short description|1978 single by Dan Fogelberg and Tim Weisberg}}
{{Infobox song
| name = The Power of Gold
| cover = The_Power_of_Gold_45rpm_by_Dan_Fogelberg_and_Tim_Weisberg.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Dan Fogelberg and Tim Weisberg
| album = Twin Sons of Different Mothers
| B-side = Lahaina Luna
| released = 1978
| recorded = 1978
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Rock
| length = 4:34
| label = Full Moon Records
| writer = Dan Fogelberg
| producer = {{ubl|Dan Fogelberg|Tim Weisberg}}
| chronology = Dan Fogelberg
| prev_title = Love Gone By
| prev_year = 1977
| next_title = Longer
| next_year = 1979
}}
"The Power of Gold" is a song by Dan Fogelberg and Tim Weisberg. It was released in 1978 as a single from their album Twin Sons of Different Mothers.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qyQKAQAAMAAJ|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums: 1955-1999|pages=394|date=2000|publisher=Record Research|isbn=9780898201420 |access-date=August 28, 2022|via=Google Books}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BT8UAQAAIAAJ|last=Zollo|first=Paul|title=Singer-Songwriters: Pop Music's Performer-Composers from A to Zevon|pages=457|date=June 19, 2003|publisher=Hachette Books|isbn=9780306812651 |access-date=August 28, 2022|via=Google Books}} It was also featured on the compilation album Portrait: The Music of Dan Fogelberg, a 4-CD boxed set, released in 1997.
The song peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100, and at number 23 on the Cash Box Top 100 Singles.
Background
Fogelberg and Weisberg had planned a "grandiose orchestral piece" for the close of Twin Sons of Different Mothers. They recorded the entire track only to discover, too late, that the piano was out of tune with the orchestra and had to be redone. Rather than incur that cost, Fogelberg wrote a quick song, now thinking that maybe one commercial track might not be such a bad idea, and at the last minute, "The Power Of Gold" was recorded and added to the album.{{cite AV media |last1=Zollo |author-link=Paul Zollo |first1=Paul |title=Portrait - The Music of Dan Fogelberg from 1972-1997|title-link=Dan Fogelberg discography#Compilation albums |date=1997 |publisher=Columbia Legacy |type=Sleeve notes |via=Rock's Backpages}}
Critical reception
Author Dave DiMartino from Billboard Books, said the single was the "product of an interesting collaboration between Fogelberg and Weisberg", and "an experiment that worked".{{cite book |last1=DiMartino |first1=Dave |editor1-last=Lathrop |editor1-first=Ted |title=Singer-Songwriters: Pop Music's Performer-Composers, from A to Zevon |date=1994 |publisher=Billboard Books |location=New York |isbn=0-8230-7629-6 |page=71 |series=Billboard Hitmakers |url=https://archive.org/details/singersongwriter0000dima_b7t5/page/n3/mode/2up |chapter=Dan Fogelberg}} Rick Clark wrote in All Music Guide: The Best CD's, Albums and Tapes that the single is a "pleasant instrumental number" and the duo "scored a hit" with the song.{{cite book |editor1-last=Erlewine |editor1-first=Michael |editor2-last=Woodstra |editor2-first=Chris |editor3-last=Bogdanov |editor3-first=Vladimir |title=All Music Guide: The Best CD's, Albums and Tapes |url=https://archive.org/details/allmusicguidebes00erle/page/n1/mode/2up |date=1994 |publisher=Miller Freeman |location=San Francisco |isbn=0-87930-331-X |page=131 |series=All Media Guide |chapter=Rock, Pop & Soul}} Thom Duffy of the Orlando Sentinel said the song was "sleek and sweatless as it is sincere".{{cite news |last1=Duffy |first1=Thom |title=Dan Fogelberg's Solid Rock Had a Sharper Musical Edge |work=Orlando Sentinel |date=October 12, 1987 |page=C2}} Alanna Nash wrote in the Stereo Review that the single was "truly memorable", but also criticized Fogelberg for being "the ultimate symbol of the overly sensitive male".{{cite magazine |last1=Nash |first1=Alanna |title=Portrait - The Music of Dan Fogelberg 1972-1997 |magazine=Stereo Review |date=November 1997 |volume=62 |issue=11 |via=Gale General OneFile |publisher=AV Tech Media}} Gene Armstrong wrote in the Arizona Daily Star that the song was a "sweet innocuous tune", with a "little rowdy guitar" and a "taste of genteel saxophone".{{cite news |last1=Armstrong |first1=Gene |department=Star Music |title=Fogelberg's fans will dig Greetings |work=Arizona Daily Star |date=February 14, 1992 |page=F15}}
Chart performance
See also
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- {{cite news |last1=Kantor |first1=Ira |department=Vinyl Confessions |title=The Power of Collaborative Gold |url=https://timweisberg.com/the-power-of-collaborative-gold/ |work=Vintage Rock |via=TimWeisberg.com |date=November 9, 2017}}
{{Dan Fogelberg}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Power of Gold}}