Expert: Bong Santos - 5/19/2008

Question
hi, can you help me find title of this song from 80's (i think).  i usually heard this being played on the radio when i was in high school days after "twenty minutes before take off" by dan henry.  the lyrics of the first line goes like this "standing here at the airport, it's been....." i don't know the rest.  can you help me find the title of the song and the artist, please.  thank you!

Answer
Dear Nora,

The song has been asked a number of times here before. It's been a fan favorite no doubt. And that song was also asked here over and over again, every time coupled with TWENTY MINUTES BEFORE TAKE OFF. The reason for that is because both songs were done by DAN HENRY. The piece is actually called TWENTY MINUTE SUITE, all 8 minutes of it appearing on the original album from where the single was culled from. But we only (almost always) got to hear the single edit of the song unless some radio stations play it then like what Mellow Touch used to do. THE TWENTY MINUTE SUITE consists of three parts:

1. WHERE ARE YOU? - the piano instrumental at the beginning
2. BEFORE TAKE OFF - the main song that we always hear
3. AFTER TAKE-OFF - the prologue after the main song (and the one you are asking)

The suite was reminiscent of the style of the band CHICAGO. Remember HARD TO SAY I'M SORRY? The song (from the 1982 album CHICAGO 16) actually has a prologue called GET AWAY but wasn't played a lot because it segued into a different mood. Earlier than that, their hits MAKE ME SMILE & COLOUR MY WORLD were originally part of a single piece called BALLET FOR A GIRL IN BUCHANAN, a 13-minute song cycle/suite from their 1970 album CHICAGO.  

Now back to the DAN HENRY song, you can hear the whole suite from this You Tube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivl-fgVmuO8

For the record, DAN HENRY were DANEE SAMONTE (an RJ-FM disc jockey and a popular concert producer, under the name STEVE O'NEAL) and the late HENRY TORIBIO. The song was released in 1980 and re-released in 1982. They had another hit called TWO RIGHT PEOPLE.

Maraming salamat po!!
  
BONG M. SANTOS
Manila, Philippines