Dan Fogelberg’s 1979 hit “Longer” is a love ballad for the ages. Now, a father-son duo has brought new life to it in 2026.
Jack, 16, who has level 2 autism, and his dad Eric have been sharing videos of themselves on social media, performing a slew of songs as Jack builds LEGO models. Their unique versions of classic rock, folk, and love songs have touched the hearts of people all over the world.
Most recently, their rendition of Fogelberg’s hit (with Jack singing and Eric accompanying on guitar) went viral.
“Jack is in charge of all music that we learn and [making] videos,” his dad Eric tells Upworthy. “He listens to suggestions from various listeners and friends, but we only do the songs that resonate with Jack.”
Jack sings Fogelberg’s ‘Longer’
In the video, Jack is front and center as his dad Eric plucks a guitar behind him. As Jack sings in front of a microphone, he is simultaneously building a Simpsons LEGO set that he received for Christmas.
While his hands are busy, Jack’s sweet voice shines, hitting every high note as he flips through the LEGO instruction manual. His voice is effortless as he sings the song’s first verse:
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
In the video’s caption, his dad added: “Jack is still loving the music of the 70’s.”
Jack is clearly a Fogelberg fan, and he posted another video of him singing “Leader of the Band” a couple weeks later.
Learning new songs
Music has been a helpful part of Jack’s autism journey. He has level 2 autism, which according to Autism Speaks, means he struggles with verbal and nonverbal social communication skills as well as restricted, repetitive behaviors.
On TikTok, his family shared that Jack has developed two special interests: singing and LEGO building.
“Jack has a very good memory, but he says it takes him about a week of listening to a song to have it learned and memorized,” Eric shares with Upworthy. “Jack listens to music constantly.”
His love for music has also led him to extra training.
“He has been in voice lessons with some amazing teachers since he was 8 years old,” his dad shared on social media, adding that Jack also has “extremely good relative pitch” and is “very good at mimicking sound.”
LEGOs are his second love (with his Titanic LEGO set being his favorite).
Viewers react
With more than 21 million views on Instagram, viewers shared their praises for Jack and Eric’s beautiful cover of the Fogelberg classic and what the song means to them personally:
“Oh my. My husband and I had that song at our wedding. He passed away 12 days ago, so this touches me to my core. Thanks for sharing your voice. 🙂”
“Thank you for posting this! It made me 😢. This song was sung at our wedding. I lost my husband to a heart attack at 36 years old. Way too early. This song took me back to the altar, standing beside him at our wedding. What a precious gift. Thank you. ❤️”
“I am a Canadian veteran living with PTSD. Every morning and every night, the hamster in my head goes on overdrive, and I become overwhelmed. This morning wasn’t an exception, but I discovered your son yesterday and, when the thought started to affect my breathing, I heard him in my head. This song, his voice, THANK YOU! ❤️❤️❤️❤️”
“It is so rare to hear a ‘pure’ voice that is not forced. Lovely. 🌞”
“His vocal texture is simply sublime. Such natural control and pin-perfect tone.”
