A Resonant and Triumphant Anthem of Reunion, a Timeless Ode to a Love That Endured the Passage of Time.
By the late 1980s, the music world had largely moved on from the gentle, pioneering sounds of country rock. The airwaves were dominated by synthesizers and hairspray, leaving a band like Poco, who had been instrumental in forging the genre, in the realm of history books. Their original lineup, a constellation of musical giants including Richie Furay, Jim Messina, and Randy Meisner, had been scattered for nearly two decades, pursuing other legendary careers. The band’s legacy felt like an unfulfilled promise, a tragic tale of talent and chemistry that never reached its full potential. Then, in 1989, an unexpected miracle occurred. The original five members reunited to record a new album, a poignant and powerful statement of their enduring bond. That album was Legacy, and its centerpiece was a song that perfectly encapsulated their return. That song was “Call It Love.” Against all odds, the single became a shocking commercial triumph, reaching number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 and a remarkable number 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart, a fact that speaks volumes about its power to resonate with a generation of listeners.
The story of “Call It Love” is a deeply emotional and dramatic one, a narrative that begins long before the first note was recorded. The band’s history was filled with a series of tragic goodbyes. The departure of Jim Messina to form Loggins and Messina, Randy Meisner’s exit to co-found the Eagles, and Richie Furay’s later journey to form the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band—each chapter was a painful blow to the promise of Poco. Their legacy was one of constant lineup changes, a band that was always on the verge of greatness but never quite able to hold it together. The reunion for Legacy was a monumental event, a moment of profound hope that felt like a final chance to make things right. The song “Call It Love,” penned by Jim Messina and Rusty Young in collaboration with Richard Marx, was not just a single; it was the very reason for the reunion, an anthem that spoke directly to the years they had spent apart and the love that had never truly faded.
The lyrical drama of the song is a direct reflection of the band’s own story. The lyrics speak of a love that has endured over time, weathered the storms of separation, and found its way back home. “We may have left a little too late / Maybe we started a little too fast / We’ve been through a lot of changes / But we were always built to last.” These lines are not just about a romantic relationship; they are a profound metaphor for the enduring friendship and musical bond of the band members themselves. The music, with its polished AOR sound, feels like a triumphant return to form, a sophisticated testament to their longevity and adaptability. The return of their signature harmonies, particularly the intertwining vocals of Richie Furay and Jim Messina, is a deeply emotional climax, a sound that immediately takes listeners back to a time they thought was gone forever.
For those of us who had given up hope of ever hearing this lineup again, “Call It Love” is more than a song; it’s a miracle. It’s a reminder that some bonds are too strong to be broken by time, distance, or even the brutal realities of the music industry. The song’s enduring power lies in its ability to evoke a deep sense of nostalgia for a love—be it romantic, platonic, or musical—that never truly dies. It remains a beautifully emotional and profound piece of music that continues to resonate with its timeless story of friendship, loss, and the ultimate, triumphant reunion.