My parents played JD on cassette in the car sometimes when we were driving and he was one of the few singers they liked that I also liked a lot. Then I remember seeing him on The Muppet Show when I was not quite a teenager and to this day it was my favorite episode ever. His music just speaks to people. Heck, even my own kid loves him - THAT's the impact he has.
His was the music that my Dad and I used to bond over whenever we would go on road trips. We would sing along for hours. Please know that he changed our lives!
As a native West Virginian who has moved away from my home state I get misty eyed every time I hear this song and every time I go back home to see those mountains. This song hits everyone but for us Mountaineers it hits differently.
I was lucky enough to meet him the 1980s when I worked at Post cereals. He was as nice in person as his image projected. Just a lovely person, and this song is magical
Only 2 songs can choke me up every time I hear them and this is no. 1. Born and raised in WV now living in midwest. I've stop being surprised at the number of different venues where I've heard this song. One of the most unexpected was at an upscale Japanese steakhouse. A young Japanese girl sat down at a grand piano in the lounge where we were waiting for our table and began to play. My mom was the first to notice. "She's playing country roads". Left that young musician a nice tip. 🥰🥰🥰
WVian here too…cab driver in Bahamas asked where we were from and told him … he immediately broke into the song. Heard it in different countries, in random bars across the US. Nothing like 62K singing it in unison after a WVU football win. He was a great musician for sure.
On a cruise to Iceland and the British Isles, we heard this song in many venues. From a street performer to karaoke to whenever we wore a WVU or Marshall shirt. Country Roads might not be the most popular song, but it is one of the most widely known.
"Boy you know it Winky" John got me started playing guitar close to 45 years ago finger picking came easy playing his music was and is fun. I play about 30 to 35 of johns songs..Playing his song "This old Guitar" i can relate with being a guitarist !!! I play my guitar every day many times a day! Keep playing Winky
You were talking about him as if he were still with us. Sadly he crashed his experimental plane and passed in 1997. But I suppose he IS still with us, his music is and I listen to it all the time, not a week goes by that I don't listen to one or two or more of his songs. He was a gem of a musician/singer. RIP, John Denver.
I remember tearing up when I heard he had died. His voice was such a comfort. I always thought that Steve Irwin reminded me of him. He could have been a brother and he had the same generous nature. It was a shock when Steve died early too.
Yes I was also thinking the same thing, with Beth talking about John in the present tense. He was so incredibly gifted, and had such a wonderful rich voice. I grew up with his music and even sat on my mother’s lap (mostly slept in her arms) at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in 1977 when John Denver came to Melbourne. I obviously don’t remember anything from that show but explains why I still feel so connected to his music.
Hi Beth, from Australia. I'm a 70's kid, and learnt this song in music class at Primary school. I've always loved it, but does conjure up sad feelings of being homesick. It is a beautiful song by a great man. RIP John Denver. May his songs play on forever. 🕊
John Denver, one of the greatest of the GOATs of all-time. His "Rocky Mountain High" was my first favorite song. Had his greatest hits album on both vinyl and tape of which both were eventually worn out. Love how your face just lit up as soon as the video started.
I think what resonates with this song for many people is that longing for home and family regardless where you're from. Not so much about West Virginia, but home (wherever that is). Whenever I hear it I think of my childhood home in a farm town in Central California. Gets me a bit teary eyed every time.
That’s probably why it’s mad popular in European football (soccer). If you haven’t, watch the YT video of NE Patriots exhibition game in Germany. Fans BELT OUT this song…in GERMANY.
Clopper road actually ends in a hard left onto White Ground Road in Boyds, MD about 5 houses from where I lived in the late 70's, and my father and step-mother just passed a couple of years ago and are now buried across the street. I drove that road many time over the years and saw it go thru many changes, but it's still a quiet little road that ends in a quiet little town. I always loved this song (as well as everything else John Denver did).
Had the joy of seeing him in concert in the mid-80s.. he was such an amazing performer and singer; you felt like he was singing just to you! Such a loss to the world when he died in the late 90s… doing what he loved most.. flying. Thanks for your thoughtful, and enthusiastic reaction!!
I've always loved John Denver's voice,satiny smooth and his vibrato is perfection. One of my first introductions to music was John Denver,my folks had a record of his,name eludes me,but I played the bejeebus out of it. "Grandma's Feather Bed" lolol,that was my jam when I was 6-7 yrs old.
Thanks, Beth. The first John Denver song I can remember was "leaving on a jet plane," sung by Peter, Paul, and Mary. Annie's song, for his wife and Calypso for Jacques Cousteau, are in my top three. Hearing 60,000 fans sing country roads is amazing. I was saddened when John died in his experimental plane. I guess he'd given us all he was supposed to. It doesn't make his departure any less painful.
I usually listen to his songs from his early days...which I love!...but when I finally listened to this later Wildlife concert, I was amazed at how much his voice had matured...his voice was a bit deeper, and even warmer, but wow did he show off his vibrato! It was beautiful! Thank you for explaining the details of how he softened some of his phrasing by how he articulated his vowels...that was awesome to learn! Blessings upon you all! ❤❤❤
Crushed when I heard that he crashed his plane. I grew up hearing John Denver's albums regularly around the house. So glad to see though that his intentions and spirit can be so clearly felt through his music.
I was fortunate enuff to have seen John way back in71 he did this song at the show great showman too involving the audience. As an entertainer should. Gone but not forgotten .
It’s definitely one of those songs that makes you want to sing along with no matter where you are from. I travel through West Virginia every spring and fall and the scenery is always beautiful.
There is a UA-cam video out there where the NFL is playing a game in (I think) Germany, and they are playing this song over the PA system. When they get to the chorus, the entire stadium sings along, in fairly good English, showing that this song has connected with a lot of people who might not be able to find West Virginia on the map.
Really love all the wonderful bits of information that you impart on your reactions. They are so so very interesting and enlightening 👍🏻👍🏻🥰! However, I wasn’t sure if you knew that John Denver died some time ago when his plane crashed. Thank you again for a very enjoyable reaction ❤️! Take care.
Nice nostalgic country song and so emotional , especially for the west virginia guys, a tribute by the one and only John Denver. Great song. Is nostalgia for your birthplace, you always think about it when you are away. And you want to go back, even with the imagination. Memories of your personal life. John is fantastic and gives justice to the song. Beeautifull voice, makes me so emotional.
West Virginia is the only state this side (east) of the Mississippi I've never been to, but the fact that people know this song, sing it, and love it, somehow makes me happy. Thank you, Beth, and thank you John Denver, and thanks to the Muppets who introduced 10-year-p-old me to John.
I grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Clopper road in that day, was a country two lane road. I had heard it was Route 28 that leads to Darnestown and ultimately, the Potomac River. Anyway, he singing about the Shenandoah Valley. This area of western Maryland and southern West Virginia is literally heaven on earth.
I grew up listening to John Denver and just love his music. He's such an incredible songwriter, singer, guitar player and performer. I love "The Eagle and the Hawk" and "Rocky Mountain High".
This is from the Wildlife Concert he did only two years before his death in 1997. He was in his 40's here but his voice was still as strong and perfect as ever.
This is my favorite by John Denver. I have family in West Virginia but I feel at some level everyone can relate to this song, whether it be West Virginia or somewhere in Scotland. Thanks for the review. You had me singing and moving with you. John Denver will forever be a legend due in part to this song. Take me home.. country road .
Wow - over many years I have listened to these fine songs from the US. Over the years on many visits to the USA, my wife and I travelled all over the place we had heard on the songs. We travelled over Tennessee and the Great Smokey Mountains after hearing Dolly Parton sing about her Tennessee Mountain Home, we sang Doris Day's The black hills of Dakota as we we drove across that state. Then off course we had to travel along the Blue Ridge Parkway, through the mountains of West Virginia and over the Shendoah River. I also had the pleasure of seeing two John Denver concerts while on his tours of Australia
You’re the expert on vocals not me, but I struggle to think of a voice that is as pure and strong as his without being heavily trained as a vocalist. He’s a songwriter and a guitarist, the singing was just a gift I feel like. His pitch stability and control really impress me. There are some really awesome vocalists in popular music who aren’t necessarily pure singers; he’s one of those who’s just a top notch singer.
This was my father's favorite song, although he had no idea about who made it famous. And the first album I ever bought was _"John Denver's Greatest Hits"._ My father saw the cover and expected some hard rock artist, and I said "No, really, I think you'll like this!". So he stayed around long enough to listen, even though he was clearly pre-annoyed at it. And then I started the album where this is the first song I played. I smiled at him, as he realized it was actually his favorite song. He never admited it, but there were times when I wasn't around and he'd pull out this album and play it. It's probably the only album I ever bought that he's play when he was the only person at home.
Thanks for telling the Maryland connection, most people don't know that part! We're proud that our backroads (I drove Clopper to school back in the day and it was indeed a country road 40 years ago!) played a part in this iconic song. West Virginia is our neighbor state, where we share the stunning Blue Ridge mountains, where the Shenandoah river is just over the border, and our country roads flow into each other, it's idyllic.
This song always makes me happy and miss the farm I grew up on as well. He was SUCH a great singer and his live performances are fun to watch, a joy to listen to him sing. Taken too soon, doing a thing he loved. I grew up in the 70s here in Australia, listening to my mother's records of him.. and I still have those, couldn't part with them. ☺
After living in West Virginia for 25 years you really start to understand what a "good Samaritan" really is. A wonderful mix of magnificent woodland and hills, craziness, conviction and real humanity.🦆
Denver was gem of our time. I grew up as teen in the 70's and listened to him sing, he was also a great actor and comedian, too in his acting gigs. He had it all and gave it his all.
Great reaction Beth! When John was popular, my musical tastes were changing so i did not listen to his music a lot. Now that I am older, i can really appeciate how talented he was as a singer. He was gone too soon.
Grew up with this song and Jacque Coustaues Aquatic adventures … he also lost his one son when the Catalina flyingboat he was flying crashed on landing .
I would love to see you react to his Thank God, I'm A Country Boy. Great reaction. I think it would be interesting to hear you talk about that kind of simple song, that really makes the audience want to join.
You do know about him! I was just on your reaction to Thank God I'm A Country Boy, and I commented on that one! I mentioned the song in that comment, and I'm so happy I found this! I watched this concert on PBS and my high school math teacher who was a huge John Denver fan as much as I was, knew how much I loved this concert and so she bought me the CD and a bunch of other CDs of his. She even Incorporated him into some of the math problems that we were doing! Lol! I would watch the concert on PBS after class was over. John would be there waiting for me as soon as the teacher left. It was like as if he was saying, "Okay Dara, math class is over, let's play and have some fun!" I would run straight out of class and to the television and turn on PBS and there he would be! I was homeschooled for high school by the way. My parents saw how much I was loving that concert, and so for Christmas, they got me "The Wildlife Concert," which is the name of that concert that you're watching, on DVD! And they got me more of his CDs! And they even watched the concert with me! So my parents became John Denver fans with me too! They had grown up with his music when they were young, and they wanted to become fans of his music again with me!
My gosh, he was just a baby back then.🥲 So sad he’s gone as well as so many others, they must have a helluva band way up there in the clouds. Thanks, Beth, I love your chair-dancing, too.🫶
This song is so special. A great memory: South Korea, close to the border, a year away from families while we served. … A bar full of US Army soldier and this song comes on. We linked arm-in-arm and belted out this song. Not a dry eye in the bar. True story.
Beth, this song invokes that feeling you talk about, of wanting to go home. As a young teenager, my dad was stationed in Scotland. I tear up for missing our, very happy time there, in the little village of Sandbank. I hope you get to go home.
Great song that's loved by so many from so many places around the world. An exampled is when I was on vacation in Ireland last year in a traditional pub and the band started playing this, everyone perked up and sang along. Note that this performance is 24 years after it was first release. It would be interesting to compare a live performance from 1971 to this. I can hear quite a difference in his voice, and in this one he sounds more smooth, rich, and controlled; and his early 70's voice was much brighter, raw, and wilder.
I'm an Aussie born in the 70's and my Mum played John Denver over and over during my childhood. She especialy liked his love songs. He was world famous.
Clopper Road still goes well out into the countryside, where it is still one lane each direction. I drove on much of it on July 9 on the way to my 5K race that morning, appropriately called the Country Road 5K!
This song also has great personal meaning for me since my childhood best friend, Theresa, taught it to me. Her family had moved from West Virginia, and later moved back. I learned years later that she had died of a brain tumor. I never got to tell her how much I miss her.
This song makes me feel incredible homesickness and nostalgia! Although I've lived most of my life in South Yorkshire, my parents were from Shipley and Baildon and this song makes me feel a longing for the valleys and hills of the Pennines (my "mountain mama").
He was born Henry John Deutschendor Jr. His father was a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. His first guitar was a 1910 Gibson arch-top which belonged to his grandmother.
Respectfully, your very enthusiastic explanation of Denver's passion for flying seemed to indicate you are unaware of how he died. I wish we still had John Denver. Again, for someone whose analysis I always appreciate, this comment of yours really felt off the mark.
One of my guilty pleasures is the album "A Christmas Together" that he did with... the Muppets. It's like being thrown back to my childhood putting up the christmas tree every time I hear it, and his silky, clear vocals are just so pure and ... kind? I don't know. It's a complete comfort blanket. When I heard he had died it really hit me. It was like a part of my childhood had died. Incredibly sad.
I don't think it's been mentioned but Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert were in a band in the mid 70's named Starland Vocal Band. One of their hits was the song Afternoon Delight. You might give them a listen.
I use to live off Clopper road in Gaithersburg Maryland. It’s only a four lane for about two miles and then back to a single lane leading out to the farm lands and hills.
I didn’t realize what a great man and Musial he was till I saw. Him the wang center in Boston one of the most amazing people I’ve ever saw in my life !!! no joke
Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert later married and formed a group called The Starland Vocal Band. They were kind of a one-hit wonder of the 70's, but they have a lot of great music. I'd love to see you react to some of their stuff. In particular, their one hit was Afternoon Delight. A couple of other great ones are Rear View Mirror, California Day, and their acapella version of Paul Simon's American Tune. Can't wait.
John Denver's music was what inspired me to learn to play a 12-string guitar. I was in my late-teens, early 20's during the height of his popularity in the early 70's. His songs were essentially anthems to the wild outdoors, and my friends and I would enthusiastically sing JD medley's as we hiked in and around the Oregon Cascade Range. Attended his concert in Portland with the Starland Vocal Band and was bowled over by how personable and talented he was. His music would probably not be all that popular now - not commercial enough and not enough Autotune. But the songs he wrote back then really maintain their relevance even today.
As a nature-lover, I'm a big fan of John Denver, I used to live in Northern Virginia, and made regular trips out to the Blue Rige Mountains in and around Shenandoah National Park. While not in West Virginia, Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway were my Country Roads.
I was born, raised and work for a television station in West Virginia. Part of my job is to cover West Virginia University athletics. After every victory, the team and entire crowd sings Country Roads. Pretty impressive hearing 60,000 people sing at once.
So sad that we lost a great talent when he died. I’m from WV and can relate as I’ve driven down those roads. It is the unofficial anthem of the state. But I imagine many people can relate to being homesick. You need to watch videos when 50,000 WVU fans sing it after a home football victory!
I used to be a substitute teacher in Mineral County, West Virginia. At one elementary school the teacher had the kids sing this every morning with the Pledge of Allegiance and either America the Beautiful or My Country Tis Of Thee. The kids thought they were funny because when they sang "Older than the trees" they'd point at me. Every time I subbed there.
Who doesn't love this song? It certainly transports the mind. His younger versions were more spirited. Now I''m off to run down the dirt roads and cornfields.
I’m sure nobody cares, but I was at that concert and shook hands with John and he had a very polite conversation with me. He was a great guy.
Very lucky and thanks for supporting critters and good music at that concert. I watched it on PBS
nice to know... you just gave us a feel of who he was as a person!
At least 30 of us cared.
My gym teacher used to play his greatest hits album while we did our exercises. He was a big star back in my H.S. days.
I really hope you weren’t clapping on 1 and 3 like the rest of the audience 😅❤
John was a friend of mine. I am so glad his music still makes people as happy as it did back in the day. Thx for sharing.
wow! How lucky and Incredible to know an American Legend. so cool. John's music is part of America's DNA.
My parents played JD on cassette in the car sometimes when we were driving and he was one of the few singers they liked that I also liked a lot. Then I remember seeing him on The Muppet Show when I was not quite a teenager and to this day it was my favorite episode ever. His music just speaks to people. Heck, even my own kid loves him - THAT's the impact he has.
His was the music that my Dad and I used to bond over whenever we would go on road trips. We would sing along for hours. Please know that he changed our lives!
I have loved him since I was a child and his music was new . I was crushed when he died .
As a kid, our family roadtrips to New Mexico, Colorado, etc always featured John Denver on the 8-track. Such good memories.
Hands down one of the greatest songs ever recorded
As a native West Virginian who has moved away from my home state I get misty eyed every time I hear this song and every time I go back home to see those mountains. This song hits everyone but for us Mountaineers it hits differently.
Me too !
It's hard to go back home and just look at the Beautiful Scenery and the small towns
As a Colorado native i feel the same way about his song Rocky Mountain High. It is my state's anthem.
Just like ROCKEY MOUNTAIN HIGH does for us in Colorado
@@scottchapin2323 These are songs about America's beauty and freedom. They should inspire you to defend both 🙂
I was lucky enough to meet him the 1980s when I worked at Post cereals. He was as nice in person as his image projected. Just a lovely person, and this song is magical
Lucky you!
John's kindness is palpable through his music, he seemed to have been a great person!
👋🇨🇦
RIP Mr Denver. Your music will last for future generations. You are a natural gifted singer.
Only 2 songs can choke me up every time I hear them and this is no. 1. Born and raised in WV now living in midwest. I've stop being surprised at the number of different venues where I've heard this song. One of the most unexpected was at an upscale Japanese steakhouse. A young Japanese girl sat down at a grand piano in the lounge where we were waiting for our table and began to play. My mom was the first to notice. "She's playing country roads". Left that young musician a nice tip. 🥰🥰🥰
WVian here too…cab driver in Bahamas asked where we were from and told him … he immediately broke into the song. Heard it in different countries, in random bars across the US. Nothing like 62K singing it in unison after a WVU football win. He was a great musician for sure.
On a cruise to Iceland and the British Isles, we heard this song in many venues. From a street performer to karaoke to whenever we wore a WVU or Marshall shirt. Country Roads might not be the most popular song, but it is one of the most widely known.
Despite the fact that I am a musician, classical and jazz, this song just hits home. How can you not love it?
"Boy you know it Winky" John got me started playing guitar close to 45 years ago finger picking came easy playing his music was and is fun. I play about 30 to 35 of johns songs..Playing his song "This old Guitar" i can relate with being a guitarist !!! I play my guitar every day many times a day! Keep playing Winky
You were talking about him as if he were still with us. Sadly he crashed his experimental plane and passed in 1997.
But I suppose he IS still with us, his music is and I listen to it all the time, not a week goes by that I don't listen to one or two or more of his songs.
He was a gem of a musician/singer.
RIP, John Denver.
I remember tearing up when I heard he had died. His voice was such a comfort. I always thought that Steve Irwin reminded me of him. He could have been a brother and he had the same generous nature. It was a shock when Steve died early too.
Thought the same thing
Thank you! I was wondering why she was talking about him as if he were still alive
Yes I was also thinking the same thing, with Beth talking about John in the present tense. He was so incredibly gifted, and had such a wonderful rich voice. I grew up with his music and even sat on my mother’s lap (mostly slept in her arms) at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in 1977 when John Denver came to Melbourne. I obviously don’t remember anything from that show but explains why I still feel so connected to his music.
@@leekestner1554 Yeah, he and Steve would have been mates. Australia LOVED John Denver and many of his closest friends were Australian.
Hi Beth, from Australia. I'm a 70's kid, and learnt this song in music class at Primary school. I've always loved it, but does conjure up sad feelings of being homesick. It is a beautiful song by a great man. RIP John Denver. May his songs play on forever. 🕊
We learned in guitar class...basic chords for a pretty group song. USA
My dad plays the guitar and this is one of the first songs he taught me and my sister to sing. It was more than 40 years ago. Great memories.
John Denver, one of the greatest of the GOATs of all-time. His "Rocky Mountain High" was my first favorite song. Had his greatest hits album on both vinyl and tape of which both were eventually worn out. Love how your face just lit up as soon as the video started.
His simple, straightforward face and unassuming manner fit his voice.
Great song.
Sad we lost John in 1997, way too soon.
I love the Home Free acappella cover too.
Everyone has a home and everyone know what it is like to come home after a long absence - the genius of John was capturing that feeling in a song.
I think what resonates with this song for many people is that longing for home and family regardless where you're from. Not so much about West Virginia, but home (wherever that is). Whenever I hear it I think of my childhood home in a farm town in Central California. Gets me a bit teary eyed every time.
That’s probably why it’s mad popular in European football (soccer). If you haven’t, watch the YT video of NE Patriots exhibition game in Germany. Fans BELT OUT this song…in GERMANY.
Clopper road actually ends in a hard left onto White Ground Road in Boyds, MD about 5 houses from where I lived in the late 70's, and my father and step-mother just passed a couple of years ago and are now buried across the street. I drove that road many time over the years and saw it go thru many changes, but it's still a quiet little road that ends in a quiet little town. I always loved this song (as well as everything else John Denver did).
Had the joy of seeing him in concert in the mid-80s.. he was such an amazing performer and singer; you felt like he was singing just to you! Such a loss to the world when he died in the late 90s… doing what he loved most.. flying. Thanks for your thoughtful, and enthusiastic reaction!!
I've always loved John Denver's voice,satiny smooth and his vibrato is perfection. One of my first introductions to music was John Denver,my folks had a record of his,name eludes me,but I played the bejeebus out of it. "Grandma's Feather Bed" lolol,that was my jam when I was 6-7 yrs old.
Thanks, Beth. The first John Denver song I can remember was "leaving on a jet plane," sung by Peter, Paul, and Mary. Annie's song, for his wife and Calypso for Jacques Cousteau, are in my top three. Hearing 60,000 fans sing country roads is amazing. I was saddened when John died in his experimental plane. I guess he'd given us all he was supposed to. It doesn't make his departure any less painful.
Great review, Beth. John Denver was one of my favourite singers and he is sadly missed.
I usually listen to his songs from his early days...which I love!...but when I finally listened to this later Wildlife concert, I was amazed at how much his voice had matured...his voice was a bit deeper, and even warmer, but wow did he show off his vibrato! It was beautiful!
Thank you for explaining the details of how he softened some of his phrasing by how he articulated his vowels...that was awesome to learn!
Blessings upon you all! ❤❤❤
Crushed when I heard that he crashed his plane. I grew up hearing John Denver's albums regularly around the house. So glad to see though that his intentions and spirit can be so clearly felt through his music.
I was fortunate enuff to have seen John way back in71 he did this song at the show great showman too involving the audience. As an entertainer should. Gone but not forgotten .
It’s definitely one of those songs that makes you want to sing along with no matter where you are from. I travel through West Virginia every spring and fall and the scenery is always beautiful.
Growing up during the grunge era I didn’t listen to his music but I’ve grown to appreciate it much more. He was a very talented musician.
As someone born and raised in West Virginia this song always hits different.
There is a UA-cam video out there where the NFL is playing a game in (I think) Germany, and they are playing this song over the PA system. When they get to the chorus, the entire stadium sings along, in fairly good English, showing that this song has connected with a lot of people who might not be able to find West Virginia on the map.
I saw that video, it was in Germany. They obviously knew the song well.
Not only a great voice, he was a superb musician as well.
Such a beautiful voice...
Really love all the wonderful bits of information that you impart on your reactions. They are so so very interesting and enlightening 👍🏻👍🏻🥰! However, I wasn’t sure if you knew that John Denver died some time ago when his plane crashed. Thank you again for a very enjoyable reaction ❤️! Take care.
Nice nostalgic country song and so emotional , especially for the west virginia guys, a tribute by the one and only John Denver. Great song. Is nostalgia for your birthplace, you always think about it when you are away. And you want to go back, even with the imagination. Memories of your personal life. John is fantastic and gives justice to the song. Beeautifull voice, makes me so emotional.
This entire concert is excellent! If you grew up in the US in the 70's and 80's, you'd be able to sing along with almost every song.
I own the blu ray of it, awesome!
His singing is even more impressive in "Rocky Mountain High" and "Wild Montana Skies" from the same concert
The most hand-dancing I've seen from you in a long time! It's an infectious song!
West Virginia is the only state this side (east) of the Mississippi I've never been to, but the fact that people know this song, sing it, and love it, somehow makes me happy. Thank you, Beth, and thank you John Denver, and thanks to the Muppets who introduced 10-year-p-old me to John.
I grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Clopper road in that day, was a country two lane road. I had heard it was Route 28 that leads to Darnestown and ultimately, the Potomac River. Anyway, he singing about the Shenandoah Valley. This area of western Maryland and southern West Virginia is literally heaven on earth.
I grew up listening to John Denver and just love his music. He's such an incredible songwriter, singer, guitar player and performer. I love "The Eagle and the Hawk" and "Rocky Mountain High".
This is from the Wildlife Concert he did only two years before his death in 1997. He was in his 40's here but his voice was still as strong and perfect as ever.
I don't agree. I think his voice was a lot smoother and more pleasant when he was younger, a lot like Roy Rogers.
This is my favorite by John Denver. I have family in West Virginia but I feel at some level everyone can relate to this song, whether it be West Virginia or somewhere in Scotland. Thanks for the review. You had me singing and moving with you. John Denver will forever be a legend due in part to this song. Take me home.. country road .
One of my favorite voices. Just effortless clarity.
Wow - over many years I have listened to these fine songs from the US. Over the years on many visits to the USA, my wife and I travelled all over the place we had heard on the songs. We travelled over Tennessee and the Great Smokey Mountains after hearing Dolly Parton sing about her Tennessee Mountain Home, we sang Doris Day's The black hills of Dakota as we we drove across that state. Then off course we had to travel along the Blue Ridge Parkway, through the mountains of West Virginia and over the Shendoah River. I also had the pleasure of seeing two John Denver concerts while on his tours of Australia
You’re the expert on vocals not me, but I struggle to think of a voice that is as pure and strong as his without being heavily trained as a vocalist. He’s a songwriter and a guitarist, the singing was just a gift I feel like. His pitch stability and control really impress me. There are some really awesome vocalists in popular music who aren’t necessarily pure singers; he’s one of those who’s just a top notch singer.
I'm originally from West Virginia I love this song It brings me to tears
Thiss always breaks my heart. So bittersweet for me.
John,you are so very missed and still loved deeply. Always will be.
This was my father's favorite song, although he had no idea about who made it famous. And the first album I ever bought was _"John Denver's Greatest Hits"._ My father saw the cover and expected some hard rock artist, and I said "No, really, I think you'll like this!". So he stayed around long enough to listen, even though he was clearly pre-annoyed at it. And then I started the album where this is the first song I played. I smiled at him, as he realized it was actually his favorite song. He never admited it, but there were times when I wasn't around and he'd pull out this album and play it. It's probably the only album I ever bought that he's play when he was the only person at home.
Thanks for telling the Maryland connection, most people don't know that part! We're proud that our backroads (I drove Clopper to school back in the day and it was indeed a country road 40 years ago!) played a part in this iconic song. West Virginia is our neighbor state, where we share the stunning Blue Ridge mountains, where the Shenandoah river is just over the border, and our country roads flow into each other, it's idyllic.
Sounds beautiful!
This song always makes me happy and miss the farm I grew up on as well. He was SUCH a great singer and his live performances are fun to watch, a joy to listen to him sing. Taken too soon, doing a thing he loved. I grew up in the 70s here in Australia, listening to my mother's records of him.. and I still have those, couldn't part with them. ☺
So true- while recently travelling in Ireland, this was the song I heard played and sung by the locals. Quite a phenomenon.
After living in West Virginia for 25 years you really start to understand what a "good Samaritan" really is. A wonderful mix of magnificent woodland and hills, craziness, conviction and real humanity.🦆
Denver was gem of our time. I grew up as teen in the 70's and listened to him sing, he was also a great actor and comedian, too in his acting gigs. He had it all and gave it his all.
You can’t not like it really! Another insightful reaction- thank you Beth!
Great reaction Beth! When John was popular, my musical tastes were changing so i did not listen to his music a lot. Now that I am older, i can really appeciate how talented he was as a singer. He was gone too soon.
Wonderful reaction! John Denver was great. Gone too soon!
You’d love his song Calypso. Amazing vocal range in that song.
Another good one of his is Wild Montana Skies
Grew up with this song and Jacque Coustaues Aquatic adventures … he also lost his one son when the Catalina flyingboat he was flying crashed on landing .
I would love to see you react to his Thank God, I'm A Country Boy. Great reaction. I think it would be interesting to hear you talk about that kind of simple song, that really makes the audience want to join.
I'm from Golden, Colorado and the only person I like as much as you is Sohyang. Thank you for the company. I appreciate it so much.
Listen to Poems and Prayers and Promises from this concert. So moving given he died so young
You do know about him! I was just on your reaction to Thank God I'm A Country Boy, and I commented on that one! I mentioned the song in that comment, and I'm so happy I found this! I watched this concert on PBS and my high school math teacher who was a huge John Denver fan as much as I was, knew how much I loved this concert and so she bought me the CD and a bunch of other CDs of his. She even Incorporated him into some of the math problems that we were doing! Lol! I would watch the concert on PBS after class was over. John would be there waiting for me as soon as the teacher left. It was like as if he was saying, "Okay Dara, math class is over, let's play and have some fun!" I would run straight out of class and to the television and turn on PBS and there he would be! I was homeschooled for high school by the way. My parents saw how much I was loving that concert, and so for Christmas, they got me "The Wildlife Concert," which is the name of that concert that you're watching, on DVD! And they got me more of his CDs! And they even watched the concert with me! So my parents became John Denver fans with me too! They had grown up with his music when they were young, and they wanted to become fans of his music again with me!
My gosh, he was just a baby back then.🥲 So sad he’s gone as well as so many others, they must have a helluva band way up there in the clouds. Thanks, Beth, I love your chair-dancing, too.🫶
Actually, I believe this concert was in 1995, only a couple years before he died, whereas the song was released a quarter century previous.
This song is so special. A great memory:
South Korea, close to the border, a year away from families while we served. … A bar full of US Army soldier and this song comes on. We linked arm-in-arm and belted out this song. Not a dry eye in the bar. True story.
Thank you for your service. My stepdad was a gunner in Vietnam
Love all the "facts" that you tell about the artists, this is really interesting AND fun to watch.
I begrudgingly went to a John Denver show with my sister...it was one of the best concerts I have been to.
Yes, Denver's music brings back memories. Annies Song is my favorite
Beth, this song invokes that feeling you talk about, of wanting to go home. As a young teenager, my dad was stationed in Scotland. I tear up for missing our, very happy time there, in the little village of Sandbank. I hope you get to go home.
Great song that's loved by so many from so many places around the world. An exampled is when I was on vacation in Ireland last year in a traditional pub and the band started playing this, everyone perked up and sang along.
Note that this performance is 24 years after it was first release. It would be interesting to compare a live performance from 1971 to this. I can hear quite a difference in his voice, and in this one he sounds more smooth, rich, and controlled; and his early 70's voice was much brighter, raw, and wilder.
I'm an Aussie born in the 70's and my Mum played John Denver over and over during my childhood. She especialy liked his love songs. He was world famous.
Love this classic! What a musician John was! RIP John Denver
I used to love singing this on my Harley going to Wisconsin when passing through WV! Such a great memory.
Clopper Road still goes well out into the countryside, where it is still one lane each direction. I drove on much of it on July 9 on the way to my 5K race that morning, appropriately called the Country Road 5K!
This song also has great personal meaning for me since my childhood best friend, Theresa, taught it to me. Her family had moved from West Virginia, and later moved back. I learned years later that she had died of a brain tumor. I never got to tell her how much I miss her.
For anyone that left their rural home many, many years ago this song is, indeed, a banger, especially when those in that rural area are all gone now.
Thank you so much. I love your insights. I learn so much and appreciate what I listen to now so much more.
Until John’s passing his piano player was Chris Nole from southern New Jersey. We played in the same band together starting out in the 70s. RIP John
This song makes me feel incredible homesickness and nostalgia! Although I've lived most of my life in South Yorkshire, my parents were from Shipley and Baildon and this song makes me feel a longing for the valleys and hills of the Pennines (my "mountain mama").
He was born Henry John Deutschendor Jr. His father was a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. His first guitar was a 1910 Gibson arch-top which belonged to his grandmother.
Respectfully, your very enthusiastic explanation of Denver's passion for flying seemed to indicate you are unaware of how he died. I wish we still had John Denver. Again, for someone whose analysis I always appreciate, this comment of yours really felt off the mark.
One of my guilty pleasures is the album "A Christmas Together" that he did with... the Muppets. It's like being thrown back to my childhood putting up the christmas tree every time I hear it, and his silky, clear vocals are just so pure and ... kind? I don't know. It's a complete comfort blanket.
When I heard he had died it really hit me. It was like a part of my childhood had died. Incredibly sad.
I miss that man so much...this brings back so many wonderful memories
One of the best songs ever written
Being from West by God Virginia I can tell you this song makes me miss home
everytime I hear it , headed down there in October, can't wait.
I don't think it's been mentioned but Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert were in a band in the mid 70's named Starland Vocal Band. One of their hits was the song Afternoon Delight. You might give them a listen.
OMG now you really took me back to my childhood. I forgot all about Afternoon Delight! I went and listened to it as soon as I read this! Thank you😊
I am sure, Millions and Millions of People, in this World, can sing this Song, Note for Note ❤❤
I use to live off Clopper road in Gaithersburg Maryland. It’s only a four lane for about two miles and then back to a single lane leading out to the farm lands and hills.
Thanks for the years of music, John Denver. RIP
I didn’t realize what a great man and Musial he was till I saw. Him the wang center in Boston one of the most amazing people I’ve ever saw in my life !!! no joke
Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert later married and formed a group called The Starland Vocal Band. They were kind of a one-hit wonder of the 70's, but they have a lot of great music. I'd love to see you react to some of their stuff. In particular, their one hit was Afternoon Delight. A couple of other great ones are Rear View Mirror, California Day, and their acapella version of Paul Simon's American Tune. Can't wait.
Thanks, Beth -- this will always be a JD song to me.. so beautiful, and I don't think his background singer ever got enough credit... !!
John Denver's music was what inspired me to learn to play a 12-string guitar. I was in my late-teens, early 20's during the height of his popularity in the early 70's. His songs were essentially anthems to the wild outdoors, and my friends and I would enthusiastically sing JD medley's as we hiked in and around the Oregon Cascade Range. Attended his concert in Portland with the Starland Vocal Band and was bowled over by how personable and talented he was.
His music would probably not be all that popular now - not commercial enough and not enough Autotune. But the songs he wrote back then really maintain their relevance even today.
Saw John live in Toronto . Never enjoyed a show or a performer more . You felt part of the show
Country Roads is one of my favorite John Denver songs...
Was in a full cable car, around 50 people, in the Austrian alps last winter. This song came on the speaker. Everybody sang, everybody.
So cool!! Thanks for sharing that.
I always liked John Denver, he had a television variety show in the 1970s. Great artist he was.
As a nature-lover, I'm a big fan of John Denver, I used to live in Northern Virginia, and made regular trips out to the Blue Rige Mountains in and around Shenandoah National Park. While not in West Virginia, Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway were my Country Roads.
It is pretty remarkable that John Denver wrote and performed songs that have become the state songs of both West Virginia and Colorado.
I was born, raised and work for a television station in West Virginia. Part of my job is to cover West Virginia University athletics. After every victory, the team and entire crowd sings Country Roads. Pretty impressive hearing 60,000 people sing at once.
I really don't get into Country but this song is one of the greats; it almost has a little meloncholy feel to it that makes it more powerful.
So sad that we lost a great talent when he died. I’m from WV and can relate as I’ve driven down those roads. It is the unofficial anthem of the state. But I imagine many people can relate to being homesick. You need to watch videos when 50,000 WVU fans sing it after a home football victory!
This song puts an instant smile on the listener's face. Always has and always will -
I used to be a substitute teacher in Mineral County, West Virginia. At one elementary school the teacher had the kids sing this every morning with the Pledge of Allegiance and either America the Beautiful or My Country Tis Of Thee.
The kids thought they were funny because when they sang "Older than the trees" they'd point at me. Every time I subbed there.
John Denver was (Still Is a National Treasure !!)
Still miss him !! '97 seems so very long ago..
Who doesn't love this song? It certainly transports the mind. His younger versions were more spirited. Now I''m off to run down the dirt roads and cornfields.