"Take Me Home, Country Roads" | ||||
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Single by John Denver | ||||
from the album Poems, Prayers & Promises | ||||
B-side | "Poems, Prayers and Promises" | |||
Released | April 12, 1971 | |||
Recorded | January 1971, New York City | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:17 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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John Denver singles chronology | ||||
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Audio | ||||
"Take Me Home, Country Roads" (audio) on YouTube |
"Take Me Home, Country Roads", also known simply as "Country Roads", is a song written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver. It was released as a single performed by Denver on April 12, 1971, peaking at number two on Billboard's US Hot 100 singles for the week ending August 28, 1971. The song was a success on its initial release and was certified Gold by the RIAA on August 18, 1971, and Platinum on April 10, 2017. [3] The song became one of John Denver's most popular songs. It has continued to sell, with over 1.6 million digital copies sold in the United States. [4]
In 1998, the 1971 recording by John Denver was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. [5]
The song is considered a symbol of West Virginia. In March 2014, it became one of the four official state anthems of West Virginia. [6] In 2023, the song was selected by the Library of Congress for inclusion in the National Recording Registry. [7]
Inspiration for the title line had come while Taffy Nivert and Bill Danoff, who were married, were driving along Clopper Road in Montgomery County, Maryland to a gathering of Nivert's family in Gaithersburg, with Nivert behind the wheel while Danoff played his guitar. "I just started thinking, country roads, I started thinking of me growing up in western New England and going on all these small roads," Danoff said. "It didn't have anything to do with Maryland or anyplace." [8]
To Danoff, the lyric "(t)he radio reminds me of my home far away" in the bridge is quintessentially West Virginian, an allusion to when he listened to the program Saturday Night Jamboree , broadcast from Wheeling, West Virginia, on WWVA at his home in Springfield, Massachusetts during his childhood in the 1950s. [9]
Danoff was influenced by friend and West Virginian actor Chris Sarandon and members of a West Virginia commune who attended Danoff's performances. [9] Of the commune members, Danoff remarked, "They brought their dogs and were a very colorful group of folks, but that is how West Virginia began creeping into the song." While the song was inspired by Danoff's upbringing in Springfield, Massachusetts, he "didn't want to write about Massachusetts because [he] didn't think the word was musical." [9]
Starting December 22, 1970, Denver was heading the New Year's bill at The Cellar Door, with Fat City opening for him, just as Denver had opened at the same club for then-headliner David Steinberg. After the club's post-Christmas reopening night on Tuesday, December 29 (Cellar Door engagements ran from Tuesday to Sunday, and this booking was for two weeks), the three returned to the couple's apartment for an impromptu jam. On the way, Denver's left thumb was broken in a collision. He was rushed to the emergency room, where the thumb was splinted. When they returned to the apartment, Denver said he was "wired, you know." [10]
When Danoff and Nivert ran through what they had of the song they had been working on for about a month, planning to sell to Johnny Cash, Denver decided he had to have it, which prompted them to abandon plans for the sale. [11] The verses and chorus were still missing a bridge, so the three of them went about finishing.
Nivert got out an encyclopedia to learn more about West Virginia. The first thing she encountered was the rhododendron, the state flower, so she kept trying to work the word Rhododendron into the song. Rhododendron was the title that Nivert had written down on the lyric sheet, which they later sent to ASCAP. [9] The three stayed up until 6:00 a.m., changing words and moving lines around. [12]
When they finished, on the morning of Wednesday, December 30, 1970, Denver announced that the song had to go on his next album. [12] Later that night, during Denver's first set, Denver called his two collaborators back to the spotlight, where the trio changed their career trajectories, reading the lyrics from a single, handheld, unfolded piece of paper. According to Len Jaffe, a Washington, D.C.-based singer-songwriter who attended the show where Denver premiered the song, this resulted in a five-minute standing ovation. [13] The next day was Denver's 28th birthday. They recorded it in New York City in January 1971.
"Take Me Home, Country Roads" is written in the key of A major. [14]
"Take Me Home, Country Roads" appeared on the LP Poems, Prayers & Promises and was released as a 45 in the spring of 1971. Original pressings credited the single to "John Denver with Fat City". It broke nationally in mid-April but moved up the charts very slowly. After several weeks, RCA Records called John and told him they were giving up on the single. His response: "No! Keep working on it!"[ citation needed ] They did, and the single went to number 1 on the Record World Pop Singles Chart and the Cash Box Top 100, and number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, topped only by "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" by The Bee Gees.
On August 18, 1971, it was certified Gold by the RIAA for a million copies shipped. [15] The song continued to sell in the digital era. As of January 2020, the song has also sold 1,591,000 downloads since it became available digitally. [4]
Denver's recording of "Take Me Home, Country Roads" was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry in 2023. [16]
The song has since become an anthem of the Brisbane Lions and is sung by the crowd every time Lions player Charlie Cameron kicks a goal. The song was chosen by Cameron to be played in reference to his country roots. [17]
Regional anthem of West Virginia | |
Lyrics | Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert |
---|---|
Published | April 12, 1971 |
Adopted | March 2014 |
"Take Me Home, Country Roads" received an enthusiastic response from West Virginians. [18] On November 1, 2017, the West Virginia Tourism Office announced it had obtained the rights to use "Take Me Home, Country Roads", in its marketing efforts. "'Country Roads' has become synonymous with West Virginia all over the world," said West Virginia Tourism Commissioner Chelsea Ruby. "It highlights everything we love about our state: scenic beauty, majestic mountains, a timeless way of life, and most of all, the warmth of a place that feels like home whether you've lived here forever or are just coming to visit." The opening phrase of the song, "Almost heaven", became a primary tourism office slogan. [19]
The song is the theme song of West Virginia University, and it has been performed during every home football pregame show since 1972. The song is played for other athletic events and university functions, including after football games, for which the fans are encouraged to stay in the stands and sing the song along with the team. [20] On September 6, 1980, at the invitation of West Virginia Governor Jay Rockefeller, songwriters Danoff, Nivert, and Denver performed the song during pregame festivities to a sold-out crowd of Mountaineer fans. This performance marked the dedication of the current West Virginia University Mountaineer Field and the first game for head coach Don Nehlen. [21]
The popularity of the song inspired resolutions in the West Virginia Legislature to adopt "Take Me Home, Country Roads" as an official state song. On March 7, 2014, the West Virginia Legislature approved a resolution to make "Take Me Home, Country Roads" an official state song of West Virginia, alongside three other pieces: "West Virginia Hills", "This Is My West Virginia", and "West Virginia, My Home Sweet Home". [22] Governor Earl Ray Tomblin signed the resolution into law on March 8, 2014. [23]
The song was played at the funeral for West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd at the state capitol in Charleston, West Virginia on July 2, 2010. [24]
The Mountain State Brewing Company based in Thomas, West Virginia, produces an amber ale named "Almost Heaven", which it says is "named after John Denver's ode to West Virginia, 'Country Roads'". [25]
Chart (1971) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [26] | 3 |
Canada Adult Contemporary ( RPM ) [27] | 5 |
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [28] | 17 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [29] | 2 |
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [30] | 3 |
US Hot Country Singles ( Billboard ) [31] | 50 |
Chart (1971) | Position |
---|---|
US Billboard Hot 100 [32] | 8 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [33] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
Germany (BVMI) [34] | Gold | 250,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [35] | Platinum | 100,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [36] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [15] | Platinum | 1,591,000 [4] |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
"Country Roads" | ||||
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Single by Hermes House Band | ||||
from the album The Album | ||||
Released | May 21, 2001 | |||
Length | 3:22 | |||
Label | XPLO Music | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Hermes House Band singles chronology | ||||
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Dutch pop band Hermes House Band covered the song and released it as "Country Roads". This version was first released in Germany on May 21, 2001, [37] and was issued in the United Kingdom on December 3, 2001, where it was a contender for the 2001 Christmas number-one single. [38] This version was a chart success in Europe, reaching number one in Scotland, number two in Germany and Ireland, and the top 10 in Austria, Denmark, and the United Kingdom.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Country Roads" (original radio edit) | 3:22 |
2. | "Country Roads" (happy dance version) | 3:20 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Country Roads" (original radio edit) | 3:22 |
2. | "Country Roads" (happy dance version) | 3:20 |
3. | "Country Roads" (karaoke version) | 3:20 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Country Roads" (original live radio version) | 3:22 |
2. | "Country Roads" (original radio version) | 3:22 |
3. | "Country Roads" (dance radio version) | 3:20 |
4. | "Country Roads" (happy party radio version) | 3:20 |
5. | "Country Roads" (original live extended version) | 4:24 |
6. | "Country Roads" (dance extended version) | 4:14 |
7. | "Country Roads" (happy party extended version) | 4:26 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Country Roads" (original radio version) | 3:22 |
2. | "Country Roads" (original live extended version) | 4:24 |
3. | "Country Roads" (dance extended version) | 4:14 |
4. | "Country Roads" (video) | 3:22 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Country Roads" (original radio version) | 3:22 |
2. | "Country Roads" (original live extended version) | 4:24 |
3. | "Country Roads" (original dance extended version) | 4:14 |
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|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [63] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
Germany (BVMI) [64] | Platinum | 500,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [65] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Olivia Newton-John released a cover version in January 1973 that reached number 6 in Japan and number 15 in the UK. [66] It was the lead single from her third studio album, Let Me Be There . This version, as well as the song itself, features prominently in the Japanese animated film, Whisper of the Heart .
A cover version of the song, a collaboration between Copilot Music and Sound and the vocal group Spank, [67] was commissioned for and featured in both the teaser and full E3 2018 trailers for the 2018 video game Fallout 76 , with its plot events are set in West Virginia. [68] Released as an iTunes-only single on July 4, 2018, the song reached No. 1 on the iTunes singles chart. [69] It debuted at No. 41 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart that week and at No. 21 on Billboard's Country Digital Songs the following week. [69] The official YouTube upload of the original John Denver recording, initially uploaded in 2013, would later edit its description in response to the song's use for the game. [70] In Australia, a promotional Fallout 76 vinyl featuring the cover was included with the December 2018 issue of STACK Magazine exclusively from retailer JB Hi-Fi. [71]
Chart (2018) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Country Digital Songs ( Billboard ) [69] | 21 |
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [69] | 41 |
The song found further chart success as part of the Forever Country medley and video, created in 2016 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Country Music Association Awards. [72]
Jamaican reggae group Toots and the Maytals recorded a cover version for their 1975 U.S. re-release of their 1973 album Funky Kingston . Listed on the album as "Country Road," the lyrics are altered slightly to refer to the group's home country of Jamaica with specific references to the island's West end. [73]
American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey released a piano cover of the song on December 1, 2023. [74]
Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer and songwriter. He was one of the most popular acoustic artists of the 1970s and one of the best-selling artists in that decade. AllMusic has called Denver "among the most beloved entertainers of his era".
Starland Vocal Band was an American pop band, known for "Afternoon Delight", one of the biggest-selling singles of 1976.
"Thank God I'm a Country Boy", also known as "Country Boy", is a song written by John Martin Sommers and recorded by American singer/songwriter John Denver. The song was originally included on Denver's 1974 album Back Home Again. A version recorded live on August 26, 1974, at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles was included on his 1975 album An Evening with John Denver. The live version was released as a single and went to No. 1 on both the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles and Billboard Hot 100 charts. The song topped both charts for one week each, first the country chart, and the Hot 100 chart a week later. Thank God I'm a Country Boy also became the name of a variety special show hosted by Denver in 1977.
"Afternoon Delight" is a song recorded by Starland Vocal Band. It was written by band member Bill Danoff. In the US, it became a #1 single on July 10, 1976, and earned a gold record.
The Bangles sang "Eternal Flame" originally. Upon its 1989 single release, "Eternal Flame" became a number-one hit in nine countries, including Australia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Since its release, it has been covered by many musical artists, including Australian boy band Human Nature, who reached the Australian top 10 with their version, and British girl group Atomic Kitten, who topped four national charts with their rendition.
"Spin the Black Circle" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam, released on November 8, 1994, as the first single from the band's third studio album, Vitalogy (1994). Although credited to all members of Pearl Jam, it features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music primarily written by guitarist Stone Gossard. The song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100. It additionally charted at number 10 in the UK Singles Chart, giving them their only top-10 hit in that country. The song was later included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest-hits album, rearviewmirror .
Mary Catherine "Taffy" Nivert-Danoff is an American songwriter and singer. She is best known for co-writing "Take Me Home, Country Roads", which was popularized by John Denver, and for being a member of the Starland Vocal Band.
"Lady (Hear Me Tonight)" is a song by French house duo Modjo, written and performed by vocalist Yann Destagnol and producer Romain Tranchart. It was released on 19 June 2000 as the lead single from the duo's self-titled debut studio album (2001). It became a major worldwide success, topping at least 10 music charts, including the national charts of Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. It also topped the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in January 2001.
"Take Me Home" is a song recorded by American singer and actress Cher for her fifteenth studio album. The album, released in 1979, bore the same name as the single. "Take Me Home" is a disco song conceived after Cher was recommended to venture into said genre after the commercial failure of her previous albums. The lyrics center around the request of a woman to be taken home by her lover. It was released as the lead single from the Take Me Home album in January 1979 through Casablanca Records, pressed as a 12-inch single.
"There You Go" is a song recorded by American singer Pink for her debut studio album, Can't Take Me Home (2000). The track was co-written by Pink, Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, and Kandi Burruss and was produced by Briggs, while Burruss produced the vocals. The song is about a relationship that the protagonist has ended, but the ex-boyfriend wants her back.
William Thomas Danoff is an American songwriter and singer. He is known for “Afternoon Delight", which he wrote and performed as a member of the Starland Vocal Band, and for writing multiple hits for John Denver, including "Take Me Home, Country Roads".
Olivia Newton-John's Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album by Olivia Newton-John released in 1977. In some regions, this followed the 1974 compilation, First Impressions and therefore titled as Greatest Hits Vol. 2.
The Cellar Door was a 163-seat music club located at 34th & M Street NW in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. from 1964 through January 7, 1982. It occupied the location of a former music club called The Shadows.
"Follow Me" is the debut single of American musician Uncle Kracker. It was released on November 6, 2000, as the lead single from his debut studio album, Double Wide (2000). It was written by Kracker and Michael Bradford and was produced by Bradford and Kid Rock. According to Kracker, the song has multiple meanings, with people speculating that it could be about drugs or infidelity.
"It Doesn't Matter" is the first single released from Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean's second studio album, The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book (2000). Written by Jean and Jerry Duplessis, the track features additional vocals from Melky Sedeck and wrestler The Rock, whose famous catchphrase inspired the song title. The song includes samples of "Mona Lisa" by Slick Rick, "This Is Ska" by Longsy D, "Livin' la Vida Loca" by Ricky Martin, and "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver, so all songwriters are given credits.
How Can I Unlove You is an album by country music singer Lynn Anderson, released in 1971.
Maryland Route 117 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway runs 12.40 miles (19.96 km) from MD 28 near Dawsonville east to West Diamond Avenue next to MD 355 in Gaithersburg. MD 117 is an L-shaped highway that connects the rural western Montgomery County communities of Dawsonville and Boyds with Germantown, Gaithersburg, and Interstate 270 (I-270) in the suburban central part of the county. The highway also provides access to Seneca Creek State Park, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and several commuter rail stations along MARC's Brunswick Line, which the highway parallels. MD 117 was the inspiration for the 1971 hit song "Take Me Home, Country Roads".
You're Lookin' at Country is the eighteenth solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on September 20, 1971, by Decca Records.
Rockin' in the Country is the sixth studio album by American country music singer Daryle Singletary. It was released June 9, 2009 via E1 Music. The album includes the non-charting single "Love You with the Lights On", as well as two cover versions: "How Can I Believe in You", previously recorded by Vern Gosdin on his 1984 album There Is a Season, and "Take Me Home, Country Roads", originally recorded by John Denver.
In the Dark is the second international album release by the reggae singing group Toots and the Maytals, issued in Jamaica and in the United Kingdom on Dragon Records, DRLS 5004, a subsidiary label owned by Chris Blackwell. It was released in September 1974.
John Denver's folksy, bucolic ramble "Take Me Home, Country Roads" also peaked at #2...
John Denver, Bill Danoff, and Taffy Nivert performing "Take Me Home, Country Roads" at the opening of West Virginia University's Mountaineer Field September 6, 1980. This audio recording includes the introduction by John Denver followed by the full song as recorded by WVAQ with Jack Fleming announcing.
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: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)John Denver's official audio for 'Take Me Home, Country Roads', as featured on Fallout 76.