Intro
This is a song for me that goes way back, basically as far as my 14-year-old brain can actually remember. Every summer I go up to a place called Grand Lake in Colorado, to sail and to see friends. My whole family goes on a road trip there and back and I've been doing that for since I can remember. Its a really special place for me and I truly cherish it. The reason this song means something to me is that whenever we are leaving to go back home, we play this song. It's very emotional for my whole family as we drive out of town and look back at Mount Baldy towering above all else, it's sad, but a signal that summer is over and its time to go back home.
I don't listen to a whole lot more of John Denver's music but the songs I have heard I have thoroughly enjoyed. He is more of a country singer, which is quite fitting for my case because that's all my friends listen to when I'm up in Grand Lake, which means that's all I listen to as well. He makes great music and I hope by the end of this you will enjoy his music as much as I do as well.
Artist Background
John Denver, real name Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr, was born on December 31st, 1943, in New Mexico. He led a very musical life after getting gifted his first guitar when he was a teenager. He dropped out of Texas Technologies College to move to New York City to pursue his career in music. His first band was the Chad Mitchell Trio. While he was doing that though, a folk-pop group Peter, Paul, and Mary decided to record one of the songs he had written, called "Leaving on a Jet Plane". The song became very popular and brought fame to the city of Denver's
musical prowess as well as fame to John, who changed his last name to "Denver" to honor the city and Colorado. His fame only grew from there as he signed with Mercury RCA Records and continued to write music, most notably and popular being "Take me Home Country Roads" and "Rocky Mountain High". He dabbled in acting for a little while as well as continued to write music until he sadly passed in a plane crash in 1977.
Song Introduction
The song that brought my attention to John Denver was this one and it is a really good song! It was released in 1972 and is the first track on the album "Rocky Mountain High". This song is about Denver finding a new home in colorado and his experiences moving there and finding his "true" home. It tells the story of him finding happiness in the colorado landscapes as well as the introduction to and the power of destruction tourism has.
[Verse]
[Chorus]
[Verse]
[Chorus]
[Verse]
Now his life is full of wonder but his heart still knows some fear
Of the simple thing he cannot comprehend
Why they try to tear the mountains down
To bring in a couple more
More people, more scars upon the land
[Chorus]
And the Colorado Rocky Mountain high
I’ve seen it rainin’ fire in the sky
Rocky Mountain high (in Colorado)
Rocky Mountain high (high Colorado)
Song Analysis
These images are images I think about while listening to the song; home, the stars in the otherwise dark sky, nature and a lake, as well as the mountains of Colorado. This song has a lot of emotion in it and is also quite catchy, but let's find out why shall we?
The song starts off with a guitar riff that is an obvious sign to anyone who has heard the song before to what's to come next. The guitar riff continues through the song changing at the chorus and being switched up through the course of the song. The instrumental parts of the song I think are entirely guitar, banjo, electric guitar, and possibly some bells. The main juice of the song is played by the guitar and the little accents and little riffs here and there are done with the banjo and electric guitar. What is interesting to me is that the beat is kept by the guitar, not percussion. You don't see that very often and I think that's pretty cool.
The beginning of the song sets the scene for the rest of the song and mostly for the chorus. He talks about being lost and finding a new home where he really truly feels at home. I've lived in a lot of places in my life, and this really makes me think about what I really think my home is and I think it makes everyone think and reflect on what makes your home, home.
As the song continues he talks about how he found his real home and what home means to him. He talks about why he loves his new home and when he left he didn't know that where he was going would really be his true home to him. It really gives you some perspective on why he loves Colorado and why it makes him so happy.
As we near the end of the song, he talks about how tourism in Colorado is taking away what he loved so much about it and is a bit sullen. It ends with a large repeat of the chorus where I think he is showing he still loves his him with all his heart, and even with changes, your home is where you love to be and are being with the people love.
Conclusion
This song is a beautiful example of John Denver's songwriting skills and his ability to tell a story within a song. It has a really interesting and catchy beat and guitar riffing and it is a great example that a popular song doesn't just need to be loud techno music and someone talking about nothing. The song leaves you asking the question; What makes your home, your home?
Sources
Biography.com Editors. “John Denver.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 8 Sept. 2020, www.biography.com/musician/john-denver.
Denver, John, director. John Denver - Rocky Mountain High, www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOB4VdlkzO4&ab_channel=JohnDenverVEVO.
Flippo, Chet. “John Denver: His Rocky Mountain Highness.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2018, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/john-denver-his-rocky-mountain-highness-168837/.
“Grand Lake Images.” Grand Lake ONE Mountain Lake Properties in Grand Lake, Colorado near Winter Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, www.mountainlake.com/mlp/Glake1.htm.
“Hey, Our System Thinks You're a Bot.” ShieldSquare Captcha, www.songfacts.com/facts/john-denver/rocky-mountain-high.
“Love Again (John Denver Album).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Sept. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Again_(John_Denver_album).
“Rocky Mountain High (Album).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Sept. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountain_High_(album).
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