One of the best-selling musical artists of the ’70s, John Denver built a fanbase with hit songs like “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “Rocky Mountain High.” On this day in 1974, he topped the album charts for the first time with Back Home Again.
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John Denver Wrote the Album’s Lead Single in Just 10 Minutes
The album’s lead single, “Annie’s Song,” has a uniquely John Denver origin story. Inspiration struck him on the ski lift atop Aspen Mountain in Colorado after a “particularly difficult run” in January 1973. The ride lasted about 10 and a half minutes, and Denver had finished the song by the time he dismounted.
“It was written after John and I had gone through a pretty intense time together and things were pretty good for us,” Denver’s then-wife, Annie Martell Denver, later recalled. “He left to go skiing and he got on the Ajax chair on Aspen Mountain and the song just came to him. He skied down and came home and wrote it down… Initially it was a love song and it was given to me through him and yet for him it became a bit like a prayer.”
Spending two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, “Annie’s Song” also reached No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The tear-jerking ballad combines Denver’s love of nature with the affection he feels toward his wife: You fill up my senses / Like a night in a forest / Like the mountains in springtime / Like a walk in the rain.
Unfortunately, “Annie’s Song” didn’t save Denver’s marriage. He split from Annie Martell in 1982 after 15 years of marriage. But it did cement his status as one of the greatest singer-songwriters of his time.
[RELATED: John Denver Covered These Four Songs by The Beatles—and Then Some (1966-1984)]
The Second Hit
John Denver released the album’s title track as its next single. Topping both the country music and adult contemporary charts, “Back Home Again” also gave Denver his fifth Top 10 pop hit. The following year, it snagged the Song of the Year trophy at the 1975 CMA Awards. Denver was also named Entertainer of the Year at the some ceremony.
Featured image by Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
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