This post is primarily written for fans of John Denver, who are tired of the lack of respect for the late singer/songwriter. An article appeared on June 29, 2011 in That Nashville Sound blog listing the top ten deserving acts to be inducted into the country music hall of fame. The writer, Ken Morton, Jr., comments on each candidate and lists Kenny Rogers first as most deserving and John Denver tenth. JD's chances of induction into the country hall are slim to none in the near future, if ever. Fans of traditional country music, which probably include the H of F decisionmakers, will never accept him. When you consider his singing ability, hit songs, awards, etc., along with his songwriting, JD should have been inducted many years ago. My only problem with Mr. Morton's fine article is that he fails to mention Denver's prowess as a songwriter. ASCAP lists 228 works written by JD and he only lived to be 53. He was elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1996, the year before he died.
The songs that follow are some of my favorite Denver songs. Notice how many are solely written by JD. My comments are limited to identifying artists singing with JD and the names of co-writers where applicable. Denver fans know the songs and don't need my input. The singles are listed in roughly the order in which they were released. The first group includes songs for which he alone composed the music and penned the lyrics. The second group of songs will be JD co-writes, and the last, songs he chose to cover by other songwriters.
Songs solely written by John Denver:
- singles:
Leaving On a Jet Plane
Follow Me
Goodbye Again
I'd Rather Be a Cowboy
Farewell Andromeda (Welcome to My Morning)
Annie's Song
Back Home Again
Sweet Surrender
I'm Sorry
Calypso
Fly Away - with Olivia Newton John
Looking For Space
It Makes Me Giggle
Like a Sad Song
My Sweet Lady
How Can I Leave You Again
I Want to Live
Downhill Stuff
What's On Your Mind
Dancing with the Mountains
Shanghai Breezes
Seasons of the Heart
Perhaps Love - with Placido Domingo
Wild Montana Skies - with Emmylou Harris
Love Again - with Sylvie Vartan
Dreamland Express
Country Girl in Paris
- album tracks:
Matthew
Two Shots
Poems, Prayers & Promises
This Old Guitar
Rhymes & Reasons
Sleepin' Alone
Starwood in Aspen
Annie's Other Song
For Baby (For Bobbie)
Rocky Mountain Suite (Cold Nights in Canada)
The Music Is You
Singing Skies and Dancing Waters
Wrangle Mountain Song
JD co-writes with collaborators listed after the title:
- singles:
Take Me Home, Country Roads - Bill & Taffy Danoff
Rocky Mountain High - lyrics by JD, music by Mike Taylor & JD
Sunshine on My Shoulder - lyrics by JD, music by Dick Kniss, Mike Taylor & JD
- album tracks:
Dearest Esmeralda - Bill Danoff
Shipmates and Cheyenne - music by JD, lyics by Joe Henry.
Spirit - Joe Henry
Windsong- Joe Henry
Come and Let Me Look in Your Eyes - Joe Henry
Love is Everywhere - music by John Summers, words by JD, JH, Summers and Steve Weisberg.
JD chose some very good material to record that was written by other songwriters:
- singles:
Thank God I'm a Country Boy - John Martin Summers
Baby You Look Good to Me Tonight - Bill Danoff
Some Days Are Diamonds - Dick Feller
The Cowboy and the Lady - Bobby Goldsboro
- album tracks:
Today - Randy Sparks
Saturday Night in Toledo, Ohio - Randy Sparks
Grandma's Feather Bed - Jim Connor.
Mother Nature's Son - Lennon-McCartney
Forest Lawn - Tom Paxton
Boy From the Country - Michael Murphey & Owens B. Castleman.
Late Nite Radio - Bill and Taffy Danoff
Song of Wyoming - Kent Lewis
Cowboy's Delight - Bob Carpenter and David Holster
Polka Dots & Moonbeams - James Van Heusen and Johnny Burke
As you can see, the only major hits he is known for that he didn't have any involvement in the writing was "Thank God, I'm a Country Boy" and "Some Days Are Diamonds". Comments are welcome.
See past posts on John Denver of 10/15/08 for his "Spirit" album and 12/7/10 for his "Windsong" album.
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