John Denver died 29 years ago today. He was 53 when the small plane he was piloting went down in Monterey Bay on October 12, 1997.
The voice never left. This summer a new generation sang one John Denver song louder than ever, and they did it in soccer stadiums.
How John Denver Became The Sound Of The World Cup
“Take Me Home, Country Roads” turned into the unofficial American anthem of the 2026 World Cup, according to Upworthy. The U.S. men’s team played it during warmups and after goals.
Fans took it from there. They sang it after wins over Paraguay and Australia. They sang it after a loss to Turkey too.
“All of us know that part of being American is knowing ‘Country Roads,'” defender Chris Richards said.
The song is 55 years old. Denver recorded it in New York in January 1971 with co-writers Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert, who had first hoped to sell it to Johnny Cash. It climbed to No. 2 that August.
Upworthy notes a charming detail. None of the three had set foot in West Virginia when the song was written.
The Life Behind The Songs
He was born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. on December 31, 1943, in Roswell, New Mexico. The 1970s made him one of the best-loved singers in America.
“Rocky Mountain High” and “Annie’s Song” followed “Country Roads” onto the radio. He earned 12 gold albums and four platinum ones. In 1977 he held his own beside George Burns in the comedy Oh, God!
Two states have made his music official. Colorado adopted “Rocky Mountain High” as a state song in 2007, and West Virginia did the same with “Country Roads” in 2014.
He gave his time to causes as well. Denver co-founded The Hunger Project in 1977 and received a public service medal from NASA in 1985.
He was a father of three, and Do You Remember has shared where his children are today.
In 2023 the Library of Congress added “Country Roads” to the National Recording Registry. The crowds this summer had already cast their own vote, one chorus at a time.
