YMMV / John Denver

• Americans Hate Tingle: With the exception of "Annie's Song", none of the singles from Denver's peak in the 1970s succeeded in the U.K. However, British artists who recorded covers had hits with them.
• Awesome Music: Take your pick: "Rhymes and Reasons," "Take Me Home, Country Roads," "Rocky Mountain High," "Farewell Andromeda," "Annie’s Song," "Leaving on a Jet Plane," "The Eagle and the Hawk," "Sweet Surrender," "Thank God I'm a Country Boy," "Calypso," "Wild Montana Skies," "Higher Ground," "Eagles and Horses," "Amazon (Let This Be a Voice)," "Yellowstone (Coming Home)," "Singing Skies and Dancing Waters," ... The list just goes on and on.
• Covered Up:
  • "Leaving on a Jet Plane" was a massive hit for Peter, Paul and Mary. His original demo was included on the limited edition John Denver Sings album in 1966.
  • "Some Days Are Diamonds (Some Days Are Stone)" was first written and recorded by Nashville singer-songwriter Dick Feller.^note Who now goes by the name Deena Kaye Rose
  • As noted above, most of his success in the UK came through cover versions of his songs recorded by locals.
  • "Please, Daddy (Don't Get Drunk This Christmas)" would later be more associated with Alan Jackson.
• Germans Love David Hasselhoff: "Take Me Home, Country Roads" was a major hit in Japan, and to this day remains a popular choice for movie soundtracks (Whisper of the Heart, for example) and cover albums. To give a sense of its enduring popularity, in 2014 a stretch of highway in the Fukushima Prefecture was converted into a "singing road" that plays the song's refrain when driven over at sufficient speeds.
• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • The 1966 song "Leaving On a Jet Plane" became this after Denver's tragic death in an airplane crash. Not helped by the lyrics, where Denver says "don't know when I'll be back again" and how much he hates to leave his lover so suddenly.
    • His 1980 documentary, "The Higher We Fly" became this this too, after Denver's death.
  • The 1974 song "Annie's Song" became this when John and Annie Denver divorced in 1982 after John admitted to infidelity.
• Heartwarming Moments (and Awesome, too): Having "Rocky Mountain High" become one of the official State Songs of Colorado in 2007, and later "Take Me Home, Country Roads" for West Virginia in 2014.
• He Really Can Act: For all his lack of formal training as an actor, John managed to give genuine, believable performances in all of his roles, most notably in Oh, God!.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: In 2007, "Rocky Mountain High" was named the second state song of Colorado. Seven years later, marijuana was legalized there, giving the song a whole new meaning to many.
• Memetic Mutation: In mid-2018, "Take Me Home, Country Roads" experienced an uptick of interest in Internet circles due to certain factors:
  • A cover is used on an important scene in Kingsman: The Golden Circle
  • Another cover of it was used in the reveal trailer for Fallout 76.
  • The release of "Fallen Wings" event in the Japanese and English version of Azur Lane, wherein the Battleship USS West Virginia is a playable shipgirl.
  • In an in-universe example, Denver's music became a recurring harbinger of Death's imminent influence in the Final Destination films.
• Moment of Awesome: John's 1985 testimony to the PMRC, opposing their push for increased censorship of music.
• Posthumous Popularity Potential: He hosted the Grammy Awards six times, but didn't win one until All Aboard won Best Musical Album for Children after his death.
• Song Association:
  • In one of the most triumphant examples of this trope, "Take Me Home, Country Roads" became an official song of the State of West Virginia. Also, Fallout 76 and a certain Kansen in Azur Lane, as well as a Running Gag with RT Game.
  • Denver actually claims two triumphant examples of this trope, as "Rocky Mountain High" is also an official song of the State of Colorado. Seriously, do you know of any other artists who can lay claim to having two official state songs for two separate states?^note Technically, there is another, Stephen Foster, who wrote the state songs for Florida and Kentucky. Yeah, didn't think so.

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