Imagine standing in the middle of a sea of fifty thousand people all screaming the same words at the top of their lungs. On October 11, 1980, the air in Morgantown felt electric as a man with a guitar stepped onto the grass to open a brand new football stadium. Most people think songs about home are written by people who live there, but this famous tune has a funny secret hidden in its roots.
John Denver stood before the massive crowd and started the music that would eventually define an entire state. He brought a legendary energy to the grand opening of Mountaineer Field.
Country Roads-John Denver WVU 1980 Full Song
Fans who were there that day still talk about how the stadium was rocking under their feet. One viewer remembered driving all the way from Virginia just to be part of the magic with family. Another person mentioned that even in a cafeteria far away in Norway, this song makes people stop and feel something special.
That massive stadium performance felt like the ultimate truth, but the story of how the song began is quite a bit different. While the fans in West Virginia claimed the song as their own heart and soul, the writers were actually looking at a different map when they came up with the words. It is a strange turning point to realize that the most famous song about the Mountain State started in a completely different place. To understand the “how” and “why” of this anthem, we have to look back at a car ride through the state of Maryland.
Bill Danoff talks Country Roads
The truth is that Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert wrote those famous lines while driving down Clopper Road in Gaithersburg, Maryland. They had never actually set foot in West Virginia when they started the draft for the song. They realized that “West Virginia” had four syllables which fit the beat of the music much better than “Maryland” or even “Massachusetts.” John Denver helped them finish the bridge after a show in Washington D.C., and they decided the rhythm was more important than a perfect map.
John Denver had his own way of taking a simple story and making resonate with everyone. Follow John Denver on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to keep the music playing. You might find that your own favorite road is just a song away.