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In John Denver's autobiography, he states: "I remember, almost to the moment, when that song started to take shape in my head. We were working on the next album and it was to be called Mother Nature's Son, after the the Beatles song, which I'd included. It was set for release in September. In mid-August, Annie and I and some friends went up to Williams Lake to watch the first Perseid meteor showers. Imagine a moonless night in the Rockies in the dead of summer and you have it. I had insisted to everybody that it was going to be a glorious display. Spectacular, in fact." Denver began to write this song during the Perseid Meteor Shower which happens every August. He was camping with some friends at the tree line over at Williams Lake near Windstar (his foundation in Colorado) when suddenly there were various shooting stars and he noticed- In John Denver's autobiography, he states: "I remember, almost to the moment, when that song started to take shape in my head. We were working on the next album and it was to be called Mother Nature's Son, after the Beatles song, which I'd included. It was set for release in September. In mid-August, Annie and I and some friends went up to Williams Lake to watch the first Perseid meteor showers. Imagine a moonless night in the Rockies in the dead of summer and you have it. I had insisted to everybody that it was going to be a glorious display. Spectacular, in fact." Denver began to write this song during the Perseid Meteor Shower which happens every August. He was camping with some friends at the tree line over at Williams Lake near Windstar (his foundation in Colorado) when suddenly there were various shooting stars and he noticed. "The shadow from the starlight"... This would inspire the amazing line of the song. He claims that while the inspiration approached him swiftly, it took around nine months for him to officially finish the song. All of the emotions and hard work that he put into writing this song proved to be useless when "Rocky Mountain High" was temporarily deemed controversial. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission was allowed by a legal ruling to censor any music that seemed to promote drug abuse. Many radio stations quickly banned the song from broadcasting until Denver publicly explained that the "high" was his innocent interpretation of the overwhelming sense of peace that he found out there in the Rockies. In 1985, Denver testified before Congress in the Parents Music Resource Center hearings about his natural experience. See John Denver's Testimony on Next Page John Denver Testimony: "As an artist, I am opposed to any kind of a rating system, voluntarily or otherwise. My song 'Rocky Mountain High' was banned from many radio stations as a drug-related song. This was obviously done by people who had never seen or been to the Rocky Mountains and also had never experienced the elation, celebration of life, or the joy in living that one feels when he observes something as wondrous as the Perseid meteor shower on a moonless, cloudless night, when there are so many stars that you have a shadow from the starlight, and you are out camping with your friends, your best friends, and introducing them to one of nature's most spectacular light shows for the very first time. Obviously, a clear case of misinterpretation. Mr. Chairman, what assurance have I that any national panel to review my music would make any better judgment?" Some Fun Facts About the Song: In 2005, the song was performed by a soloist at the NBA all-star game in Denver, Colorado. After many years as an unofficial anthem for Colorado, on March 12, 2007, the Colorado General Assembly made "Rocky Mountain High" one of its two official state songs. The song shares this honor "Where the Columbines Grow" by A.J. Fynn. "Rocky Mountain High" was also used in a commercial for Colorado-based Coors Beer. More, Interesting John Denver Facts on Next Page The song was used as a symbol, warning the characters about potential death in the 2000 film Final Destination, which revolves around the aftermath of a plane crash (which is a reference to Denver's death in a plane crash.) The song appears various times throughout the film as a sign of foreshadowing death. You can hear the famous tune playing in the background in this scene: The song is mentioned briefly in the 1994 film Dumb and Dumber. Aspen-bound, the two main protagonists drive for several hours in the wrong direction. They mistake a desert for the Rockies, mentioning that they "expected the Rocky Mountains to be a little rockier than this, that John Denver's full of shit, man". There is a run named "Rocky Mountain High" at a ski resort near Aspen that was called, Snowmass Ski Resort. It was named that in honor of the late John Denver. In the famous TV show Coach, the character Christine Armstrong claims that she spent a year as a John Denver groupie. However, she refuses to give the rockstar's name. Despite this, she says she was his "Rocky Mountain High"; none of the other characters understood to whom she was referring to with the song title. "Take Me Home, Country Road" on Next Page http://www.staging.doyouremember.com/9506/john-denver-take-home-country-roads John Denver: Rocky Mountain High Lyrics: He was born in the summer of his 27th year, coming home to a place he'd never been before He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again You might say he found a key for every door When he first came to the mountains, his life was far away on the road and hanging by a song But the strings already broken and he doesn't really care It keeps changing fast, and it don't last for long And the Colorado Rocky Mountain high, I've seen it raining fire in the sky The shadows from the starlight are softer than a lullaby Rocky Mountain high, Colorado. Rocky Mountain high He climbed cathedral mountains, he saw silver clouds below He saw everything as far as you can see And they say that he got crazy once and he tried to touch the sun And he lost a friend, but kept the memory Now he walks in quiet solitude, the forest and the streams, seeking grace in every step he takes His sight is turned inside himself, to try and understand The serenity of a clear blue mountain lake And the Colorado Rocky Mountain high, I've seen it raining fire in the sky You can talk to God and listen to the casual reply Rocky Mountain high, Colorado. Rocky Mountain high Now his life is full of wonder, but his heart still knows some fear Of a simple thing he can not comprehend Why they try to tear the mountains down to bring in a couple more More people, more scars upon the land And the Colorado Rocky Mountain high, I've seen it raining fire in the sky I know he'd be a poor man if he never saw an eagle fly Rocky Mountain high, the Colorado Rocky Mountain high, I've seen it raining fire in the sky Friends around the campfire and everybody's high Rocky Mountain high, Colorado. Rocky Mountain high Rocky Mountain high, Colorado. Rocky Mountain high THANKS FOR READING! SOURCES: (Songfacts, Wikipedia, Youtube)

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