John Denver performing at United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday evening, January 9, 1979 in New York, during taping of NBC-TV Special, "The Music for UNICEF concert." (AP Photo/Ron Frehm)

'Annie's Song': Remembering John Denver's Masterpiece

One of John Denver's most well-known songs (outside of the obvious ode to West Virginia, "Take Me Home, Country Roads,") is "Annie's Song." Nearly a decade after Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. joined the Mitchell Trio as "John Denver," he wrote a love song for the ages.

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Denver wrote this for his wife at the time, Annie Martell, i.e. Annie Denver, after they had a major fight and brief separation. Apparently, Denver wrote the song in 10 minutes while he was riding a ski lift up an Aspen mountain in Colorado, reflecting on how thankful he was they didn't break up. Talk about the ultimate way to say, "I'm sorry." It takes me 10 minutes just to find a spot in the Target parking lot so it's incredibly impressive (and a little annoying) that that's all the time it took Denver to write this iconic country love song. No wonder the "Sunshine on my Shoulders" singer-songwriter is an American music legend and Colorado Music Hall of Fame inductee.

The Denver family lived in Minnesota together but after "Rocky Mountain High," relocated to Aspen. They even adopted two children, son Zachary and daughter, Anna Kate. Unfortunately, John Denver and his wife Anne would go on to have a messy divorce in 1982, but thankfully we have this beautiful song to remember the love the iconic songwriter and his wife once had. And yeah, the entertainer may have used a chainsaw to tear their bed in half because he was so angry during the divorce process (it was a pretty intense time) but don't let that ruin this love-soaked hit single's well-earned legacy. Anne Denver's song stands the test of time alongside other Denver hits including "Leaving On A Jet Plane" and "Windsong", years after his tragic death in Monterey Bay.

Read the lyrics to this classic song below, listen to Denver's sweet voice, and try not to cry thinking about your loved ones as this folk-rock classic plays in the background. (Yes, I always tear up too. It reminds me of being back home again for Christmas.) It's the true epitome of how beautiful love can be, and it'll have you saying "I love you" to any and everyone you care about. (Beware of cover versions, they're not as good. You need the original. It's country music at its greatest.)

 

'Annie's Song' Lyrics:

You fill up my senses
Like a night in a forest
Like the mountains in springtime
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again

Come let me love you
Let me give my life to you
Let me die in your arms
Let me lay down beside you
Let me always be with you
Come let me love you
Come love me again

You fill up my senses
Like a night in a forest
Like the mountains in springtime
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again

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