Take Me Home, Country Roads: The Sheet Music
Contents
Take Me Home, Country Roads: The Sheet Music – Discover the sheet music for Take Me Home, Country Roads, the popular 1971 John Denver song.
Introduction
Take Me Home, Country Roads: The Sheet Music is a collection of sheet music for the song “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, written by John Denver. The song was originally released in 1971, and has since become one of the most popular and iconic songs in American country music. The sheet music includes the melody, lyrics, and chord progressions for the song, as well as some basic guitar tablature.
The History of the Song
The song Take Me Home, Country Roads was written by John Denver, Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert and was released in 1971. It quickly became a popular hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song has been covered by many artists over the years and has been used in television and film, most notably in the 2013 film “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” The song is commonly associated with the American state of West Virginia, where it is often played at sporting events and other public gatherings.
The Lyrics of the Song
“Take Me Home, Country Roads” is a song written by John Denver and posted to music by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and Bill’s then-wife, Mary McCreary. It was released as a single in 1971 with “Babe, I Hate to Go” on the B-side. The song became a hit in the United States, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1971 and number one on the Easy Listening chart. The song has been covered by a number of artists over the years, including Olivia Newton-John, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson.
The lyrics of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” reflect John Denver’s love of West Virginia.[1] The first verse makes specific reference to the state’s winding country roads:
Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads
All my memories gather round her
Miner’s lady stranger to blue water
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky
Misty taste of moonshine
Teardrop in my eye
Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads
I hear her voice in every sound
Distant mountains echoin’ now
Come down from your mountaintop And leave it all behind
The Music of the Song
The music of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” has been described as “folky”, “jazzy”, and “countrypolitan”. The song is in the key of D major. The main melody is introduced in the first verse, and is carried throughout the song by the piano, acoustic guitar, and eventually the washboard. The chorus features a descending chromatic bassline, with each measure ending on the tonic chord.
The bridge features a brief solo on the acoustic guitar, followed by a section in which the vocal melody is punctuated by chords played on the steel guitar. The final verse begins with a repeat of the chorus, followed by a concluding section in which the steel guitar plays a countermelody to the vocal melody.
The Legacy of the Song
John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is a timeless classic that has been enjoyed by generations of music lovers. The song has been covered by many artists, but Denver’s version remains the most popular. The simple, yet poetic lyrics are paired with a catchy melody to create a song that is both easy to sing along to and memorable.
The lyrics of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” are based on the actual experience of Denver and his friends driving through the West Virginia countryside. The beauty of the landscape inspired Denver to write a love letter to the state, which he considered his home. The song quickly became an anthem for West Virginia, and its popularity has only grown in the years since it was first released.
“Take Me Home, Country Roads” has been used in numerous movies and television shows, and it was even chosen as the state song of West Virginia in 2014. Its enduring popularity is a testament to the power of John Denver’s music and the connection that it continues to make with listeners all over the world.
