Annie's Song
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| "Annie's Song" | |||||
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| Single by John Denver | |||||
| from the album Back Home Again | |||||
| Released | June, 1974 | ||||
| Format | vinyl record | ||||
| Genre | singer/songwriter, Adult contemporary | ||||
| Length | 2:58 | ||||
| Label | RCA | ||||
| Writer(s) | John Denver | ||||
| Producer | Milt Okun | ||||
| John Denver singles chronology | |||||
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"Annie's Song" is a song recorded and written by singer-songwriter John Denver. It was his second number one song in the USA, occupying that spot for two weeks in July 1974. It also went to number one in the UK, where it was Denver's only major hit single (many of Denver's American hits were more familiar in the UK through cover versions by other artists).
"Annie's Song" was written as an ode to Denver's then-wife, Annie Denver (née Martell). Denver "wrote this song in about ten-and-a-half minutes one day on a ski lift" to the top of Bell Mountain in Aspen, Colorado, as the physical exhilaration of having "just skied down a very difficult run" and the feeling of total immersion in the beauty of the colors and sounds that filled all senses inspired him to think about his wife.[1][2] The song has since become a wedding standard and an expression of love for many people, due to its grand imagery and the fact it could apply to anyone (Annie is not mentioned by name in any part of the song).
Dave Barry mentioned a mondegreen of the song: The line "You filled up my senses" was misheard as "You filled out my census."
[edit] Controversy
Monty Python did a send-up of the song on their Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album in 1980, called "Farewell to John Denver". The track contained a few bars of Eric Idle impersonating John Denver singing "Annie's Song" with joke lyrics: "you came on my pillow..." (followed by the sound of the singer being strangled) and was removed from subsequent pressings of the album on legal advice (reports differ as to whether it had to do with the licensing of "Annie's Song" or the depiction of the popular singer being murdered), and was replaced by an apology spoken by Terry Jones. Later CD releases of the album, however, reinstated the John Denver track.
[edit] Covers
- In 1978, flautist James Galway took an instrumental version to number three in the UK. He did this version in honour of his second wife, Anna (Annie) Renggli from Lucerne, Switzerland. Its tune is also used in the UK by "The Greasy Chip Butty Song", the main chant of fans of Sheffield United football club.
- Glen Campbell released a cover of "Annie's Song" on his 1975 album "Live in Japan".
- Pop group Brotherhood of Man recorded a version for their Sing 20 Number One Hits album in 1980
- Placido Domingo recorded this tune on his album Perhaps Love with John Denver. The orchestra is conducted by Lee Holdridge and Denver plays the guitar.
- Love Their Country, the latest album from Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, features a punk rock cover of Annie's Song. Some of the original lyrics were changed.
- The song was sung live in the movie "My Best Friend's Wedding" starring Julia Roberts and Rupert Everett - by three adolescents inhaling helium from party balloons
- In 2004, Weezer front man Rivers Cuomo posted his cover of "Annie's Song" on his MySpace page.[1] The song was removed due to copyright issues though mp3s of the song are still floating around the web.
- Damien Leith covered this song in his album Catch the Wind in 2008.
- Faryl Smith released a cover of the song on her debut album Faryl in 2009.
[edit] Footnotes
| Preceded by "Rock Your Baby" by George McCrae |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single (John Denver version) July 27-August 3, 1974 |
Succeeded by "Feel Like Makin' Love" by Roberta Flack |
| Preceded by "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas |
UK number one single October 12, 1974 for one week |
Succeeded by "Sad Sweet Dreamer" by Sweet Sensation |
