John Denver’s “Country Roads” Soars Again in ‘The Wildlife Concert’ (1995)
John Denver’s definitive live take on “Take Me Home, Country Roads” from The Wildlife Concert remains one of the most beloved versions of his signature song. The concert was taped at Sony Music Studios in New York City on February 21–24, 1995, and later aired on cable television in the U.S. on June 18, 1995, before being released as a two-CD set by Sony/Legacy that same year.
Conceived as a celebration of nature and a nod to Denver’s environmental advocacy, the production was mounted in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society; Denver himself described the title as a deliberate call to raise public consciousness about wildlife and wilderness.
On the album, “Take Me Home, Country Roads” appears early in the set—capturing the hush-to-sing-along arc that made Denver’s shows feel communal—and anchors a tracklist that also includes “Rocky Mountain High,” “Back Home Again,” and a medley of “Leaving on a Jet Plane/Goodbye Again.”
Originally released in 1971 and written with Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert, “Country Roads” long ago crossed from hit record to American standard. It has been designated one of West Virginia’s official state songs (2014) and was selected by the Library of Congress for the National Recording Registry (2023), affirming its cultural impact more than five decades on.
Nearly three decades after The Wildlife Concert, the performance endures online and on reissues, drawing new listeners to a timeless chorus that invites everyone, everywhere, to sing along.
Lyrics
Almost Heaven, West Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze
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 the morning hour, she calls me
The radio reminds me of my home far away
Driving down the road, I get a feeling
That I should have been home yesterday, yesterday
Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads
Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads
Take me home, (Down) country roads
Take me home, (Down) country roads