Fifty-five years ago this year, John Denver performed “Take Me Home, Country Roads” for the first time in public at The Cellar Door in Washington, D.C. Released as a single in April the following year, “Country Roads” (as it’s fondly known) quickly became a pop sensation.
With its catchy, sing-along melody and heartfelt lyrics, the hit tune resonated across borders – national and international – even though it paid tribute to a single U.S. state, West Virginia. Evoking deep nostalgia and the universal longing for going home, the song has remained popular even becoming one of West Virginia’s four official state songs in 2014.
Composed by Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert, with Denver facilitating the ballad’s completion, numerous cover versions of “Country Roads” appear on YouTube today where it remains as prolific as the Mountain State’s dazzling fall leaves are abundant.
Among my favorite versions are performances by The Petersens (a Missouri bluegrass family), the Hermes House Band (a Dutch pop group), New Zealander Jamie McDell, and South Korean YouTuber J.Fla.
While none can surpass the original, in my opinion, one standout contemporary version comes from Down Under. Since posting it on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, Aussie country music singer Sara Berki has racked up over 20 million views of her 2024 live pre-match performance at an Australian Football League game in the state of Queensland. The song has even been adopted by the Brisbane Lions’ football club as their official team song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqSPykG8i_g
“It was an absolute privilege to be able to play at the game,” Sara told me by email. She says Denver’s storytelling was not only admirable, but memorable and personal.
“His music is sentimental, honest, and sincere which is relatable to so many human beings around the world in every generation,” she notes. “It reminds me of my Welsh grandmother playing it in her living room on vinyl when I was a little girl. It makes me think of home – tall pines, rolling green hills, and maple leaves all over the road when the weather changes. I think of my Mum, and how I always travel back home down the highway to her house when I’m feeling a little lost.”
Originally from Bundaberg on the Queensland east coast, and receiving a six-string nylon guitar for her 8th birthday, Berki now lives near Sydney. As a singer-songwriter, her numerous compositions include the debut self-funded single “Fallin’ off the Heartline” in 2022. A more recently released song “Tear You Apart” checks all the required boxes for a successful country chart hit (www.saraberki.com).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NIcrXDGeRo&ab
Berki plans to travel to the U.S. this year, including Nashville, where every young country singer aspires to perform one day.
“I can’t wait to meet some inspiring people, play some writer’s rounds, work with songwriters and producers that I’ve had written down in my little black book since being an artist, drink some Dr Pepper, eat fried chicken, and just take it all in really,” she says. “I’m excited to experience American culture, the landscapes, and all the opportunities that it can offer.”
In addition to being inspired by the Denver classic, she hopes to elicit that same inspiration in others through her own music.
“It’s just a well-respected song – a classic that will always remain popular,” she says. “Since playing it live and sharing it on YouTube, I’ve found it has meaning for each and every single person. I just remind myself that it’s my job on this earth to make people feel something, that’s all I can hope for.”
Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, in Alabama, and has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous magazines and newspapers. A keen hiker, he has walked many beautiful trails in West Virginia. See www.getnick.org.
