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Abby Hughes

Ms. Sobocinski

English Composition II

16 February 2020

“Take Me Home, Country Roads”

A few songs make lasting impressions on people while listening, but “Take Me Home,

Country Roads” by John Denver and “Forever Country” by various country artists leave listeners

feeling happy and longing for home. While using the same lyrics and presenting the same theme,

both songs portray slightly different meanings and stories. In the original version, the artist is

longing for home and in the remade version the artists are playing tribute to country music as a

whole. While both musical versions focus on the importance of family and where you are from,

“Forever Country” dives into a deeper meaning with multiple claims. Being released in 2016,

“Forever Country” also appeals to a younger generation, while “Take Me Home, Country

Roads” appeals to an older generation being a hit in 1971.

From the start of “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, John Denver is singing as he travels

towards West Virginia. He describes West Virginia as “almost heaven” indicating that West

Virginia is a place of peace and tranquility. “Country roads, take me home to the place I belong”

is the most famous line in the song which helps to develop the reasons why Denver is traveling

there. “Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River” help to paint the picture of West Virginia for

listeners. Denver describes a happier time in his life when he says, “all my memories gathered

‘round her”. With the accumulation of these lyrics, it is apparent that this song is from Denver’s

point of view and reflects stories from his own life. He is ultimately reminiscing on the good

times he had in West Virginia.

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“Forever Country” by a plethora of famous country artists, like Keith Urban and Eric

Church, came out many years later with the same theme as “Country Roads, Take Me Home”,

but was intended for a whole new audience and contained a variety of different messages within

the song itself. With the use of the same lyrics and additional song lyrics, “Forever Country”

takes its own twist with 32 different artists coming together to formulate multiple meaningful

messages. “Forever Country” begins with Brad Paisley singing exact lyrics from “Take Me

Home, Country Roads”, but with scenery behind him being built up in the countryside. The song

then transitions into other well-known artists like Carrie Underwood singing the lyrics. This song

was performed at the Country Music Awards for the very first time in 2016.

Although both songs contain the same theme, there are many differences regarding the

way the messages are portrayed within the music itself and in the music video. To begin, the

original version, sung by John Denver, is very straight forward by emphasizing his love and

longing for West Virginia. While listening to the song, the message is very clear. Being that the

creation of this song was in the early 1970s, this song was intended for an older audience.

However, “Forever Country” takes a different twist to the meaning of the song. Within the

remade version, the addition of “I Will Always Love You” and “On the Road Again” create

additional claims and meanings. By adding these famous songs, it is apparent that the artists

“will always love” country music and this song becomes more of a tribute to country music itself

which is appropriate considering the event they sang at. The use of many well-known artists

makes this version appeal to a younger generation and also gets the messages across more

effectively. Not only do the messages differ in certain ways, but so do the way the messages are

conveyed. The music video “Country Roads, Take Me Home” shows beautiful scenery of West

Virginia like the Blue Ridge Mountains themselves and the Shenandoah River, but the video
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does not include John Denver himself. Within this video, it also establishes the guitar which

proves the simplicity of life in the 70s. On the contrary, in the “Forever Country” music video, it

shows the different singers and introduces more musical advancements which represents how the

world has developed and changed over time to become more complex. In addition to a variety of

scenery in the background, “Forever Country” includes a mixture of country scenes along with

the Eiffel Tower and London, which makes this song a world-wide phenomenon versus just

focusing on the state of West Virginia.

Along with the slight differences in messages and visuals, there are many similarities,

too. Both songs share a common message which is the importance of home and where you are

from. By sharing lyrics, this message becomes even more powerful. In addition, both versions

use pathos and ethos. By the use of beautiful scenery in both music videos, they appeal to the

viewer and the listeners emotions which is pathos. Along with that, these songs also appeal to

ethos because of the first-hand experiences of John Denver traveling in West Virginia and the

many famous country artists who are involved in the country music industry today.

Overall, “Country Roads, Take Me Home” and “Forever Country” are two songs that

carry similar messages regarding the importance of family and where you are from. While the

music videos and target audiences may be different, both songs show many similarities including

the ability to appeal to both pathos and ethos. By adding additional lyrics and several music

artists, “Forever Country” has gained more attention and a larger audience while also creating

more depth and meaning to the original song. On the other hand, “Country Roads, Take Me

Home” has also gained popularity by being the original version and striking more interest of

listeners after experiencing the remade version. Both songs make lasting impressions on their

listeners.
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Works Cited

Denver, John. “Country Roads, Take Me Home.” Poems, Prayers & Promises, RCA Records,

1971, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqcMbkFR6jk. Accessed 9 February 2020.

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Artists Of Then, Now & Forever. “Forever Country.” MCA Nashville, 2016,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9gAXwYZtfk. Accessed 9 February 2020.