If you grew up in the 70s, John Denver was basically everywhere. He was the guy with the "granny" glasses and the bowl cut who sang about mountains and sunshine like he’d just discovered them for the first time. Honestly, by the 80s, a lot of people thought he was kinda corny. He was the guy from the Muppets specials. The "Sunshine on My Shoulders" guy.
But then something weird happened.
In 2013, sixteen years after his tragic plane crash, a tribute album called John Denver The Music Is You dropped. It wasn't full of aging country stars or cheesy pop covers. Instead, you had indie heavyweights like My Morning Jacket, J Mascis, and Sharon Van Etten. It felt like the "cool kids" were finally admitting what Denver’s die-hard fans knew all along: the man could write a hell of a song.
What is John Denver The Music Is You anyway?
Basically, it's a 16-track love letter released by ATO Records. The timing was intentional. It came out on what would have been Denver's 70th birthday year. If you look at the tracklist, it’s a bizarre, beautiful mess. You’ve got Dave Matthews doing a brooding, almost dark version of "Take Me to Tomorrow." Then you've got Train doing a very... well, a very Train-like version of "Sunshine on My Shoulders."
The album title comes from a song Denver wrote himself. It’s a short, poetic track from his 1974 Back Home Again album.
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"Music is you / Music is me / Music is all / That we can be."
It’s simple. Maybe too simple for critics back in the day who wanted grit and angst. But this tribute project proved that those simple melodies were sturdy enough to be ripped apart and put back together by artists who usually wouldn't be caught dead at a hootenanny.
The tracks that actually work (and the ones that don't)
Tribute albums are usually a mixed bag. This one is no different. Some artists try so hard to be "cool" that they accidentally suck the life out of the song. Others just get it.
The Standouts
- Old Crow Medicine Show – "Back Home Again": This is pure joy. They didn't try to reinvent the wheel. They just leaned into the fiddle and the stomp. It feels like a porch session in Aspen.
- Brandi Carlile & Emmylou Harris – "Take Me Home, Country Roads": Look, you can't mess this song up, but having Emmylou Harris on it is basically cheating. It's haunting and grounded.
- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – "Wooden Indian": This is the "weird" pick that actually pays off. It’s psychedelic and folk-heavy. It captures that "wild" side of Denver that people often forget existed.
The Head-Scratchers
Not everyone was a fan of the J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.) and Sharon Van Etten cover of "Prisoners." If you know the original, it’s a poignant song about POWs. The tribute version stripped out almost all the lyrics except the chorus. It’s... a choice. Some critics called it a "hack job," while others liked the hazy, grunge vibe. That’s the thing about Denver's legacy—people are very protective of it.
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Why John Denver is more than just a "Nature Boy"
It’s easy to dismiss Denver as a caricature. But he was the first real "Global Citizen" of pop music. Did you know he was the first American artist to perform in the Soviet Union during the Cold War? He didn't just sing about the environment; he co-founded the Windstar Foundation and worked on the Hunger Project.
He was incredibly rich and famous, yet he lived in a way that felt accessible. He was an Air Force brat who never quite felt like he belonged anywhere until he found Colorado.
John Denver The Music Is You isn't just a collection of covers. It’s proof of concept. It proves that his "unvarnished enthusiasm," as one critic put it, wasn't a gimmick. It was real.
The lasting impact of the 2013 tribute
Since this album came out, there's been a massive shift in how we talk about John Denver. You see his influence in "Stomp and Holler" bands like Mumford & Sons or The Lumineers. You hear it in the way modern folk artists aren't afraid to be earnest.
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Before he died, Denver was struggling. He was getting arrested for DUIs. He felt forgotten by the music industry. He once said that his music was about "the part of people that they liked the best." In a world that feels increasingly cynical, that's a pretty brave thing to stand for.
How to actually enjoy John Denver today
If you’re new to his catalog or only know the hits from Fallout 76 or TikTok, here’s a better way to dive in:
- Skip the Greatest Hits first. Listen to the album Back Home Again from start to finish. It’s his masterpiece.
- Watch the Wildlife Concert. Recorded in 1995, it shows him as a mature, incredibly skilled guitarist. He was way better at the 12-string than people give him credit for.
- Listen to the "Music Is You" tribute. But do it with an open mind. Don't expect him. Expect people who were moved by him.
- Read the lyrics to "Rocky Mountain High." It’s not just a song about getting high in the woods. It’s about a man watching the world change and begging people to protect what’s left.
John Denver didn't care about being cool. He cared about being heard. Whether it’s through a Brandi Carlile cover or an old vinyl record with a scratched cover, that voice—that specific, clear, "far out" voice—is still finding its way to people who need it.
Actionable Insight: If you want to support the causes Denver cared about, a portion of the proceeds from the John Denver The Music Is You album still goes to environmental initiatives. You can also check out the Windstar Foundation archives or Plant-It 2020 to see how his humanitarian legacy is functioning in the 2020s.