How John Denver got huge in Asia

Switched on Pop

Vox Media Podcast Network

Music Interviews, Music History, Music, Music Commentary

4.6 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 7 March 2023

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“Take Me Home, Country Roads” is a song about West Virginia, but its message of homecoming has resonance far beyond Appalachia. Songwriter and producer Ian Fitchuk found this out when he was requested to perform Denver’s music at a music festival in Tibet. Fitchuk discovered that Denver has a huge following in East and South East Asia, where Denver toured multiple times from the 70s through the 90s. Denver’s songs first came to the region through the US Armed Forces Network radio as well as a diplomatic performance for China’s leader Deng Xiaoping at the Kennedy Center in 1979. Denver performed alongside the Harlem Globetrotters and the Joffrey ballet, and he left such an impression, the show led to an invitation to be one of the first western musicians to tour China. To better understand Denver’s meaning in the region, Switched On Pop co-host Charlie Harding speaks with Ian Fitchuk about his performance and interviews journalist Jason Jeung who wrote about “Country Roads” in The Atlantic. Songs Discussed John Denver - Take Me Home, Country Roads Kacey Musgraves - Oh, What A World The East Is Red John Denver - Rocky Mountain High Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son James Taylor - Carolina in My Mind Carpenters - (They Long To Be) Close To You John Denver - Thank God I'm a Country Boy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You made it. Here. Finally. Checked out of office to check into the sweet views of that place you've always wanted to go.
0:10.0	You know the one. It's nice. Eating the kids like it. This place is so cool. And they never like it.
0:17.0	Mom, can we go to the pool? Look at that. Not even asking for the Wi-Fi. When you're with AMAX, it's not if it's going to happen.
0:25.0	But when? American Express. Don't live live without it.
0:43.0	Welcome to Switched On Pop. I'm songwriter Charlie Harding. Ian Fitchick has become one of my favorite producers and songwriters.
0:50.0	You've heard us talk about Ian's work on the show with Casey Musgraves, Moonah, and just last week Steven Sanchez.
0:58.0	I recently had the opportunity to meet up with Ian and he told me this surprising story. Back in 2017, while in the middle of recording Casey Musgraves album Golden Hour, Ian gets a phone call from a Nashville songwriter friend named Kai Welch.
1:12.0	He gives me a call out of nowhere and says, I've been asked to put some music together for this international music festival.
1:21.0	This is wild, but would you be interested in going to Tibet like fairly soon?
1:26.0	Ian's friend Kai helps organize music experiences out in nature and China is preparing to open its biggest conservation project ever.
1:34.0	It's roughly the size of England. It's called San Genua National Park.
1:38.0	And the local government wants to recruit musicians to play a small music festival, but not just any musician.
1:45.0	They were interested in tracking down John Denver to come and perform at the festival.
1:50.0	Almost heaven, West Virginia.
1:56.0	And John Denver at that point had been not with us on Earth for 20 years.
2:02.0	But it was imperative that take me home country roads be played at the festival.
2:09.0	We thought that was really funny, but it made me go, you know, come to think of it. That does seem to be a song that transcends wherever you go.
2:19.0	The chances are people are going to be able to sing along to that chorus.
2:23.0	The breeze country roads take me home to the place high below.
2:35.0	Of course, getting John Denver to perform wasn't going to happen, but the festival still wanted something John Denver asked.
2:42.0	Well, in the absence of John Denver, are your friends in Tennessee capable of coming and bringing some traditional American and folk music to this festival.
2:54.0	And I immediately said, yes, you know, with no other kind of details.
	...

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