The Impact of Rocky Mountain High
Rocky Mountain High Outros
Rocky Mountain National Park is home to a variety of ecosystems, from ponderosa pine forests to alpine tundra. The park also features a wide range of wildlife.
When John Denver wrote “Rocky Mountain High,” he wasn’t talking about drugs. Instead, he was describing the feelings he felt when he was in Colorado.
The Story
The Rockies are a mountain range that extends from Alaska to Mexico. They are part of the American Cordillera and are made up of igneous and sedimentary rocks. The Rockies were uplifted during the Laramide Orogeny in the Cenozoic era.
The sedimentary rocks were later eroded by glaciers and rivers. This removed thousands of feet of less robust material, exposing the harder granites and gneiss that comprise the core of the Rockies.
These rocky formations are now home to a variety of wildlife, including moose, bighorn sheep, and antelope. The Rocky Mountains are also a popular tourist destination, with visitors coming to enjoy the scenic views and outdoor activities.
John Denver was inspired by his experiences in the Rocky Mountains when he wrote his classic song, “Rocky Mountain High.” It became a hit and even served as an anthem for the environmental movement. Although the lyrics of the song sparked controversy, Denver insisted that the “high” referred to natural feelings and not drugs.
The Verse
John Denver’s 1972 song Rocky Mountain High was a hit and gave Colorado a sense of identity. The state’s beauty became a symbol for an idealized life and Denver’s songs helped propel the environmental movement. But there was controversy too. The use of “high” in the title was misconstrued as a reference to marijuana.
The verses speak to the awe of the mountains and the mystery of nature. The words “I’ve seen it raining fire in the sky,” “shadows from the starlight are softer than a lullaby,” and “he saw everything as far as he could see” are all poetic.
The song then turns to more personal topics of loss and death, a common theme in folk music. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus to give closure to listeners. It’s a beautiful song with a great story to tell. It’s no wonder it became the official anthem of Colorado. The song still carries the same meaning and emotion today.
The Chorus
There’s no doubt that “Rocky Mountain High” is one of John Denver’s most famous songs. It’s an ode to the beauty of the Rocky Mountains and the sense of peace they evoke. It’s also an anthem for environmental conservation and sustainability.
Denver got the idea for this song when he was watching the Perseid meteor shower with friends near Williams Lake in the Colorado high country. He and his friends would camp out and gaze up at the stars, where they could see shadows cast from nothing more than starlight.
Denver used a pretty simple chord structure for this song. He played the D, G, and A7sus4 chords in dropped-D tuning (standard guitar tuning with the low E string tuned down a half step, to D). He decorated the chord shapes with single-note embellishments, similar to what he did in the verses.
The Outro
Whether it’s a fadeout or a full stop, the way a song ends can have a profound impact on how listeners feel about it. This is why outros are becoming more and more popular with songwriters.
An outro is a final section that often appears after the chorus or bridge. It can be a copy of any other sections of the song and is usually instrumental in nature. Outros can be used to gently reduce the intensity built up over the duration of a song and lead the listener to an organic, soothing song end. They can also take that built up intensity and increase it further, leading the listener to an exhilarating song conclusion.
John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High” is a poetic ode to the majesty of the Rocky Mountains. He sings of soaring mountain peaks, rushing rivers, and lush forests. It has become an anthem of environmental conservation and still resonates today. It was even made the official state song of Colorado in 2007. This is a testament to the impact this song has had.