Maps of Music

I Want to Live (1977)

Where the lyrics of I Want to Live take you, and where it was really made.

The title song of John Denver's twelfth studio album is dedicated to the Hunger Project, a cause on whose board of directors Denver sat.

Place unknown

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Twelfth studio album by American singer-songwriter John Denver
Released by RCA Records in November 1977
Eleven tracks across two sides
All tracks composed by John Denver, except tracks credited to Tom Paxton, Jimmy Ibbotson, Eric Andersen and Bill Danoff
Lead single: "How Can I Leave You Again"

Orchestral arrangements by Lee Holdridge
Production assistance by Kris O'Connor
Engineer Mickey Crofford
Art direction by Acy Lehman
Denver sang and played guitar
James Burton, Lee Ritenour and Herb Pedersen played guitar; Pedersen also played banjo
Hal Blaine on drums, Chuck Domanico on bass, Michael Lang on keyboards
Additional vocals by Renée Armand, Mike Crumm and Herb Pedersen

1	How Can I Leave You Again?	3:13
2	Tradewinds	3:18
3	Bet on the Blues	3:50
4	It Amazes Me	2:38
5	To the Wild Country	4:35
6	Ripplin' Waters	3:57
7	Thirsty Boots	4:37
8	Dearest Esmeralda	3:32
9	Singing Skies and Dancing Waters	4:04
10	I Want to Live	3:49
11	Druthers	2:44

Born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. on December 31, 1943, in Roswell, New Mexico; took the name John Denver on the advice of Randy Sparks, founder of the New Christy Minstrels.
Attended Texas Tech University and sang in the folk group "The Alpine Trio" before dropping out in 1963 and moving to Los Angeles.
Joined The Chad Mitchell Trio in 1965, replacing Chad Mitchell; the trio later became "Denver, Boise, and Johnson".

Solo artist; worked closely with producer Milt Okun early on and later with manager Jerry Weintraub.
Collaborated with friends Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert, who later formed the Starland Vocal Band.

Left the trio in 1969 for a solo career; first album Rhymes & Reasons on RCA Records.
"Leaving on a Jet Plane" became a number one hit for Peter, Paul and Mary.
Breakthrough with Poems, Prayers & Promises (1971) and "Take Me Home, Country Roads", which reached number 2 on the Billboard charts.
Reached number 1 with "Sunshine on My Shoulders", "Annie's Song", "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" and "I'm Sorry" in 1974–1975.
Named Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year in 1975.
Starred in the 1977 film Oh, God! with George Burns.
Co-founded The Hunger Project and worked for environmental causes through the Windstar Foundation.
Died in a plane crash off Pacific Grove, California, on October 12, 1997.

Record World commented on the lead single "How Can I Leave You Again"
Record World said the song moves slowly but with feeling
Record World expected it to be a favorite with female audiences of all ages that autumn
The album has eleven tracks: six on side one and five on side two
Side one opens with "How Can I Leave You Again" and closes with "Ripplin' Waters"
Side two opens with "Thirsty Boots" and closes with "Druthers"

The source gives no later critical evaluation of this album
The source gives no critics' ratings for this album
The only recorded critical comment is the Record World remark on the lead single

The title song was dedicated to the Hunger Project, a cause Denver served on the board of directors for.
The album's lead single was "How Can I Leave You Again".
Mark English drew the cover illustration.
Lee Holdridge arranged the orchestral parts.