Annie's Song

"Annie's Song" was one of John Denver's most acclaimed songs. The popular American singer, an amateur pilot, was killed at the age of 53 in a plane crash on October 12, 1997. While his career had been fading, he was nevertheless still a major artist. This song evidences his talents both as a singer and songwriter. Ironically, this song is as popular today in instrumental arrangements as it is in vocal ones. The melody to "Annie's Song" has a charming folk-ish quality, conveying a mixture of passion in its effusive outpourings of love and sweetly melancholy character, a character reminiscent of that in many English, Scottish, and Irish folk songs of the nineteenth century. The melody alternates phrases ending with a bright, mostly upward close, with a generally downward trajectory. While there is a sense of repetition in the constant presence of the melody and its accompanying material, it never tires the ear because of its exuberance and almost magical sense of freshness. Fans of popular as well as folk music will find this an attractive song.