Longing for the Mountains: A City Heart’s Colorado Dream
The essence of freedom and the yearning for nature over the urban grind.
There are certain songs, aren’t there, that feel less like three minutes of music and more like a gentle, familiar hand guiding you back to a specific moment in time—a feeling, a scent, a memory of a simpler, greener world? John Denver’s “I Guess He’d Rather Be in Colorado” is precisely that sort of timeless tapestry. Released in April 1971 on his pivotal album, Poems, Prayers and Promises, this track stood quietly beside one of his defining hits, “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” and as such, it never reached the lofty heights of a major chart single. It was, instead, a deep-cut gem that resonated with listeners who knew the truth of its message, becoming a sentimental favorite that has endured far longer than many fleeting chart-toppers.
The immediate appeal of the song lies in its exquisite simplicity, a trademark of the folk revival era. What many casual fans might assume is a deeply personal ode written solely by John Denver is actually a collaborative piece co-written with Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert (the same duo who helped pen “Country Roads”). The fascinating story behind the lyrics reveals that the “he” in the song is not Denver himself, but rather Michael Taylor, a staff producer at ABC Records who worked with Danoff and Nivert in New York City. Taylor, a talented musician, was caught in the corporate machinery of the Big Apple, a place far removed from the wide-open spaces he loved. The lyrics paint a vivid contrast: “Once again I see him walking, once again I hear him talking, to the stars he makes and asking them the bus fare” — a poignant image of a dreamer trapped by the daily, crowded realities of subway commutes and office walls, using his banjo and his thoughts of Boulder Canyon as his only escape. This little-known anecdote imbues the song with a universal quality, speaking to anyone who has ever felt suffocated by their surroundings and dreamed of an escape to a place where the sky is truly “like a pearl after the rain.”
The meaning, therefore, transcends a simple travelogue; it’s a lyrical meditation on priorities, freedom, and the deep, restorative power of nature. Denver, born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., had already adopted his stage name from the capital of the state he adored, making his performance of the song an authentic expression of his chosen identity and passion. The delicate, acoustic arrangement—often featuring just Denver’s pure, clear tenor and his gentle guitar—allows the listener to fully absorb the nostalgic imagery: the quiet mornings, the mountain air, the peace that replaces the city’s frantic pace.
For those of us who came of age during the 60s and 70s, this song stirs a powerful, bittersweet recognition. It recalls a time when the search for authenticity led so many to abandon the material chase and seek solace in nature, a move toward genuine connection over manufactured success. It evokes the memory of packing up a battered vehicle, perhaps with a guitar of one’s own, and heading for any horizon that promised more sky and less concrete. “I Guess He’d Rather Be in Colorado” is more than a song; it’s an enduring anthem for the spirit that refuses to be caged, a beautiful, wistful reminder that true wealth is found not in a paycheck, but in the view from a mountain peak.