colorado. "sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy," it's a simple kind of childlike verse. >> ♪ sunshine on my-- i had written the song in a fit of melancholy one wet and dismal late winter, early spring day in minnesota. on one level, it was about the virtues of love. on another more deeply felt level, it reached out for something the whole world could embrace. >> "sunshine makes me happy. sunshine almost always makes me high. if i had a day that i could give you, i'd give to you a day just like today." i mean, it's beautiful, and i think that's how we all feel. >> ♪ and if i had a day ♪ i could give you, ♪ i'd give to you ♪ a day just like today.

♪ if i had a song ♪ that i could sing for you, ♪ i'd sing a song ♪ to make you feel this way. >> i think that song can be sung either joyously or sadly. you know, he did it in that slow version which i found very, very moving. hidden inside that positive message, there's some pain in there in that song. >> ♪ sunshine in my eyes ♪ can make me cry.

♪ sunshine on the water ♪ looks so lovely. ♪ sunshine almost always ♪ makes me high. ♪ sunshine almost all the time ♪ makes me high. ♪ sunshine almost always. [applause]

>> he said, "lee, i've got this new song. you know, milt loves it. we're gonna record it. let me play it for you." so he picked up the guitar and played annie's song, played it perfectly top to bottom, and he looked at me, and he said, "what do you think we should do with this song?" and i just looked at him and said, "we should just do that, just what you just did." >> i know milt is fond of saying there are four or five songs that people use for weddings, and he says, "wagner has one, and john denver has two." >> i've heard annie's song with the strolling violins in st. mark's square in venice. i heard it in an elevator in japan. i've heard it-- i'm just struck when i hear it, and it's not--i have to tell you, i don't connect with it as me anymore. i mean, i did at one time, but it's become so much bigger

than that. but the most beautiful time i ever heard it was last summer when my daughter was married, and she married somebody that john actually had the opportunity to get to know before he died. >> i wrote annie's song riding up in a ski lift one day when suddenly i was hypersensitive to how beautiful everything was. the sky was a blue you only see from mountaintops. then i became aware of the other people skiing, the colors of their clothes, the birds singing, the sound of the lift, the sibilant sound of the skiers going down the mountain. all of these things filled up my senses, and when i said this to myself, unbidden images came one after the other: the night in the forest, a walk in the rain, the mountains in springtime. all of the pictures merged, and then what i was left with was annie. that song was the embodiment of the love that i felt at the time.

♪ you fill up my senses ♪ like a night in a forest, ♪ like the mountains ♪ in springtime, ♪ like a walk in the rain, ♪ like a storm in the desert, ♪ like a sleepy blue ocean. ♪ you fill up my senses. ♪ come fill me again. ♪ come let me love you. ♪ let me give my life to you. ♪ let me drown ♪ in your laughter.

♪ let me die in your arms. ♪ let me lay down beside you. ♪ let me always be with you. ♪ come let me love you. ♪ come love me again. [humming main melody] ♪ ♪ let me give my life to you. ♪ come let me love you.

♪ come love me again. sing it with me. ♪ you fill up my senses ♪ like a night in the forest, ♪ like the mountains ♪ in springtime, ♪ like a walk in the rain, ♪ like a storm in the desert, ♪ like a sleepy blue ocean. ♪ you fill up my senses. ♪ come fill me again. [cheers and applause]

>> the first song of john's that impressed me so much with his maturity for a young 22- or 23-year-old was rhymes and reasons. i just couldn't believe the lyric, "for the children and the flowers are my sisters and my brothers." >> their laughter and their loveliness would clear a cloudy day. like the music of the mountains and the colors of the rainbow, they're a promise of the future and a blessing for the day. [mellow acoustic guitar music] ♪ ♪ so you speak to me ♪ of sadness, ♪ the coming of the winter. ♪ fear that is within you now ♪ seems to never end. ♪ and the dreams ♪ that have escaped you, ♪ the hope that ♪ you've forgotten, ♪ you tell me ♪ that you need me now. ♪ you want to be my friend.

♪ and you wonder where ♪ we're going. ♪ where's the rhyme? ♪ where's the reason? ♪ and it's you cannot accept ♪ it is here we must begin ♪ to seek the wisdom ♪ of the children ♪ and the graceful way ♪ of flowers in the wind. i'd learned that powerful songs are powerful not because they're pretty or bouncy or funny but because they're about the human condition and what we all aspire to. i'd learned those were the songs i loved. ♪ could clear a cloudy day. ♪ like the music ♪ of the mountains ♪ and the colors ♪ of the rainbow, ♪ they're a promise ♪ of the future ♪ and a blessing for today. >> john denver: a song's

best friend. now, you might be thinking, "it's gonna be hard to top act two." not really. wait till you see act three. i think his greatest song is coming up, rocky mountain high. oh, i love that. >> that was a fantastic song. but in this last segment, i love sunshine on my shoulders. that's a song i like to sing to my little baby girl. >> yeah, but annie's song was--what a powerful song that was, and calypso just meant a lot to a lot of people. and, well... >> absolutely. >> you're gonna see some great stuff in act three coming up. and while you're watching, we hope you go to the phone and call that number on your screen. if you love john denver, if you love public television, making that call, making that pledge right now is so important. >> it is so important. can you think of another station that would air a concert like this? this is what we do at public television. we're out there. we're looking for the next new, great act here at public television. we're also looking back in the archives to find great concerts and great songs like the ones we're bringing you today, because our cd collections are-- some of them are unheard of, unreleased music. if you can make a donation at the $60 level, we will send

you the cd, which includes all these wonderful songs that we're hearing on this program, in addition to bonus tracks fly away and rocky mountain high, previously unreleased, recorded live at the london palladium in march of 1976. that's just wonderful. and, of course, there are 13 other beloved songs on that track. if you can make a $75 donation, we'll send you a copy of the program that we're watching with you right now with all these wonderful, poignant moments, hearing from the family and friends of john denver. i think that's wonderful. they really do that so well here on public television, that kind of program. for the $100 donation, we'll send you both the cd and the dvd. and if you can make a generous donation of $150, we will give you all of the above plus the essential john denver two-cd set. wow. 36 tracks of john's most beloved songs. so these are our way of saying thank you for your support of this station. and when you do call, you're

casting a vote for this kind of program for this kind of music, and this means that we'll see more of john denver right here on your public television station. >> ♪ sunshine in my eyes ♪ can make me cry. ♪ sunshine on the water... >> announcer: public television is your front-row seat to the best in performing arts. we make top-notch performances freely available for everyone to enjoy music, theater, dance, and more. the financial support of donors is vital to produce and purchase programs of this caliber. call the number on your screen or go online to learn more about these featured items and others like them. invest in the finest arts and entertainment programs you will ever find, delivered right to your home. donate now. thank you.

[dramatic violin music] ♪ >> ♪ his spirit joined ♪ and so was formed ♪ 10,000 years ago, ♪ between the swan ♪ and hercules, ♪ where even dark clouds glow. ♪ to live in grace, ♪ to ride the swell, ♪ to yet be strong of will. >> yeah, it's our way of saying thank you by offering you these great thank-you gifts, but it's your way of saying, "please, bring us more programs like this." see the great new artists from around the world or the great american artists, and many of them, of course, you know and you've listened to for years, but maybe you don't know all the stories about the artist, and maybe you've collected john denver's cds through the years. but we've got some great thank-you gifts. as much as his cds are wonderful, if you've ever

seen him in concert-- maybe you never had a chance to see him in concert. what an amazing concert performer. and this thank-you gift at the $60 level is so special. it's john denver: live in london. it's never been released anywhere else. it's only available here on public television, an amazing live concert, and it's got all his great hits and a lot of the songs you might not know. maybe you don't know grandma's feather bed, and maybe you've never heard amsterdam, but it's wonderful, john denver live in concert. that's our thank-you gift at the $60 level, and it's only available here on public television. at the $75 level, the dvd of the program you're watching, and if you're saying to yourself, "i'd love to have both of those," at the $100 level, both of them. and it's a great way to say thank you for your important help to public television. >> right before we had a look at all those great thank-you gifts, you mentioned, you know, a lot of people might not have had a chance to see him live in concert. i'm one of the lucky few, i think. i mean, i did. >> you know how good he was. >> oh, he was terrific. but, you know, if you don't have--didn't have an opportunity, here we have a front-row seat on public

television. >> yeah, he was 12 years old. his grandmother gave him a guitar, an old guitar. in fact, when he was buried, he was buried with that guitar. >> i did not know that. oh, wow. >> and by college, he was already performing in clubs. he was just a natural on stage, very authentic in addition to being such a great singer. >> i think that's how he met annie, didn't he? he was performing at a university, and he saw her in the crowd. >> yeah. >> so touching. >> and of course, he wrote that beautiful song, and maybe you didn't know the story of annie's song until you watched the last act, and that's one of the great things about public television. it's not just the music you know but the story behind some of that music. >> i've heard annie's song with the strolling violins in st. mark's square in venice. i heard it in an elevator in japan. i've heard it-- i'm just struck when i hear it, and it's not--i have to tell you, i don't connect with it as me anymore. i mean, i did at one time, but it's become so much bigger than that. but the most beautiful time i ever heard it was last summer

when my daughter was married, and she married somebody that john actually had the opportunity to get to know before he died. >> it's more--it's the story behind the music. it's more than just hearing good music. it's learning something. we're bringing entertainment. we're bringing enlightenment and great music like this. and if this is the kind of family programming that you love to watch with your children and grandchildren, this is how you can keep it going right here on your public television station. simply make a donation at whatever level works for you. i'm sure there's a lovely basic donation level that could work. call the volunteers. ask them. go to the website. you can also always make a donation there. but i'd like to tell you about the thank-you gifts that we have for you that are special for this program. if you can make a donation of $60, we have the cd. and i have to mention these two wonderful bonus tracks that are previously unreleased. they were recorded live at the london palladium in march of '76, which is just about the time i think i saw john denver in concert: fly away and rocky mountain high.

and for a $75 donation, we have the dvd of the program that you're watching with us with all these terrific interviews, plus there's bonus tracks there that you're not seeing right now: thank god i'm a country boy at red rocks, leaving on a jet plane, rocky mountain high, and annie's song. those are two additional performances that we're giving you right here. >> ♪ you fill up my senses ♪ like a night in a forest, ♪ like the mountains ♪ in springtime, ♪ like a walk in the rain, ♪ like a storm in the desert, ♪ ♪ well, i got me a fine wife. ♪ i got me old fiddle. >> announcer: no single contribution or revenue source can support this station. the funds we raise go directly into programming.

this is your community-owned television station, and we are as strong as you enable us to be. your financial support is vital to produce and broadcast specials like this one. call the number on your screen or go online to learn more about these featured items and others like them. donate now. thank you. >> ♪ in the port of amsterdam, ♪ there's a sailor who sings ♪ of the dreams that he brings ♪ from the wide-open sea. ♪ in the port of amsterdam, ♪ there's a sailor who sleeps ♪ while the riverbank weeps ♪ to the old willow tree. ♪ in the port of amsterdam, ♪ there's a sailor who dies ♪ full of beer, full of cries ♪ in a drunken down fight. >> well, it's hard to believe that if you have hundreds of

cable channels, that you're not gonna see john denver on any of the other channels, or with all those radio stations, you really don't hear john denver's music anymore, and that's where public television comes in, bringing you the unique programming, programs you won't see or hear anywhere else, not just music from around the world but the best in drama, the best in comedy, the best news coverage, children's programming that's so superior to anything else on the air and so important for your kids, and programs that your whole family can watch, the sort of stuff television should be doing but doesn't seem to do on all those other channels. so that's why you need to support public television. we don't depend on advertisers. we just depend on you, and that's why you've got to make that call. the number's right there on your screen. you can call that number. you can pledge online. but show your support for public television. even with the thank-you gifts, we try to find very special ones, like the john denver: live in london cd. you can't get that anywhere else, so... it's so important to keep this station here. it's an important part of your community, and i'm sure it's been an important part of your life. how many times a week or a month

or a year do you tune to this station and see a very special program? so there's the number on your screen. go to the phone. make that call. and show your support right now. >> absolutely right now, 'cause we're going back to the third act, and one of my favorite songs--it's kind of below the radar-- is perhaps love. >> love is great, but thank god i'm a country boy became almost his signature song. >> yeah, well, it absolutely did. >> and i still think his greatest song was rocky mountain high, and you're gonna see that coming up right now in the final act. >> ♪ almost heaven, ♪ west virginia, ♪ blue ridge mountains, ♪ shenandoah river. ♪ life is old there, ♪ older than the trees, ♪ younger than the mountains, ♪ growing like a breeze. ♪ country roads, ♪ take me home

♪ to the place ♪ i belong. ♪ west virginia, ♪ mountain mama, ♪ take me home, ♪ country roads. ♪ all my memories ♪ gather round her, ♪ miner's lady, ♪ stranger to blue water. [cheers and applause] [soft guitar solo] >> one of my favorite singers was jacques brel, and i introduced jacques brel's records to john, who immediately caught on to how good and how important a writer brel was. and it was interesting. one of the french critics said,

"seems to me that john denver is to america what jacques brel is to us." but he had a very big success and performance with port of amsterdam. >> ♪ in the port of amsterdam, ♪ there's a sailor who sings ♪ of the dreams that he brings ♪ from the wide-open sea. ♪ in the port of amsterdam, ♪ there's a sailor who sleeps ♪ while the riverbank weeps ♪ to the old willow tree. >> john was definitely a showman. and he loved to put on a good concert, and he knew that he could sing his ballads, but he also needed to do his lighthearted, funny songs as well, and he had to have a good mix of them, and the audiences just seemed to just absolutely love that. >> bands are like nothing else in life. where singer-songwriters are concerned, the bonding takes

the form of breathing together. the people who are out there with you in front of an audience breathing with you while you are putting your life on the line are like none other. >> my first gig with john was actually the tonight show in about february of 1974, and it was the first time that he had been invited to guest host the tonight show. and that was a big shot for him. we'd be onstage in front of 30,000, 35,000 people. i mean, i couldn't believe it, and he realized right then and there, and we all realized that we had a huge tiger by the tail, and john was on his way to becoming a huge, huge star. john would always start off country boy with, "all right, everybody, clap your hands." >> clap your hands for me now, everybody. ♪ well, life on the farm ♪ is kind of laid-back. ♪ ain't much ♪ an old country boy

♪ like me can't hack. ♪ early to rise, ♪ early in the sack, ♪ thank god i'm a country boy. ♪ well, a simple kind of life ♪ never did me no harm, ♪ a-raising me a family ♪ and working on the farm. ♪ days are all filled ♪ with an easy country charm. ♪ thank god i'm a country boy. ♪ well, i got me a fine wife. ♪ i got me old fiddle. ♪ when the sun's coming up, ♪ i got cakes on the griddle. ♪ life ain't nothing ♪ but a funny, funny riddle. ♪ thank god i'm a country boy. ♪ when the work's all done, ♪ and the sun's setting low, ♪ i pull out my fiddle, ♪ and i rosin up the bow. ♪ kids are all asleep, ♪ so i keep it kind of low. ♪ thank god i'm a country boy. ♪ i'd play sally goodin ♪ ♪ all day if i could, ♪ but the lord and my wife ♪ wouldn't take it very good, ♪ so i fiddle when i can, ♪ work when i should. ♪ thank god i'm a country boy. ♪ well, i got me a fine wife. ♪ i got me old fiddle. ♪ when the sun's coming up, ♪ i got cakes on the griddle. ♪ life ain't nothing ♪ but a funny, funny riddle. ♪ thank god i'm a country boy. whoo-hoo! ♪

♪ well, i wouldn't ♪ trade my life ♪ for diamonds or jewels. ♪ i never was one ♪ of them money-hungry fools. ♪ i'd rather have my fiddle ♪ and my farming tools. ♪ thank god i'm a country boy. ♪ you got city folk driving ♪ in a black limousine. ♪ a lot of sad people ♪ thinking, ♪ "that's a-mighty keen." ♪ son, let me tell you now ♪ exactly what i mean. ♪ i thank god ♪ i'm a country boy. ♪ well, i got me a fine wife. ♪ i got me old fiddle. ♪ when the sun's coming up, ♪ i got cakes on the griddle. ♪ life ain't nothing ♪ but a funny, funny riddle. ♪ thank god i'm a country boy. whoo-hoo! ♪ ♪ well, my fiddle ♪ was my daddy's ♪ till the day he died, ♪ and he took me by the hand ♪ and held me close ♪ to his side. ♪ said, "live a good life.

♪ play my fiddle with pride, ♪ and thank god ♪ you're a country boy." ♪ well, my daddy ♪ taught me young ♪ how to hunt ♪ and how to whittle. ♪ taught me how to work ♪ and play a tune ♪ on the fiddle. ♪ taught me how to love ♪ and how to give ♪ just a little. ♪ thank god i'm a country boy. ♪ well, i got me a fine wife. ♪ i got me old fiddle. ♪ when the sun's coming up, ♪ i got cakes on the griddle. ♪ life ain't nothing ♪ but a funny, funny riddle. whoo-hoo! thank god i'm a country boy! yes, i am! ♪

>> ♪ perhaps love is like ♪ a resting place, ♪ a shelter from the storm. >> john was very proud of his duet with placido domingo on perhaps love. i took it over to placido domingo's apartment, played it for him, and then i got the idea of doing a duet, even though no one said they could get radio play. the cbs--i think they call them detail men, who bring the records around--brought it to fil in philadelphia when the program director was out. and the owner said, "oh, my wife is in love with him, and she makes me go up to new york to hear him whenever he's at the met. i'd love to hear that." he takes the lp--in those days-- and puts it on, and he can't play it. the owner of one of the biggest stations in the country can't play a record. he said to his secretary, "play it on the so-and-so." she can't get it played.

he says, "ah, give it to the dj. let him play it, and i'll hear it over the air." so he put on this duet. song is half over, the lights on the telephone switchboard light up, and ka-boom. >> ♪ perhaps love ♪ is like a resting place, ♪ a shelter from the storm. ♪ it exists ♪ to give you comfort. ♪ it is there ♪ to keep you warm. >> of all of john's songs, it's probably my favorite. it was written when john and i had decided to get a separation and then a divorce. and so it was a difficult time in his life, my life, the lives of our friends, our family members, but john was on the road, and he wrote this song, and he sent it to me in an overnight letter. that last summer that he lived, and he was being inducted into the songwriter's hall of fame,

it's the song he sang. >> ♪ oh, love, for some, ♪ is like a cloud, ♪ to some as strong as steel, ♪ for some, a way of living, ♪ for some, a way to feel. i felt so much turmoil, and i started to let it come out. i started thinking about all the ways i've experienced love, not that i was feeling very loved right then or that i had a love in my life anymore, but it was good to remember. i started remembering love and certain expressions of love, and i tried to describe that. i tried to describe all the ways that people think of love and how love is really all of those things, and these beautiful lines came pouring out of me. ♪ if i should live forever, ♪ and all my dreams come true, ♪ my memories of love ♪ will be of you. >> last time i heard john sing was at a concert in the san fernando valley, and he sang so beautifully that on the way back from c