Denver Not Given Proper Respect

As a friend and supporter of John Denver through all of his career and as producer of most of his records, I write with some disappointment to comment on Robert Hilburn’s “appreciation” of Denver (“Denver Leaves Legacy Larger Than Music,” Calendar, Oct. 14) and with a great deal of anger in reply to the editorial of the same date (“John Denver: A singer of upbeat western anthems, adept at reinvention,” Editorial Page).

I have long enjoyed Hilburn’s coverage of the pop music scene and though I often disagree with his assessments, I find him fair, respectful, sometimes provocative and always interesting. In this case, while he wrote highly of John’s idealism and integrity, he profoundly understated John’s talent and his importance to American music. The attitude of the article seemed to be summarized as “a nice, but lightweight, artist involved in good causes has died.”

I will bet that in 25 years the artists and groups whose work Hilburn now finds so compelling will either be forgotten or remembered only in the Billboard lists of big sellers, while Denver’s songs will continue to be sung in schools, at concerts and around campfires and will have become part of the cultural bloodstream of America.

John never tried to be edgy or hip or to use cynicism to put himself above the public. He had the power to reach millions of people with simple poetry about the most important things in their lives--love, the sun that warms us and gives us life, our home the Earth and the children who are our future. And he sang his poetry to seemingly simple and sometimes amazingly rich melodies that we could also sing. His gift was our gift.

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The editorial, meanwhile, not only contained inaccuracies (his youngest child is an 8-year-old daughter, not a 7-year-old son; he did not move to Carmel to be near any of his children; he was born in Deutschendorf, not Deutschendorfer) but also managed to say almost nothing positive about John or his music.

I met John when he was about 22. One of the first songs he sang for me had this chorus:

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 today.

What beauty, wisdom and passion from a young Midwestern boy! Far from “reinventing himself,” as the editorial snidely suggests, he kept this vision of what was important for 30 years, while the rest of American popular music wandered through acid rock, disco and heavy metal in an empty, banal parade. John’s music deserves to be celebrated, not sneered at.

How many other songwriters have written a song such as “Rocky Mountain High” that has come to symbolize a region? Two of John’s songs, “Annie’s Song” and “Follow Me,” are in the top five used for weddings; even Richard Wagner only has one. His “I Want to Live” is a passionate plea for the survival of poor children all over the world, and his “Calypso” brought worldwide attention and financial support to Jacques Cousteau, one of the environmental heroes of the century. How many successful pop artists have done as much?

And yet in a 210-word editorial two days after John’s death, The Times found room to mention drug use, alcohol problems and divorce, accused John of not living up to his ideals, and couldn’t come up with a higher compliment than “soothing” for his music.

A couple of years ago, I was listening to a French radio station, “France Musique.” At the end of the performance of a Purcell duet, “O Joy, O Joy,” the announcer said, “When I hear the music of Henry Purcell, I think of the best qualities of England, the English countryside and the English people, just as when I hear the American folk singer John Denver, I think of the finest qualities of the American people and the American landscape.”

How much more satisfying it would be to hear such an appreciation of John Denver from an American critic like Hilburn rather than from an anonymous French announcer. John’s songs deserve serious consideration, serious critiques. He really represents the best of what the American popular musical community has accomplished. I hope that in time and with the consideration of serious critics like Hilburn, John will be accepted in the company of great American creators such as Stephen Foster, Charles Ives, Scott Joplin, Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein.

I knew John Denver. I know his music. He was no lightweight.

Milton Okun is an arranger and record producer and owner of Cherry Lane Music.