"Leaving on a Jet Plane" is a song written and recorded by singer-songwriter John Denver[1] in 1966, originally included on his debut demo recording John Denver Sings as "Babe I Hate To Go". He made several copies and gave them out as presents for Christmas of that year.[2] Denver's then producer Milt Okun convinced him to change the title and was renamed "Leaving on a Jet Plane" in 1967.
In 1969, simultaneous to the success of the Peter, Paul and Mary version, Denver recorded the song again for his debut studio album, Rhymes & Reasons, and it was released as a single in October 1969 through RCA Records.[3] Although it is one of John Denver's best known songs, his single failed to enter the charts.
John Denver, then a relatively unknown musician in the Los Angeles folk scene of 23 years old, had written the song during a layover at Washington Airport in 1966.
In one of BBC Radio specials, Denver said about the song:
This is a very personal and very special song for me. It doesn’t conjure up Boeing 707s or 747s for me as much as it does the simple scenes of leaving. Bags packed and standing by the front door, taxi pulling up in the early morning hours, the sound of a door closing behind you, and the thought of leaving someone that you care for very much. I was fortunate to have Peter, Paul and Mary record it and have it become a hit, but it still strikes a lonely and anguished chord in me, because the separation still continues, although not so long and not so often nowadays.[4]
Though not written about the Vietnam War, the Peter, Paul and Mary cover of the song was interpreted by at least one writer to be a protest song about a soldier leaving his partner, unsure if he would return.[5]
The most well known version was recorded by American folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, for their 1967 studio album, Album 1700, and Warner Bros.- Seven Arts released it as a single in 1969[7] after being one of four songs on a promo EP in 1967.[8] John Denver was a close friend of theirs and they shared the same producer in that time, Milt Okun.
It was Peter, Paul and Mary's biggest (and final) hit, becoming their only No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. The song also spent three weeks atop the easy listening chart[9] and was used in commercials for United Airlines in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The song also topped the charts in Canada, and reached No. 2 in both the UK Singles Chart and Irish Singles Chart in February 1970. In fact, it was the only version of the song that charted.
Cash Box described this version as "stunning material" with "an especially fine arrangement".[10]
In the 1980s, the song prompted litigation involving the British group New Order. The band's single "Run 2" (1989) was the subject of a lawsuit brought by Denver, who argued that its wordless guitar break was based on his "Leaving on a Jet Plane". The case was settled out of court, and Denver subsequently received a co-writer credit for the song.[21]
References
^"John Denver Dies in Plane Crash". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-12-26.
Peter, Paul & Mary - Leaving on a Jet Plane on YouTube
Leaving On A Jet Plane at 45cat.com
January 07, 2023
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Leaving on a Jet Plane is a song written and recorded by singer songwriter John Denver 1 in 1966 originally included on his debut demo recording John Denver Sings as Babe I Hate To Go He made several copies and gave them out as presents for Christmas of that year 2 Denver s then producer Milt Okun convinced him to change the title and was renamed Leaving on a Jet Plane in 1967 Leaving on a Jet Plane Single by John Denverfrom the album Rhymes amp ReasonsB side Jimmy Newman ReleasedOctober 1969GenreFolkLength3 37LabelRCASongwriter s John DenverProducer s Milton OkunJohn Denver singles chronology Daydream 1969 Leaving on a Jet Plane 1969 Anthem Revelation 1970 In 1969 simultaneous to the success of the Peter Paul and Mary version Denver recorded the song again for his debut studio album Rhymes amp Reasons and it was released as a single in October 1969 through RCA Records 3 Although it is one of John Denver s best known songs his single failed to enter the charts Leaving on a Jet Plane was re recorded for the third and final time in 1973 for John Denver s Greatest Hits the version that also appears on most of his compilation albums Contents 1 Background 2 Certifications 3 Peter Paul and Mary version 3 1 Weekly charts 3 2 Year end charts 3 3 All time charts 4 Lawsuit 5 References 6 External linksBackground EditJohn Denver then a relatively unknown musician in the Los Angeles folk scene of 23 years old had written the song during a layover at Washington Airport in 1966 In one of BBC Radio specials Denver said about the song This is a very personal and very special song for me It doesn t conjure up Boeing 707s or 747s for me as much as it does the simple scenes of leaving Bags packed and standing by the front door taxi pulling up in the early morning hours the sound of a door closing behind you and the thought of leaving someone that you care for very much I was fortunate to have Peter Paul and Mary record it and have it become a hit but it still strikes a lonely and anguished chord in me because the separation still continues although not so long and not so often nowadays 4 Though not written about the Vietnam War the Peter Paul and Mary cover of the song was interpreted by at least one writer to be a protest song about a soldier leaving his partner unsure if he would return 5 Certifications EditRegion Certification Certified units salesUnited Kingdom BPI 6 Silver 200 000 Sales streaming figures based on certification alone Peter Paul and Mary version Edit Leaving on a Jet Plane Single by Peter Paul and Maryfrom the album Album 1700B side The House Song ReleasedSeptember 1969GenreFolkLength3 27LabelWarner Bros Seven Arts 7340Songwriter s John DenverProducer s Milt OkunPeter Paul and Mary singles chronology Day Is Done 1969 Leaving on a Jet Plane 1969 The Marvelous Toy 1969 The most well known version was recorded by American folk group Peter Paul and Mary for their 1967 studio album Album 1700 and Warner Bros Seven Arts released it as a single in 1969 7 after being one of four songs on a promo EP in 1967 8 John Denver was a close friend of theirs and they shared the same producer in that time Milt Okun It was Peter Paul and Mary s biggest and final hit becoming their only No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States The song also spent three weeks atop the easy listening chart 9 and was used in commercials for United Airlines in the late 1960s and early 1970s The song also topped the charts in Canada and reached No 2 in both the UK Singles Chart and Irish Singles Chart in February 1970 In fact it was the only version of the song that charted Cash Box described this version as stunning material with an especially fine arrangement 10 Weekly charts Edit Chart 1969 70 PeakpositionAustralia KMR 11 30Canada RPM Top Singles 1Canada RPM Adult Contemporary 12 1Ireland IRMA 13 2South Africa Springbok Radio 14 6UK 2US Billboard Hot 100 15 1US Easy Listening Billboard 9 1US Cash Box Top 100 16 1 Year end charts Edit Chart 1969 RankUS Joel Whitburn s Pop Annual 17 13US Adult Contemporary Billboard 18 50Chart 1970 RankCanada 19 71All time charts Edit Chart 1958 2018 PositionUS Billboard Hot 100 20 565Lawsuit EditIn the 1980s the song prompted litigation involving the British group New Order The band s single Run 2 1989 was the subject of a lawsuit brought by Denver who argued that its wordless guitar break was based on his Leaving on a Jet Plane The case was settled out of court and Denver subsequently received a co writer credit for the song 21 References Edit John Denver Dies in Plane Crash Rolling Stone Retrieved 2017 12 26 Current Events Archived December 5 2010 at the Wayback Machine John Denver Leaving On A Jet Plane www countrythangdaily com Breihan Tom December 10 2018 The Number Ones Peter Paul amp Mary s Leaving On A Jet Plane Stereogum Retrieved 2022 06 04 British single certifications John Denver Leaving on a Jet Plane British Phonographic Industry Retrieved October 6 2021 Amy Willis September 17 2009 Peter Paul and Mary Career timeline The Daily Telegraph discogs entry for Peter Paul amp Mary Rolling Home Discogs a b Whitburn Joel 2002 Top Adult Contemporary 1961 2001 Record Research p 192 CashBox Record Reviews PDF Cash Box October 11 1969 p 26 Retrieved 2021 12 08 David Kent s Australian Chart Book 1970 1992 Archived 2016 03 05 at archive today RPM Adult Contemporary December 13 1969 The Irish Charts Search Results Leaving on a Jet Plane Irish Singles Chart Retrieved September 6 2018 SA Charts 1965 March 1989 Retrieved 5 September 2018 Joel Whitburn s Top Pop Singles 1955 2002 Cash Box Top 100 12 20 69 Archived from the original on 2016 10 05 Retrieved 2016 10 05 Whitburn Joel 1999 Pop Annual Menomonee Falls Wisconsin Record Research Inc ISBN 0 89820 142 X Top Records on 1969 Based on Billboard Charts Billboard December 27 1969 pp 16 17 Accessed December 7 2016 RPM s Top 100 of 1970 Library and Archives Canada Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart Billboard Retrieved 10 December 2018 New Order Singles Run 2 Niagara edu Retrieved 2016 10 02 External links EditReview of Leaving on a Jet Plane at AllMusic Peter Paul amp Mary Leaving on a Jet Plane on YouTube Leaving On A Jet Plane at 45cat com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Leaving on a Jet Plane amp oldid 1129990049, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
