"Back Home Again"
Single by John Denver
from the album Back Home Again
B-side"It's Up to You"
ReleasedSeptember 1974
GenreCountry[1]
Length4:42
LabelRCA Records
Songwriter(s)John Denver
Producer(s)Milton Okun
John Denver singles chronology
"Annie's Song"
(1974) 		"Back Home Again"
(1974) 		"Sweet Surrender"
(1974)

"Back Home Again" is a popular song written and performed by the American singer-songwriter John Denver. "Back Home Again" was released as a single from his album of the same name in 1974.

Background

"Back Home Again" peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[2] in November of that year; it was Denver's fifth Top 10 hit on the pop chart. "Back Home Again" topped the adult contemporary chart for two weeks. The single was the first of three number ones on the country music chart where it stayed for a single week.[3] The single was certified a gold record by the RIAA. The song won a CMA Award for Denver in 1975 in the category "Song of the Year"; he was also named "Entertainer of the Year" at the same ceremony, prompting country pop singer Charlie Rich to light the envelope on fire after reading that Denver had won—in an apparent insult to Denver's musical style and image.

Reception

Cash Box called it a "laid back and mellow song, with some fine arranging by Lee Holdridge."[4] Record World said it was "well-constructed."[5]

Chart performance

Weekly Charts

Chart (1974-75) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] 20
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 5
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks[7] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles 1
Canadian RPM Top Singles 10
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks 1
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 1
South African Springbok Top 20 10

Year-end charts

Chart (1975) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] 91

References

  1. ^ Kurt Wolff; Orla Duane (2000). Country Music: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides. p. 425. ISBN 978-1-85828-534-4.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 173.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944–2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 103.
  4. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. September 7, 1974. p. 20. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  5. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. September 14, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "National Top 100 Singles for 1975". Kent Music Report. December 29, 1975. Retrieved January 15, 2022 – via Imgur.
  7. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 76.


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