<P> Danoff and Nivert then told him about the song that they had been working on for about a month . Originally, Danoff and Nivert had planned to sell the song to popular country singer Johnny Cash, but when Denver heard the song and decided he had to have it, the duo who wrote the original lyrics decided not to make the sale . </P> <P> They sang the song for Denver and as he recalled, "I flipped ." The three stayed up until 6: 00 a.m., changing words and moving lines around . When they finished, John announced that the song had to go on his next album . </P> <P> The song was premiered December 30, 1970, during an encore of Denver's set, with the singers reading the words from a folded piece of paper . This resulted in a five - minute ovation, one of the longest in Cellar Door history . They recorded it in New York City in January 1971 . </P> <P> "Take Me Home, Country Roads" appeared on the LP Poems, Prayers & Promises and was released as a 45 in the spring of 1971 . Original pressings credited the single to "John Denver with Fat City". It broke nationally in mid-April but moved up the charts very slowly . After several weeks, RCA Records called John and told him that they were giving up on the single . His response: "No! Keep working on it!" They did, and the single went to number 1 on the Record World Pop Singles Chart and the Cash Box Top 100, and number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, topped only by "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" by The Bee Gees . </P>

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