Yesterday’s classic song of the day, “Please Come to Boston,” was a about a musician who tried to get his girl to travel with him to Boston, Denver, and L.A. Today’s classic song of the day is about another musician who doesn’t want to leave their partner to go back on the road. The song is “Leaving on a Jet Plane” and it was made famous by the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary.
Most people don’t know that “Leaving on a Jet Plane” was written by not-yet-famous singer-songwriter John Denver. Mr. Denver wrote the tune, originally titled “Babe I Hate to Go,” in 1966 while he was still in the Chad Mitchell Trio, a relatively well known folk group. He was already getting tired of spending so much time on the road, as he later recalled:
“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.”
Denver included “Babe I Hate to Go” on a 1966 demo solo recording dubbed John Denver Sings that he handed out mainly to friends, family, and industry types. He later re-recorded the tune, under the new title “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” on his proper debut album for RCA Records, Rhymes & Reasons, released in October of 1969.
Peter Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey, and Mary Travers were friends of John Denver in the ’60s folk scene and heard the song early on. They recorded “Leaving on a Jet Plane” for their 1967 album, Album 1700, but their label, Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, didn’t release it as a single until September of 1969. It became the trio’s final and biggest hit, going all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Cash Box Top 100, and Billboard Easy Listening charts. It also hit #1 in Canada and was a top ten hit in Ireland, South Africa, and the UK. It was the next-to-last #1 tune of the decade, supplanted in the final week of the year by “Someday We’ll Be Together” by Diana Ross & the Supremes.
And here’s your daily bonus video of the day, songwriter John Denver and Cass Elliott singing “Leaving on a Jet Plane” live on the debut episode of The Midnight Special on August 19, 1972. This is something truly special.
