Poems, Prayers and Promises cover

Poems, Prayers and Promises

John Denver

Album · 1971 · RCA Victor

Poems, Prayers & Promises is John Denver’s fourth studio album, released by RCA on April 6, 1971, and recorded in New York City. Milton Okun produced it. John Denver’s official site calls it his breakout album. The single “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” released April 12, 1971, was co-written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and Denver. It was not an immediate hit, but RCA kept promoting it and it reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200.

Denver wrote more than half of the songs himself, including the title track, “My Sweet Lady” and “Sunshine on My Shoulders,” the last written with Richard Kniss and Mike Taylor. The album also has covers of the Beatles’ “Let It Be,” Paul McCartney’s “Junk” and James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain,” and ends with “The Box,” a spoken poem by Kendrew Lascelles about war.

Gary Chester plays drums, Dick Kniss bass, Frank Owens piano and Mike Taylor acoustic guitar. Eric Weissberg plays banjo and steel guitar, and Bill Danoff sings and plays guitar, with Taffy Nivert on vocals.

Tracklist

  1. 1 Poems, Prayers and Promises 4:08
  2. 2 Let It Be 3:41
  3. 3 My Sweet Lady 4:27
  4. 4 Wooden Indian 1:42
  5. 5 Junk 1:46
  6. 6 Gospel Changes 3:30
  7. 7 Take Me Home, Country Roads alt version 3:13
  8. 8 I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado 2:10
  9. 9 Sunshine On My Shoulders 5:16
  10. 10 Around and Around 2:22
  11. 11 Fire and Rain 3:48
  12. 12 The Box 2:48

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