John Denver's song 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' has become the official anthem of the US national team at the World Cup, with players and fans alike singing along after the match.
The United States national team discovered an unexpected theme song in John Denver's 'Take Me Home, Country Roads', with ecstatic players and tens of thousands of fans joining in the post-match chant. It has become a prominent feature of their World Cup campaign, even for coach Mauricio Pochettino, an Argentinian living in Spain. also joined the tradition after the 2-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina. By singing together with the team
Bill Danoff, co-writer of the song 'Country Roads', expressed his honor in an interview with the AP that the US national team This song has been used He suggested that John Denver, who died in a plane accident in 1997, would have been "delighted" by the team's recent performance. Danoff also spoke of the excitement of the competition, saying, “It was a very exciting game — even though they were left with a few players from the red card. But they still won.”
John Denver's location also expressed their delight to the AP, saying they were "thrilled" that the song was popular again at the World Cup. by pointing out the interest of cross-border messages and lyrics that "Clear and easy to understand" makes it suitable for singing together.
"Everyone knows what 'Take me home to the place I belong' means," the venue stressed. "It's not limited to West Virginia."
Although the lyrics refer to West Virginia, Danoff reveals that the real inspiration came from driving down Clopper Road in Maryland with his then-wife Taffy Nivert to a family meeting in Gaithersburg.
Danoff told WRC-TV in 2020, “I started thinking about country roads. and thinking about my childhood in western New England.” "It has nothing to do with Maryland or anywhere."
Meanwhile, Danoff hasn't spent much time in West Virginia. But he was familiar with Appalachian music from the radio station WWVA in Wheeling, which he listened to as a child in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Although Danoff and Nivert intended the song to be Johnny Cash, after they played it for John Denver one night, The singer-songwriter convinced them to let him record the song.
Released in 1971, the song became Denver's biggest hit and remained a key cultural landmark for decades.
The Athletic reports that FIFA officials added the song 'Country Roads' to the post-match playlist to create a connecting moment between the US team and fans.
The song was released after the USA's second match, a 2-0 victory over Australia in Seattle. and gained immediate success both on the field and on social media. The football fans joined together to sing enthusiastically.
In matches not involving the US national team, the song 'Country Roads' is often played during water breaks. By causing the fans who had previously cheered to give a good response.
The song isn't the first time 'Country Roads' has gained popularity among sports enthusiasts. It is a prominent theme song at West Virginia University football games that fans often sing to the team after victories at home.
in the English Premier Football League Manchester United fans once altered lyrics to celebrate at Old Trafford.
while 'Country Roads' serves as the US national anthem. The England team also performed Oasis' song 'Wonderwall' at the competition.
