For Baby (For Bobbie) by John Denver

Album: Rocky Mountain High (1972)

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Songfacts®:

In a 1992 interview with American Songwriter magazine, Denver told Deborah Evans Price that this was only the fourth song he ever wrote. It appears also to have been the first he ever recorded. In his biography of Denver – published two years after his untimely death – John Collis said he wrote it about a girl he met while playing at the Lumber Mill, and that they dated for about a year.

The man himself went into little more detail in his autobiography. John Denver attended Texas Tech but flunked out of college much to the dismay of his parents, and everyone who knew him. He moved to California to play music, and got lucky making $100 a week before joining the (Chad) Mitchell Trio, but in between he was playing in Scottsdale, Arizona where he met the girl to whom he dedicated this song. It was, he said, "an early attempt to order my romantic thoughts."

He doesn't say much about her except that she lied about her age to get into the club, but reading between the lines, she appears to have been the first girl with whom he ever had a sexual relationship.
As the son of a US Air Force pilot, Denver had an insular and somewhat isolated boyhood, and was a late starter sexually, although he made up for lost time after he married his first wife, Annie – the true love of his life. Like many touring musicians, being kept apart from loved ones and having temptation put in his way by adoring fans cost him his marriage. >>
Suggestion credit:
Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments: 12

Wendy from West Saint Paul MnI am trying to reach Kathy from Virginia who posted a comment about this song being written by Mary Dietrich. A member of Mary's family told me about this. I would lie to speak to Kathy about this. If you read this and are willing to discuss this please let me know. I am writing an article about the family.
Dean from BirminghamOne of the top three of his songs I love!
Jodi from Anchorage, AlaskaBobbie's Song, or "For Bobbie" was written for my friend Bobbie Wargo. "Leaving on a Jet Plane" was also written for Bobbie (On her parents grand piano) Bobbie and John Denver both had fathers in the military; which, I'm told is how they met. If memory serves, they both played music together at various coffee shops and were together longer then just one year. Bobbie was, and hopfully still is, an amazing song writer in her own right. Bobbie stayed in contact with John even after he married Annie.(Bobbie and Annie were introduced at a Denver concert at Cleveland's Blossom Music Center) After Denver's accident, Bobbie was interviewed by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. (She lived in the Cleveland area in the Chagrin Valley) I have lost contact with Bobbie & hope someone out there might know where she currently resisides. If anyone knows her, let her know her friend Jodi is looking for her. Thanks, jdz
Jt from NhJohn Denver (like Prince) wrote many songs including some that others sang. He actually recorded it in 1965 and released it in 1966 as "For Bobbi" when he was part of The Mitchell Trio and Peter, Paul and Mary also sang it before he released it as a solo artist. He also wrote "Leaving on a Jet Plane".
Perhaps the person who saw their high school friend writing it was simply witnessing someone writing the lyrics to a song they had heard.
Evan from OmahaSeveral people have commented online they heard a high school girl perform this song before it was recorded by any artist. Did she sell Denver the rights? Wouldn’t she still get a writing credit?
Kathy from VirginiaThat song was written in 1967 by a high school student named Mary Dietrich. I remember when she wrote it. I went to school with her.
Jennifur Sun from RamonaGreat tune.
Chris from AlbuquerqueWas it '74 that I first heard John Denver on the radio? I was hooked. My older brother used to sneer at him, but I thought Rocky Mountain High was the greatest song I ever heard. I got the album and was blown away. For Baby just enchanted me. I believe he used to sing it when he was with the Chad Mitchell Trio. I used to have an old compilation album of them from that period and it was on it. But it sounded exactly like the version on Rocky Mountain High, so I think it was lifted from one album and added to the other. But the style doesn't exactly match the rest of the stuff on Rocky Mountain High- lots of guitar, just Denver vocals. Instead that amazing, perfect piano, and yes, I remember reading something about a children's choir from some school. Anyway-incredible song!!! Supremely well written, arranged, and produced.
Jeriann from Upstate NyThe back up singers were the children's choir at a school in Connecticut- Whitby in Greenwich.
But I swear I can hear Mary Travers. Anyone else?
Daniel Celano from Lafayette Hill, PaI heard that in Peter, Paul and Mommy, Too concert, Mary Travers sang this song to her granddaughter. I'll show you a personnel list.

Mary Travers - Vocals
Noel Paul Stookey - Guitar
Peter Yarrow - Guitar
Dick Kniss - Bass
Paul Prestopino - Guitar
Sue Evans - Drums, Percussion
Mike from Syracuse, NyI remember reading in the liner notes on the LP (yeah, vinyl!) some information about the children singing with John in the last verse. There were referred to as "The pupils of" some school. Does anyone know what school it was, or even better, are any of those pupils reading this? I'd just like to know what the circumstances were, like were they in the recording studio? Was it sung at their school and mixed in later at the studio? Hearing their sweet innocent voices in that song gets me every time.
Fred from Laurel, MdIt is worth noting that this song (as "For Baby") appeared 6 years earlier on Peter Paul & Mary's 1966 album, "Album." In this form it illustrates the homomorphism between a lover's love and a mother's love -- Denver's original composition for his first, young love, "Bobbie" vs Mary Travers singing the role of mother-to-newborn. The only substantial lyrics change I can find in going from "Bobbie" to "Baby" was in the 3rd line, where "keep you satisfied" became "help you understand."

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