Perhaps Love

Album: Rocky Mountain Christmas (1975)
Charted: 46 59
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Denver wrote this and recorded it as a duet with Placido Domingo. It was not expected to be a commercial success; a radio station played it on the air as a way to preview the song because none of the office turntables were working at the time. The call-in response from listeners was overwhelming and convinced them to release it. It received considerable radio airplay.
  • Denver was so impressed by the way that Placido Domingo sang his lyrics that it changed the way Denver sang his own songs from then on.
  • John Denver, born Henry John Deutschendorf, was a member of the Chad Mitchell Trio from 1964 to 1969, becoming the group's lead singer. He left the group to go solo and record his first album, Rhymes And Reasons. In the 1970's Denver worked hard to help preserve what later became the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) in Alaska. Said Denver: "I experienced one of the most fulfilling days of my life when I stood with President Jimmy Carter, Secretary of Interior Cecil Andrus, and conservationist Margaret Murie as the President signed the Alaska Land Conservation Act into law." That Act was signed in 1980.
  • Denver sang this at his induction into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 1996. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Garry - Anchorage, AK, for all above

Comments: 10

  • Jenny from New South WalesSo beautiful At first I wondered if John would be able to keep up with the power of Placido Domingo but the two men just pushed each other on with such smooth beauty I don't believe this song would be anywhere near as glorious as it is had it not been recorded as a duet with these two stunning singers
  • Leon Debruin from Pretoria, South AfricaGreat music - - - brilliance in sound And depth!
  • Jenny from SydneyWhen John first recorded this as a duet with Placido Domingo I was a bit scared he might be over powered by the strong rich voice of Domingo He wasn't The combination of both men only made this a more beautiful song in my view I first saw John live in an intimate setting at a community hall in Canberra Australia that seated only 150 people What a stunning experience that was The crowd was so small that he actually wandered through and around the audience as he performed The world lost a very talented man when he passed.
  • Esskayess from Dallas, TxThis was a good song, but Denver's loss of singing range was all too obvious when paired with Domingo in his prime.
  • Ray from Fort Worth, TxSorry, Rick, your "pretty reliable source" was misinformed. At his Mother's Day concert with Placido Domingo, John Denver said that his own mother was very much in his heart when he wrote the song "Perhaps Love."
  • Ekristheh from Halath, United StatesI used to know a woman who was trying to get opera/pop singer Franco Corelli to do something just like this, years before this came out. He was too shy and unsure of his English. This woman was the same one who started the letter campaign to get the Metropolitan Opera to start putting operas on TV with subtitles. I still have the pin she gave me -- midnight blue with silver stars encircling his name.
  • Rick from New York City, NyI was told from a pretty reliable source that Denver wrote this song about Paramahamsa Muktananda when John was up at Shree Muktanada Ashram in South Fallsbug NY.

    Peace,
    Rick
  • Fred from Laurel, MdActually, when Denver joined the Trio, he was replacing Chad Mitchell himself, and the group then became just the "Mitchell Trio." The song that John sang to sort of introduce himself to the public as the new kid in the Trio was "That's the Way It's Gonna Be" by Bob Gibson and Phil Ochs, a dynamite song by two terrific songwriters. John turned out to be no sloucher himself in that category. I find the most self-descriptive line in that song to be, "I've got a smile that just stays and stays," - John was known for his mile-wide smile. Anyway, it's a song that's definitely worth a listen if you can find it.
  • Bruce from Gainesville, GaAnnie, Denver's first wife and the Annie of "Annie's Song" once said that "Perhaps Love" was her favorite of all of the songs John Denver wrote.
  • Dennis from Anchorage, AkI actually like John Denver quite a bit but I hated this song. Domingo's voice just doesn't fit the folk-pop style of Denver's music. I am not opposed in principle to mixing folky and classical music elements, but it doesn't always work, and I don't think it worked here at all.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Colbie Caillat

Colbie CaillatSongwriter Interviews

Since emerging from MySpace with her hit "Bubbly," Colbie has become a top songwriter, even crafting a hit with Taylor Swift.

Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles

Timothy B. Schmit of the EaglesSongwriter Interviews

Did this Eagle come up with the term "Parrothead"? And what is it like playing "Hotel California" for the gazillionth time?

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Trucking Songs That Were #1 Hits

Trucking Songs That Were #1 HitsSong Writing

The stories behind the biggest hit songs about trucking.

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the Song

"Private Eyes" - The Story Behind the SongSong Writing

How a goofy detective movie, a disenchanted director and an unlikely songwriter led to one of the biggest hits in pop history.

Name the Character in the Song

Name the Character in the SongMusic Quiz

With a few clues (Works at a diner, dreams of running away), can you name the character in the song?