The Eagle and the Hawk

Album: Aerie (1971)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Denver wrote this song for a TV special he filmed in the Rocky Mountains called The Eagle and the Hawk. The special never aired, but Denver released the song on his album Aerie.

    "The mountains aren't the only majestic things in the high country," he said on his radio special The John Denver Show. "There are those incredibly graceful and inspiring birds of prey. 'The Eagle and the Hawk' captures my feelings exactly about these magnificent birds, and the way man threatens their existence."
  • The song was released in 1971 after Denver landed his first hit, "Take Me Home Country Roads," which came earlier that year. His first hit as a songwriter came when Peter, Paul and Mary covered his song "Leaving On A Jet Plane" in 1969.
  • Denver's producer, Milt Okun, shared his thoughts on this song in the liner notes to Denver's Definitive All-Time Greatest Hits compilation: "Fittingly, that's a song that really soars. Lee Holdridge wrote a wonderful arrangement for 'The Eagle And The Hawk.' It was fascinating to watch his environmental and social consciousness growing. A lot of the Chad Mitchell Trio [Denver's group before he went solo] material was socially conscious, though John wasn't particularly at first. But before long he ended up more involved and concerned with our world than anyone else. John did a lot of good for a lot of people."

Comments: 2

  • Gmckeel from TexasI would say this is about the closest to a rock song he ever did!
  • Agustin from Santiago, ChileI read this in Youtube, about this song uploaded there by "John Denver": "Guitar, Arranger, Composer, Lyricist: Mike Taylor".
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.

Sugarland

SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Meet the "sassy basket" with the biggest voice in country music.

Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun")

Terry Jacks ("Seasons in the Sun")Songwriter Interviews

Inspired by his dear friend, "Seasons in the Sun" paid for Terry's boat, which led him away from music and into a battle with Canadian paper mills.

Dwight Twilley

Dwight TwilleySongwriter Interviews

Since his debut single "I'm On Fire" in 1975, Dwight has been providing Spinal-Tap moments and misadventure.

Jimmy Jam

Jimmy JamSongwriter Interviews

The powerhouse producer behind Janet Jackson's hits talks about his Boyz II Men ballads and regrouping The Time.

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song Titles

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song TitlesMusic Quiz

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have some rather unusual song titles - see if you can spot the real ones.