“Seinfeld” or Superman would seem naked without their theme songs, those familiar strains that whet anticipation and announce entrances, grand and otherwise.
But theme songs are not the sole province of superheroes and sitcoms. Many cities and states lay claim to a theme song. Try to imagine Frank Sinatra’s “Theme From New York, New York” or Ray Charles’ “Georgia on My Mind” (OK, it was originally an ode to a woman) being about anywhere else than their namesake. It’s impossible.
But beyond lyrical references and obscure B-sides, does Denver or Colorado have an anthem to call its own?
“In my perfect world it’d be ‘Get Out of Denver,’ by Bob Seger,” said Matt Schild, editor of Fort Collins-based music magazine Aversion.com. “I don’t understand why this hasn’t become the mandatory soundtrack to the last seconds of every Broncos, Avalanche, Rockies and Nuggets victory.”
An unscientific survey of local writers, musicians, club owners and co-workers turned up little consensus. Apparently nothing as aurally iconic as San Francisco’s “Dock of the Bay” or Boston’s “Dirty Water” springs to mind for most people.
“What musical style is uniquely Denver? Is it the Gothic country of Slim Cessna or Sixteen Horsepower? Is it the electro- booty-freakout-rock of acts like Mr. Pacman and the Warlock Pinchers?” asked Adam Zimmerli, talent buyer for the Oriental Theater. “Denver’s theme song surely wasn’t written by Big Head Todd or Firefall. Ultimately Denver is a little bit country and a little bit rock ‘n’ roll. It’s more of a question than an answer really.”
Despite the ambiguity, the unavoidable answer for some was John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High.” Considering the combination of the last name and the song title, it’s almost impossible not to cite. The late country-folk songwriter tapped into an ineffable but rich collective consciousness when he penned the song.
Former Colorado Gov. John Vanderhoof even named John Denver the poet laureate of Colorado in 1974. The lyrics to “Rocky Mountain High” adorn a stone monument in Rio Grande Park, in the songwriter’s adopted hometown of Aspen. That ritzy resort also features a John Denver Sanctuary garden near the center of town.
Aspen will celebrate “John Denver Week” Oct. 11-16, a festival that includes concerts, picnics and worship services.
“That whole ‘Rocky Mountain High’ thing makes me laugh because I went to Rocky Mountain High School and people were always asking us if that was the school’s theme song,” said Katrina Martin Davenport, a Fort Collins-born author who lives in California.
Of course, Colorado does have its own official state song, the flowery ode “Where the Columbines Grow.” Written by A.J. Flynn and embraced by the Colorado legislature in 1915, it includes such lines as “Let the golden rod herald the autumn. But, under the midsummer sky, in its fair Western home, may the columbine bloom till our great mountain rivers run dry.”
Multiple legislative attempts have been made over the years to replace it with other songs (“Rocky Mountain High,” the military march “Hail Colorado”) but “Where the Columbines Grow” has endured, despite the fact that it doesn’t even contain the word “Colorado” in its lyrics.
The list of songs that do sport “Colorado” or “Denver” in their titles is understandably vast. Dozens of songs are called, simply, “Denver,” according to a search on AllMusic.com, and 74 bear the name “Colorado.”
Warren Zevon’s quirky “Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead” became the name of a 1995 mob flick starring Andy Garcia and Christopher Lloyd. Linda Ronstadt’s “Hey Colorado” struck a bittersweet tone about leaving the state. And Hank Williams Jr.’s “OD’d in Denver” never fails to amuse.
A riff on Johnny Horton’s hit “The Battle of New Orleans” was penned by former Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Robert Kapelke to celebrate the Broncos’ first trip to the Super Bowl in the Big Easy in 1978. Sung by a local attorney named Jim Cunningham, it enjoyed a lot of local airplay at its release.
Certainly, commemorating the sports triumphs of our city is as worthy a musical topic as the state’s majestic geography. But Colorado’s natural beauty has remained a creative inspiration for residents and visitors.
“Passing through your wonderful mountains and canyons I realize that this state is going to be more and more the playground for the whole republic,” Theodore Roosevelt once said. “You will see this the real Switzerland of America.”
A Swiss waltz may not be the most appropriate elegy for our state, but our boom-and-bust culture ensures that a single song won’t really do justice to it anyway.
Staff writer John Wenzel can be reached at 303-820-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com.
