The Greatest Oldies Music

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The day after John Denver died, Annie Martell named her favorite of his love songs. It wasn’t “Annie’s Song,” the ballad that had made her name familiar to millions. It was “Perhaps Love.” John and Annie married in 1967. Years later, following a difficult stretch in their relationship, he went skiing in Aspen. On a chairlift, the words to “Annie’s Song” began coming to him. He returned home and wrote what became one of the defining love songs of the 1970s. Annie later said hearing it could still bring her to tears. But the devotion it captured could not spare their marriage. They separated in 1982 and divorced. As their relationship was coming apart, John wrote “Perhaps Love” for her. On October 12, 1997, John died in a plane crash at 53. Interviewed the following day, fifteen years after their separation, Annie chose that quieter reflection on love as her favorite. “Annie’s Song” preserved a moment when he felt close to her. The song she treasured most came from the painful years when they were struggling to hold on.

The Shattered Monument of Love and the Song Annie Martell Cherished Most

A Marriage Born from the Anthem of “Annie’s Song”

In 1967, John Denver and Annie Martell stepped into marriage wrapped in the idealism of youth. Years later, amid a rocky patch in their relationship fueled by relentless touring, John found himself riding a ski lift in Aspen, Colorado. The freezing wind and quiet isolation sparked the lyrics to “Annie’s Song”—a defining ballad of the 1970s that instantly cemented Annie’s name in the hearts of millions.

When Starlight Couldn’t Save the Foundation

Though millions swooned over the devotion captured in the lyrics, the romance immortalized under arena lights could not protect their real-life sanctuary. The fractures within their marriage widened, eventually tearing them apart. By 1982, John and Annie separated and ultimately divorced, quietly closing the curtain on a fifteen-year chapter.

“Perhaps Love”: The Voice of a Fracturing Bond

Rather than succumbing to bitterness or silence as their marriage crumbled, John Denver channeled the pain into another masterpiece: “Perhaps Love.” Unlike the unconditional praise of “Annie’s Song,” this new track offered a mature, raw, and deeply empathetic look at love’s complexity—acknowledging that joy and heartbreak walk hand in hand.

The Day John Denver Died and Annie’s Surprising Choice

On October 12, 1997, the world reeled from the news that John Denver had died in a tragic plane crash at age 53. Interviewed the very next day, fifteen years after their separation, Annie was asked to name her favorite love song of his. She bypassed “Annie’s Song”—the global blockbuster that made her famous—and chose “Perhaps Love.”

The Truth Behind a Legacy of Two Souls

“Annie’s Song” preserved a fleeting moment when John felt closest to her. But the song Annie treasured most was born from the agonizing, bruised years when they were struggling just to hold on. True love, after all, isn’t measured by perfection at the summit, but by the quiet grace found when weathering the storm together.

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John Anderson went into a writing session in June 2018 without knowing whether he could still make a record. The song he helped finish that day eventually gave his final studio album its name. A serious illness during 2017 and 2018 had affected his hearing and left him uncertain about singing again. When Dan Auerbach invited him to write with David Ferguson and Pat McLaughlin, an Anderson album wasn’t part of the arrangement. McLaughlin brought an idea about how quickly life passes. In roughly ninety minutes, the four men wrote “Years.” Anderson was so pleased with the result that he called Auerbach that evening. When Auerbach later proposed making a full album, Anderson hesitated. His confidence had not recovered alongside his health. Auerbach and Ferguson, however, believed his voice was ready. *Years* arrived on April 10, 2020. What began as a writing session had brought Anderson back into the studio for an album he once doubted he could make. After his death on October 21, 2026, at 71, the title song took on another significance. For listeners who had grown older with his records, its reflection on passing time now belonged to the voice they would miss.

Brad Paisley remembers proposing to Kimberly Williams at the end of a pier in Venice, Los Angeles, with nobody else around. Kimberly remembers the location a little more precisely: right outside the public toilets. It was 2002, more than a decade after Brad first noticed her onscreen in *Father of the Bride*. He had been watching it in a West Virginia theater in 1991—on a date with another girl. Ten years later, he invited Kimberly to appear in his “I’m Gonna Miss Her” video. Her manager apparently spotted the romantic possibilities early. By November, Brad and Kimberly were dating. The pier became special to them during a walk months before the proposal. At its far end, Brad had told her he believed they were meant to be together. When he bought a ring, he knew where he wanted to ask. He later confessed that the secluded spot offered some reassurance, too: if she went running back down the pier, there would be few witnesses. Kimberly stayed, said yes—and kept the detail that makes their engagement story unmistakably theirs.

The last time Waylon Jennings saw Buddy Holly, his friend was laughing. Their farewell joke would haunt Waylon for years. In February 1959, Waylon was playing bass in Buddy’s band. When an ailing J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson asked to escape another freezing journey on the tour bus, Waylon gave him his seat on the chartered plane. Before leaving, Buddy teased that he hoped Waylon’s bus would freeze. Waylon answered with a joke of his own: he hoped Buddy’s plane would crash. Hours later, Buddy, Richardson, Ritchie Valens and the pilot were dead. Don McLean would later immortalize the tragedy in “American Pie” as “the day the music died.” Waylon carried the memory of those careless words—and the loss of someone who had believed in his talent long before Nashville knew his name. Seventeen years later, he wrote “Old Friend.” The tribute reached beyond the crash to the person he remembered: Buddy laughing as they said goodbye, before either knew it was their last farewell.

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The day after John Denver died, Annie Martell named her favorite of his love songs. It wasn’t “Annie’s Song,” the ballad that had made her name familiar to millions. It was “Perhaps Love.” John and Annie married in 1967. Years later, following a difficult stretch in their relationship, he went skiing in Aspen. On a chairlift, the words to “Annie’s Song” began coming to him. He returned home and wrote what became one of the defining love songs of the 1970s. Annie later said hearing it could still bring her to tears. But the devotion it captured could not spare their marriage. They separated in 1982 and divorced. As their relationship was coming apart, John wrote “Perhaps Love” for her. On October 12, 1997, John died in a plane crash at 53. Interviewed the following day, fifteen years after their separation, Annie chose that quieter reflection on love as her favorite. “Annie’s Song” preserved a moment when he felt close to her. The song she treasured most came from the painful years when they were struggling to hold on.

Country

John Anderson went into a writing session in June 2018 without knowing whether he could still make a record. The song he helped finish that day eventually gave his final studio album its name. A serious illness during 2017 and 2018 had affected his hearing and left him uncertain about singing again. When Dan Auerbach invited him to write with David Ferguson and Pat McLaughlin, an Anderson album wasn’t part of the arrangement. McLaughlin brought an idea about how quickly life passes. In roughly ninety minutes, the four men wrote “Years.” Anderson was so pleased with the result that he called Auerbach that evening. When Auerbach later proposed making a full album, Anderson hesitated. His confidence had not recovered alongside his health. Auerbach and Ferguson, however, believed his voice was ready. *Years* arrived on April 10, 2020. What began as a writing session had brought Anderson back into the studio for an album he once doubted he could make. After his death on October 21, 2026, at 71, the title song took on another significance. For listeners who had grown older with his records, its reflection on passing time now belonged to the voice they would miss.

Country

Brad Paisley remembers proposing to Kimberly Williams at the end of a pier in Venice, Los Angeles, with nobody else around. Kimberly remembers the location a little more precisely: right outside the public toilets. It was 2002, more than a decade after Brad first noticed her onscreen in *Father of the Bride*. He had been watching it in a West Virginia theater in 1991—on a date with another girl. Ten years later, he invited Kimberly to appear in his “I’m Gonna Miss Her” video. Her manager apparently spotted the romantic possibilities early. By November, Brad and Kimberly were dating. The pier became special to them during a walk months before the proposal. At its far end, Brad had told her he believed they were meant to be together. When he bought a ring, he knew where he wanted to ask. He later confessed that the secluded spot offered some reassurance, too: if she went running back down the pier, there would be few witnesses. Kimberly stayed, said yes—and kept the detail that makes their engagement story unmistakably theirs.

Country

The last time Waylon Jennings saw Buddy Holly, his friend was laughing. Their farewell joke would haunt Waylon for years. In February 1959, Waylon was playing bass in Buddy’s band. When an ailing J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson asked to escape another freezing journey on the tour bus, Waylon gave him his seat on the chartered plane. Before leaving, Buddy teased that he hoped Waylon’s bus would freeze. Waylon answered with a joke of his own: he hoped Buddy’s plane would crash. Hours later, Buddy, Richardson, Ritchie Valens and the pilot were dead. Don McLean would later immortalize the tragedy in “American Pie” as “the day the music died.” Waylon carried the memory of those careless words—and the loss of someone who had believed in his talent long before Nashville knew his name. Seventeen years later, he wrote “Old Friend.” The tribute reached beyond the crash to the person he remembered: Buddy laughing as they said goodbye, before either knew it was their last farewell.