Leaving on a Jet Plane
"Leaving on a Jet Plane" is a song written by John Denver[1] in 1966 and most famously recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary. The original title of the song was "Babe, I Hate to Go", as featured on his 1966 studio album John Denver Sings, but Denver's then producer Milt Okun convinced him to change the title. Peter, Paul and Mary recorded the song for their 1967 studio album, Album 1700, and Warner Bros.- Seven Arts released it as a single in 1969.[2]
"Leaving on a Jet Plane" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Peter, Paul and Mary | ||||
from the album Album 1700 | ||||
B-side | "The House Song" | |||
Released | October 1969 | |||
Genre | Folk | |||
Length | 3:27 | |||
Label | Warner Bros.- Seven Arts 7340 | |||
Songwriter(s) | John Denver | |||
Producer(s) | Milt Okun | |||
Peter, Paul and Mary singles chronology | ||||
|
It turned out to be Peter, Paul and Mary's biggest (and final) hit, becoming their only No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. The song also spent three weeks atop the easy listening chart[3] and was used in commercials for United Airlines in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The song also topped the charts in Canada, and reached No. 2 in both the UK Singles Chart and Irish Singles Chart in February 1970.
In 1969, John Denver recorded a version of the song for his debut solo album, Rhymes & Reasons, and re-recorded it in 1973 for John Denver's Greatest Hits. His version was featured in the end credits of The Guard.
Lawsuit
In the 1980s the song prompted litigation involving the British group New Order. The band's single "Run 2" (1989) was the subject of a lawsuit brought by Denver, who argued that its wordless guitar break was based on his "Leaving on a Jet Plane". The case was settled out of court, and Denver subsequently received a co-writer credit for the song.[4]
Chart performance
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
All-time charts
|
References
- "John Denver Dies in Plane Crash". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-12-26.
- Amy Willis (September 17, 2009). "Peter, Paul and Mary: Career timeline". The Daily Telegraph.
- Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 192.
- "New Order:Singles:Run 2". Niagara.edu. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
- David Kent's "Australian Chart Book 1970-1992" Archived 2016-03-05 at Archive.today
- RPM Adult Contemporary, December 13, 1969
- "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Leaving on a Jet Plane". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
- "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
- [Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002]
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2016-10-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
- Top Records on 1969 (Based on Billboard Charts)", Billboard, December 27, 1969. pp. 16-17. Accessed December 7, 2016.
- "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
- "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.