▁collabor ators ▁back ▁to ▁the ▁spot light , ▁where ▁the ▁tri o ▁changed ▁their ▁career ▁traject ories , ▁reading ▁the ▁lyr ics ▁from ▁a ▁single ▁hand h eld , ▁unfold ed ▁a ▁piece ▁of ▁paper . ▁The ▁resulting ▁ov ation ▁is ▁said ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁five - min ute - long ▁and ▁was ▁certainly ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁longest ▁in ▁Cell ar ▁Do or ▁history . ▁The ▁next ▁day ▁was ▁Den ver ' s ▁ 2 8 th ▁birth day . ▁They ▁recorded ▁it ▁in ▁New ▁York ▁City ▁in ▁January ▁ 1 9 7 1 . ▁ ▁Com mer cial ▁performance ▁" Take ▁Me ▁Home , ▁Country ▁Ro ads " ▁appeared ▁on ▁the ▁LP ▁Po ems , ▁P ray ers ▁& ▁Prom ises ▁and ▁was ▁released ▁as ▁a ▁ 4 5 ▁in ▁the ▁spring ▁of ▁ 1 9 7 1 . ▁Original ▁press ings ▁cred ited ▁the ▁single ▁to ▁" John ▁Den ver ▁with ▁F at ▁City ". ▁It ▁broke ▁nation ally ▁in ▁mid - A pril ▁but ▁moved ▁up ▁the ▁charts ▁very ▁slowly . ▁After ▁several ▁weeks , ▁R CA ▁Records ▁called ▁John ▁and ▁told ▁him ▁that ▁they ▁were ▁giving ▁up ▁on ▁the ▁single . ▁His ▁response : ▁" No ! ▁Keep ▁working ▁on ▁it !" ▁They ▁did , ▁and ▁the ▁single ▁went ▁to ▁number ▁ 1 ▁on ▁the ▁Record ▁World ▁Pop ▁Singles ▁Chart ▁and ▁the ▁ ▁C ash ▁Box ▁Top ▁ 1 0 0 , ▁and ▁number ▁ 2 ▁on ▁the ▁U . S . ▁ ▁Billboard ▁Hot ▁ 1 0 0