 Leaving on a Jet Plane  is a song written by John Denver in 1966 and most famously recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary.The original title of the song was Babe, I Hate to Go but Denver's then producer Milt Okun convinced him to change the title. The band's single  Run 2  (1989) was the subject of a lawsuit brought by John Denver, who argued that its wordless guitar break was based on his Leaving on a Jet Plane. 2  An out-of-court settlement ensured that the song would never be re-released in its original form.