Marijuana in Colorado may be legal, but “Rocky Mountain High” has a completely different meaning.

Despite Aspen’s infamous reputation as the playground for the rich and famous, the Aspen that I grew up in was a tight knit community of friendly, hardworking people. Throughout my eighteen years growing up in the little mountain town, I became very close with a small group of my peers who helped shape both my childhood and my adolescence. There were no private jets or hillside mansions with ski slope access. It was simply a bunch of kids who loved the little town and the mountains that surrounded it. In my community, we were constantly outside, always doing things like skiing, hiking or spending our nights camping at one of our favorite spots. I have many fond memories sitting around the campfire with my friends, gazing up at the stars and listening to “Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver. Rocky Mountain High, written by a local legend in Aspen, embodies the experience of growing up in a small mountain town. In the song, he touches on subjects like climbing “cathedral mountains” and “the serenity of a clear blue mountain lake,” something all Aspen residents can relate to. Country music and the subjects contained in its songs are ideas and experiences that all people can relate to, and that is the beauty of the genre. The ideas behind the songs are relatable for Americans across the nation, no matter what part of the country they are from. Rocky Mountain High is a great example of this. Growing up in a mountain community is a niche subject, but John Denver makes it relatable for listeners from all different backgrounds. Country music is music created for the common man. No matter your community, you can still relate the experiences of the writer who almost surely has been in the same position or felt the same way. I grew up with John Denver’s music, and while his style does not exactly fit with the current direction of country music today, his relatability and the subjects he addresses have helped define what country music is to me. Country music is not about stereotypical moonshine and daisy dukes. It’s about where you come from, the ideals you were raised with, and the experiences you had while growing up in America. I will never forget sitting around the campfire with my close friends watching it “raining fire in the sky” as the sun set, or swimming in a “clear blue mountain lake,” and John Denver’s songs reflect those memories and brings me right back to the place and the people who helped make me who I am. I truly would be a poorer man if I “never saw an eagle fly.”