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‘Country Roads’ Becomes Global Home Anthem, US Soccer Picks

7/12/2026

47 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

“Take Me Home, Country Roads,” written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver in 1971, is an anthem of home.
West Virginians adopted the song for celebrations after university victories and at weddings.
Sarah Morris of West Virginia University links the song to hiraeth, a longing for an imagined home.
Adaptations have appeared in Jamaica, Hawaii, France, Brazil and Japan, serving as the U.S. soccer team’s World Cup anthem.

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Story summary

“Take Me Home, Country Roads,” written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver in 1971, is an anthem of home.
West Virginians adopted the song for celebrations after university victories and at weddings.
Sarah Morris of West Virginia University links the song to hiraeth, a longing for an imagined home.
Adaptations have appeared in Jamaica, Hawaii, France, Brazil and Japan, serving as the U.S. soccer team’s World Cup anthem.