“Forever Country” is a 2016 mashup single performed by Artists of Then, Now & Forever, a collective of 30 American country music artists created to commemorate the 50th Annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards. The track seamlessly blends three iconic country hits: John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” (1971), Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again” (1979/1980), and Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” (1973/1974).
Conception and Development
The project was conceived by the CMA Board of Directors to celebrate five decades of country music history, aiming to unite the genre’s past, present, and future. Director Joseph Kahn proposed the idea of a mashup rather than a single cover song to better capture the breadth of country music history, initially facing skepticism that the songs could blend effectively. Producer Shane McAnally executed the arrangement, discovering that singing Parton’s ballad verses over the tempo of Denver’s song allowed them to harmonize without changing chord structures, while Nelson’s track provided a thematic bridge about the traveling musician’s life.
Recording and Release
Recorded over three days in Nashville in June 2016, the artists recorded their vocals individually or in small groups, with harmonies layered sequentially to create a unified choral effect. Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson participated in the recording, while John Denver (who passed away in 1997) is represented by the melody he originally wrote. Randy Travis, incapacitated by a 2013 stroke, was unable to record vocals but appears in a silent cameo in the music video. The song was released on September 16, 2016, and its accompanying video, directed by Kahn, premiered on September 20, 2016.
Reception and Legacy
“Forever Country” debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, becoming only the third song to enter the chart at its summit since the multi-metric format was introduced in 1958. All profits from the song’s sales and streaming were donated to music education causes supported by the CMA Foundation. The project is widely regarded as a landmark collaborative effort that bridged generational divides within the country music industry, featuring legends like George Strait and Alan Jackson alongside contemporary stars like Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan.
[Verse 1: Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw & Faith Hill]
Almost heaven, West Virginia
Blue ridge mountain, Shenandoah river
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze
[Chorus: Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert
Blake Shelton & George Strait]
Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads
[Verse 2: Kacey Musgraves, Eric Church, Ronnie Milsap, Charley Pride, Dierks Bentley & Trisha Yearwood]
If I should stay
All my memories, they gather ’round her
I would only be in your way
A miner’s lady, stranger to blue water
So I’ll go, yet I know
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky
I’ll think of you every step of the way
Misty taste of moonshine, teardrops in my eye
[Chorus: Lady Antebellum, Blake Shelton, George Strait, Darius Rucker & Martina McBride]
Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
(I will always love you)
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads
[Bridge: Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts & Willie Nelson]
On the road again
Like a band of gypsies, we go down the highway
We’re the best of friends
Insisting that the world keep turning our way
And our way
[Chorus: Brooks and Dunn, Alabama, Darius Rucker, Little Big Town, Brett Eldredge & Keith Urban]
Country roads (Country roads), take me home (Take me home)
To the place I belong
(I will always love you)
West Virginia, mountain mama
(Will always love you)
Oh, take me home, country roads
[Verse 3: Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson & Vince Gill]
Oh, I hope life treats you kind
And I hope you have all you’ve dreamed of
I wish you joy and happiness
But above all this, I wish you love
[Chorus: Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Martina McBride, Little Big Town, Dierks Bentley, Kacey Musgraves, Trisha Yearwood, Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Faith Hill, Eric Church, Brett Eldredge, Ronnie Milsap, Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert & Dolly Parton]
And I will always love you
I will always love you
Take me home, country roads
Take me home, country roads
And I will always love you
On the road again
I will always love you
I just can’t wait to get on the road again
Country roads
The life I love is makin’ music with my friends
I will always love you
I can’t wait to get on the road again
Take me home, country roads
I will always love you
I’ll always love you
