The song is about West Virginia. The singer made his home in Colorado. But anyone from a rural state like Wyoming, or a rural area anywhere in the U.S. may have strong sentiments to it.
And maybe they didn’t know it before today.
But listening to 70,000 people in Munich’s Allianz Arena singing John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” at the end of the Seattle Seahawks – Tampa Bay Buccaneers game was great TV.
And watching them sing, swaying with arms interlocked with their iPhones lit up was spectacular.
As former New York Jets center Nick Mangold said of the spectacle: “Did not have Country Roads on my NFL Germany bingo card.”
Sunday’s game was the first time an NFL regular season game was played in Germany and it was quite festive.
Few left early. There was a lot of singing. And, much like America, a lot of beer.
As it turns out, “Country Roads” is an Oktoberfest favorite in the country. So it’s well-known to our German friends.
And it was on the playlist for the stadium public address team. But a lot of songs are. The difference was, the crowd took this song over.
Noted Wyoming outdoorsman Paul Ulrich said it was an emotional moment for him. “It was kick-ass,” Ulrich said. “I’m not ashamed to say I teared up.”
CBS Sports data-cruncher Cody Suek said, “The stadium in Germany blaring Country Roads makes my heart happy.”
Senior NFL reporter Albert Breer called it “magic.”
While Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Alex Manoah said the song “just brings everyone together.”
There are a lot of different fan videos of the sing-along but our favorite is from a fan who was sitting in the end zone.
At about the 30-second mark, the crowd takes over and it’s wonderful.
