Audio By Carbonatix
Singer John Denver has his fans, but none of them is as devout as the Reverend Mark Boyer. Editor of The Mirror, a Catholic newspaper in Springfield, Missouri, Boyer has written a 132-page book, Seeking Grace With Every Step: The Spirituality of John Denver, that analyzes the religious themes in the lyrics of every album by the Aspen resident since 1969.
“I always thought there was an underlying spirituality in his music,” Boyer says, “something more than just the words themselves.” The project, he says, had been on his mind for a long time, but he finally decided to write the book last year after friends encouraged him. The priest has penned ten other titles, including Biblical Reflections on Male Spirituality and Home Is a Holy Place, but he calls the Denver book “a gift to myself.” And to a selected few: Just 594 copies of the book have been printed; each is individually numbered and signed by the author.
Boyer admits that his latest book may be a departure in form from his previous efforts, but he says that it still aims to provide his readers with a daily spiritual reflection. “Most people only have fifteen minutes to spend on God each day,” he says. “In my other books, I include one biblical passage and a prayer for each day to help them get a better perspective on life.” With Seeking Grace, Boyer is using Denver’s lyrics in lieu of the Scriptures.
Through his songs’ lyrics, claims Boyer, Denver reveals “that invisible force which motivates and inspires his personal spirit and gives insight and meaning to what he does and why he does it.”
Denver himself has been an elusive target for the priest. Boyer says he’s tried to contact the singer and has sent him a copy of the book’s manuscript but hasn’t received his blessing. That hasn’t stopped Boyer from rhapsodizing about the singer, however. “Spirituality, for Denver,” he writes, “is that which fills the sails of his soul and propels him throughout his life.”
Nor has it kept him from the kind of arduous research usually found only in fanzines or Web sites. After meticulously dissecting all of Denver’s songs, Boyer broke the book down into chapters that examine different facets of Denver’s purported spirituality. For example, chapter seven, “I Can Hear Her Spirit Calling Me,” analyzes each instance in which Denver sings about specific cities, states and countries and how these places relate to his spiritual well-being.
Boyer admits that his book is difficult reading. Most of Seeking Grace consists of stanzas of Denver’s lyrics, and without the benefit of musical accompaniment, it’s difficult to follow. As a remedy for this problem, the priest recommends that readers listen to the entire John Denver repertoire before starting the first chapter.
The rest of Denver’s life, including legal problems revolving around an arrest for alleged drunken driving, hasn’t tarnished Boyer’s image of the songwriter or affected his research.
“I’m not interested in his personal life,” Boyer says. “That’s his own. But when he cuts a record, it’s for the public, and I investigated his music in an objective manner. I don’t care if he’s drinking and driving.
