Despite its deep connection to West Virginia, "Take Me Home, Country Roads" was actually inspired by a backroad in Maryland.

The song came together with John Denver in a late-night writing session and was first performed live on December 30, 1970.

Though some original lyrics didn't make the final cut, the song has become a classic in American music history.

"Country roads, take me home / To the place I belong"—few choruses are more iconic...or more misleading.

John Denver's beloved ballad may be West Virginia's unofficial anthem, but here's the truth: neither Denver nor his co-writers had ever actually set foot in the Mountain State when the song was written. In fact, the winding road that inspired "Take Me Home, Country Roads" was really a two-lane stretch in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

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