✈️ About the Song
Leaving on a Jet Plane was written by a young John Denver in 1966, long before he was famous. He played it for friends at open mics and tiny clubs until Peter, Paul & Mary heard it, polished it up with those golden harmonies, and released it in 1969 — turning it into their only #1 single.
It’s a song about departures — that ache of knowing you’re leaving someone you love, but you’ve got to go anyway. There’s no melodrama, no high notes — just quiet honesty.
The brilliance is in its restraint: Denver didn’t oversell the sadness, he just told the truth. It’s the musical equivalent of one last hug at an airport gate.
Peter, Paul & Mary’s version is all warmth and melancholy — folk purity at its finest. It became one of the defining goodbye songs of the 20th century, and if you play it right, it’ll still make someone’s eyes sting.
🎸 Ukulele Playing Tips
- Chords:G – C – D, with Em and Am sprinkled in for the emotional lift.
- Verse: G – C – D – G,
- Chorus: C – G – Am – D – G.
- Strumming pattern: Gentle Down–Down–Up–Up–Down-Up, slow and steady (~78 bpm).
- Tone: Use the pads of your fingers; you want velvet, not brightness.
- Dynamics: Start soft — like you’re playing quietly so you don’t wake someone sleeping beside you — and let it grow just a bit on the final chorus.
- Optional pick: Finger-pick each chord in a slow roll (P–I–M–A) for extra tenderness.
- Singalong tip: Don’t rush the line “I’m leaving on a jet plane” — hold that last word just long enough for everyone to feel it land.
🧠 Trivia You Can Drop Casually
- John Denver wrote it in 1966 while waiting for a flight out of Washington D.C. — the airport goodbye was literally the inspiration.
- It was originally titled Babe, I Hate to Go until producer Milt Okun wisely suggested a name change.
- Peter, Paul & Mary’s version sold over three million copies and helped launch Denver’s songwriting career.
- It became the unofficial “goodbye song” for American soldiers shipping out during the Vietnam War.
🌈 Final Word
Play Leaving on a Jet Plane like a memory — gentle, honest, unhurried.
Don’t push the emotion; let the pauses do the work.
It’s a song that doesn’t need to shout to break your heart — and that’s what makes it perfect for a ukulele.
