"I Want to Live" is a 1978 charting single by

John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singe ...

from the album of the same name. Denver wrote the song "I Want to Live" after with folk singer

Harry Chapin Harold Forster Chapin (; December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and hunger activist best known for his folk rock and pop rock songs. He achieved worldwide success in the 1970s. Chapin, a Grammy ...

promoting the idea to President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

for a President's Commission on World Hunger. Denver conceived that the song should be used as the commission's theme song, though the commission produced little more than a report. Denver's interest was spurred by seeing a documentary film by Keith Bloom called ''The Hungry Planet''.Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Jimmy Carter, 0160589347 "John Denver, the recording artist, who has also produced a film, "I Want to Live," directed toward the problem of world hunger"

References

{{authority control 1978 singles RCA Records singles John Denver songs Songs written by John Denver 1978 songs