"Sweet Surrender" is the title of a popular song by the American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

 John Denver

John Denver

Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...

. It was originally recorded for his 1974 album Back Home Again, but was chosen as the lead single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 from the concert album An Evening with John Denver

An Evening with John Denver

An Evening With John Denver is a live album of music performed by American singer-songwriter John Denver. It was recorded at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, California in August and September 1974...

. "Sweet Surrender" reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 chart in February of 1975, remaining in the Top 40 for eight weeks. It also rose to #1 on the adult contemporary chart

Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks

The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...

, Denver's fourth song to reach the top on this survey (following "Sunshine on My Shoulders

Sunshine on My Shoulders

"Sunshine on My Shoulders" is the title of a song recorded and co-written by American singer/songwriter John Denver. It was released as a single in 1973 and went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. in early 1974.- Song history :...

", "Annie's Song

Annie's Song

"Annie's Song" is a rock/country song recorded and written by singer-songwriter John Denver. It was his second number-one song in the United States, occupying that spot for two weeks in July 1974. "Annie's Song" also went to number one on the Easy Listening chart...

" and "Back Home Again

Back Home Again (song)

"Back Home Again" is the title of a popular song written and performed by the American singer-songwriter John Denver. Released as a single from his album of the same name in 1974, "Back Home Again" peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. in November of that year. It was Denver's fifth...

"). Following a theme common to many of Denver's songs, the lyrics to "Sweet Surrender" deal with a journey of self-exploration tied to themes of nature and environment.
"Sweet Surrender" was the opening theme song of the 1974 Walt Disney movie "The Bears and I."

Chart performance

Chart (1975)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	13
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	7
Canadian RPM Top Singles	38
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks	1
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	16