"Rocky Mountain High," the John Denver ballad unofficially thought of for decades as Colorado's state song, was elevated to that status Monday by Capitol lawmakers.

The 1972 tune about Colorado's "cathedral mountains," starlight and clear blue lakes now shares the spot with "Where the Columbines Grow," adopted in 1915.

"If I had any hair, I'd part it in the middle and say, 'Far out!"' said Sen. Steve Ward, R-Littleton, after the Senate listened to a recording of the song from the Sydney Opera House in Australia.

"Whew. Thank God you don't have any hair," quipped Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, who was tapping her black pumps and moving her head to the music.

"You haven't lived until you've seen a thunderstorm at 9,200 feet," said Fitz-Gerald, a Jefferson County Democrat, commenting on the line: "I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky."

As the tune echoed through the chamber, a group in the third-floor gallery clapped along and a few senators sang or lip-synced, although several kept their noses in their laptops.

The Senate voted 26-8 to adopt the song. Some who objected said they were concerned the ballad is about drug use. Denver often said that the song's reference to a "high" meant his reaction to nature, not drugs.

"There is a big perception out there that it is," said Sen. Scott Renfroe, R-Greeley. Besides, Renfroe said, it was a "frivolous thing" for the Senate to "waste an hour" considering.

In the House, representatives rose to their feet in applause after a live guitar performance by Jim Salestrom, who was a backup singer for Denver and now tours with a tribute band.

The resolution passed 50-11 in the House. Representatives defeated an amendment from Rep. Debbie Stafford, R-Aurora, that would have specified the song is about Colorado's elevation and "in no way reflects or encourages" drug use.

Sen. Bob Hagedorn, the Aurora Democrat who sponsored the measure in the Senate, accused his dissenting colleagues of making too much of the lyrics, which include: "friends around the campfire and everybody's high."

"They are just words," he said. "It's how people want to interpret them."

Hagedorn said the line about the campfire could refer to "a bunch of guys who spent the day hunting or fishing and are having a couple six-packs" or "kids pigging out on s'mores."

"John Denver to me is an icon of what Colorado is," said Rep. Nancy Todd, D-Aurora and House sponsor of the resolution.

As a fourth-grader in 1997, Kari Neuman tried to get Colorado to make "Rocky Mountain High" an official state song shortly after Denver was killed in a plane crash in California.

"Oh, wow!" she said Monday, 10 years after initiating a letter-writing campaign to elected officials. "No one took it that seriously. It's neat that after all these years, it finally got through."

Neuman, now a freshman at the University of Wyoming, said most people don't connect with or even know the words to Colorado's original state song, "Where the Columbines Grow."

Talk about Rocky Mountain High-jinx.

The legislature on Monday officially declared the John Denver tune Colorado's second state song, following a debate that sounded like a Seinfeld skit at times.

Sen. Bob Hagedorn, D-Aurora, who came up with the idea of adding the song, assured lawmakers that the tune had nothing to do with drugs.

Some Republicans raised concerns that the song could be a Siren's call to getting stoned, because of the line, "Friends around the campfire and everybody's high."

In the House, Rep. Debbie Stafford, R-Aurora, unsuccessfully tried to amend the resolution to clarify that Rocky Mountain High "reflects Colorado's high elevation and in no way reflects or encourages any drug abuse."

This caused Rep. Andy Kerr, D-Lakewood, to joke, "But it's a 'joint' resolution."

Hagedorn said that as a recovering alcoholic, he would not sponsor a resolution promoting drug use.

But there was more high humor than hand-wringing about the proposed second state song. The first state song is Where the Columbines Grow.

House Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker, sounded a mock alarm about the seventh verse of Rocky Mountain High:

Now his life is full of wonder but his heart still knows some fear

Of a simple thing he cannot comprehend

Why they try to tear the mountains down to bring in a couple more

More people, more scars upon the land.

"This appears to be anti-home builders," May quipped.

Rep Rep. Nancy Todd, D-Aurora, who sponsored the resolution in the House, proudly displayed her vintage 1972 Rocky Mountain High album, for those younger lawmakers who "maybe have never seen an actually vinyl album."

This only encouraged Rep. Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch, to say: "Rep. Todd, the Colorado History Museum called and they want their vinyl album back."

The Senate supported the resolution 26-8 then listened to the song on tape. The House, after being treated to a rousing live version of the song by singer Jim Salestrom, voted 50-11 in favor of the resolution.

The honor came nearly 10 years after Denver died in a plane crash near Monterey, Calif.

KEARNEY - Jim Salestrom has been singing John Denver’s song Rocky Mountain High for many years.

Monday, Colorado state lawmakers voted to make the ballad the co-official state song.

"It’s a song I’ve been singing just about every day since I was 16," said Salestrom from his home in Arvada, Colo. The musician and songwriter is a Kearney native.

When he performed the song for the Colorado lawmakers on Monday, Salestrom kept the memory of the late songwriter close to him. And he worried about remembering the words.

"I said a little prayer hoping I wouldn’t forget the words," Salestrom said.

The 1972 song celebrates the mountains and grandeur of the state.

"It was just the biggest honor," Salestrom said."They had been working on the bill for a number of years. We watched them create the final stages of passing the bill. And then we watched them pass the vote."

The voting was colorful and lighthearted but yet very emotional, Salestrom recalled. Those in favor of passing the measure were urged to sing "Rocky Mountain High."

"One of the ladies, Nancy Todd, brought her copy of the ‘Rocky Mountain High’ album," Salestrom said. "She held it up and said, ‘I know that many of you think I’m a lot younger but I do remember vinyl, and this is what a vinyl record looks like."

Salestrom said before singing the song he paused and looked at his wife, Pam, and had "a little emotional breakdown."

The privilege of performing the song was not lost on Salestrom, who was a backup singer for Denver.

"Colorado is filled with transplants," he said. "I didn’t feel any different getting to sing that song. A lot of people moved to Colorado because of ‘Rocky Mountain High.’ And John Denver was somebody we admired and loved."

Salestrom noted how a state song can help define why people fall in love with a certain state.

"A state song is there to sum up everyone’s feeling as to why they’re there," he said. "It also helps inspire and make people proud. It helps people feel connected."

"I’m working on a new song for Nebraska right now," Salestrom said.

He had heard about the proposal for creating a new state song in the Cornhusker state.

"The old one is not bad," he said. "There’s nothing wrong with ‘Beautiful Nebraska’ except it might be a little dated. My home is always going to be Nebraska, and I’m very proud of that."