Calypso (song)

"Calypso" is a song written by John Denver in 1975 as a tribute to Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his research ship, the Calypso.^[1] The song was featured on Denver's 1975 album Windsong.

Released as the B-side of "I'm Sorry", "Calypso" received substantial airplay, enabling it to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.^[2] After "I'm Sorry" fell out of the #1 position, "Calypso" began receiving more airplay than "I'm Sorry," thus causing Billboard to list "Calypso" as the new A-side.^[1] Hence, "Calypso" is itself considered a #2 hit on the Hot 100.^[3]

John Denver was a close friend of Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Calypso was the name of Jacques Cousteau's research boat that sailed around the world for ocean conservation.

In popular culture

A filk song exists in Star Trek fandom (and has been quoted in Chapter 8 of Diane Duane's Star Trek novel The Wounded Sky), based on John Denver's "Calypso," but adapted to the voyages of the Enterprise: "To sail on a dream in the sun-fretted darkness, to soar through the starlight unfrightened alone...."

Additionally, Tom Smith wrote parody lyrics for the song, which he titled "Callisto," referring to a sexual desire for Callisto, originally a villainess in the TV show Xena: Warrior Princess and then one of Xena's enemies.^[4] After Callisto was redeemed in the Xena stories, he wrote an extra verse and a variation on the refrain that attacked her for having stopped being evil.

In the episode titled "Molly's Out of Town" of Mike & Molly some of the characters sing "Calypso" while they are on the roof of a house.

Chart performance

Chart (1975)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	2
Dutch Top 40	2
New Zealand Singles Chart	5
Canadian RPM Top Singles	29

References

1 2 Bronson, Fred (1997-11-01). "'Candle' Finds Itself B-Side 'Something'". Billboard. p. 110. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
↑ Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits (5th ed.). Random House Digital. p. 417. ISBN 0-8230-7677-6.
↑ Whitburn, Joel (2010). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (rev. & expanded 9th ed.). New York: Billboard Books. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-8230-8554-5.
↑ "Tom Smith Online - Lyrics: Callisto".

John Denver

Studio albums	John Denver Sings Rhymes & Reasons Take Me to Tomorrow Whose Garden Was This Poems, Prayers & Promises Aerie Rocky Mountain High Farewell Andromeda Back Home Again Windsong Spirit I Want to Live John Denver Autograph Some Days Are Diamonds Seasons of the Heart It's About Time Dreamland Express One World Higher Ground Earth Songs The Flower That Shattered the Stone Different Directions All Aboard! Love Again

Live albums	An Evening with John Denver Christmas in Concert

Specialty albums	Rocky Mountain Christmas A Christmas Together Rocky Mountain Holiday Christmas, Like a Lullaby Forever, John

Compilation albums	John Denver's Greatest Hits John Denver's Greatest Hits, Volume 2 John Denver's Greatest Hits, Volume 3 The Very Best of John Denver John Denver: A Portrait The John Denver Collection Something to Sing About 16 Biggest Hits

Tribute albums	The Music Is You: A Tribute to John Denver

Singles	"Take Me Home, Country Roads" "Rocky Mountain High" "Sunshine on My Shoulders" "Annie's Song" "Back Home Again" "Sweet Surrender" "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" "I'm Sorry" "Calypso" "Fly Away" "Looking for Space" "Like a Sad Song" "Some Days Are Diamonds (Some Days Are Stone)" "The Cowboy and the Lady" "Perhaps Love" "Shanghai Breezes" "Dreamland Express" "And So It Goes"

Related articles	Discography Filmography Perhaps Love "Leaving on a Jet Plane"

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