Calypso (John Denver song)

"Calypso" is a song written by John Denver in 1975 as a tribute to Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his research ship, the Calypso.<ref name="Billboard 1997" /> It 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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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,<ref name="Billboard 1997">Template:Cite magazine</ref> starting the week ending October 11, 1975.<ref>However, on the November 1, 1975 edition of "American Top 40", Casey Kasem reported that "Calypso" had been at #2 for five weeks, whereas by that week the total weeks at #2 was only four. Apparently Kasem had confused the number of weeks that "Calypso" had been at #2, namely, four weeks, with how long it had been since "I'm Sorry" dropped from #1, namely, five weeks.</ref> Hence, "Calypso" is itself considered a #2 hit on the Hot 100.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

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

This song features the sounds of ship bells, which is heard in the instrumental introductions before both two verses, in which Milton Okun's orchestral arrangement, featuring strings and winds, are heard mimicking the sounds of the oceans and seas.

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 one of Xena's enemies.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Charts

Weekly charts

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Chart (1975–1976)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref name="aus75"/>	7

Year-end charts

Chart (1975)	Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)<ref name="aus75">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	60
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	65
Netherlands (Single Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	76

Chart (1976)	Position
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	74

All-time charts

Chart (1958–2018)	Position
US Billboard Hot 100<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	242

References

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