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. It was featured on Denver's 1975 album Windsong.
| "Calypso" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by John Denver | ||||
| from the album Windsong | ||||
| A-side | "I'm Sorry" | |||
| B-side | "Calypso" | |||
| Released | July 1975 | |||
| Genre | Folk, country, soundscape | |||
| Length | 3:36 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriter(s) | John Denver | |||
| Producer(s) | Milt Okun | |||
| John Denver singles chronology | ||||
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Released as the B-side of "I'm Sorry", "Calypso" received substantial airplay, enabling it to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. 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, starting the week ending October 11, 1975. Hence, "Calypso" is itself considered a #2 hit on the Hot 100.
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 impersonating the sounds of the oceans and seas.