Calypso (song)

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“Calypso”
“Calypso” cover
Single by John Denver
from the album Windsong
Released 1975
Format vinyl record
Genre singer/songwriter
Length 3:36
Label RCA
Writer(s) John Denver
Producer Milt Okun
John Denver singles chronology
"Please, Daddy"
(1974)
"Calypso"
(1975)
"Christmas For Cowboys"
(1975)

"Calypso" is a song written by John Denver in 1975 as a tribute to Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his research ship Calypso. The 45 rpm single (backed with the song "I'm Sorry") reached the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week ending September 27, 1975. The song was featured on Denver's 1975 album Windsong.

John Denver was a close friend of Jacques Yves Cousteau, and wrote another song about him but died shortly before the song was planned to be recorded. Calypso is the name of Jacques Cousteau's famous research boat that sailed around the world for oceanic conservation, but sunken shortly before Cousteau died.

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. . . ."

Preceded by
"Fame" by David Bowie
Billboard Hot 100 number one single
September 27, 1975
Succeeded by
"Bad Blood" by Neil Sedaka