By Randal C. Hill
After creating musical odes to America’s natural wonders, John Denver selected a new subject for his final million-selling RCA Records release; “Calypso,” though, came about only after a long personal struggle for the singing poet.
Jacques Cousteau inspired an entire generation to take an interest in the world’s oceans. As a youngster, a near-fatal car wreck left him with two broken arms. For his rehabilitation, Jacques swam in the Mediterranean Sea—and quickly became fascinated with all things “ocean.” He later co-invented the Aqua-Lung, in use to this day in SCUBA diving.
Cousteau acquired a mothballed British minesweeper, which he named the Calypso and established as a floating research laboratory and movie studio.
Denver met Cousteau in Belize and was so impressed with what he saw that, on the spot, John felt inspired to write “Calypso.” He picked up his acoustic guitar and quickly created the rousing chorus:
Aye, Calypso, the places you’ve been to
The things that you’ve shown us, the stories you tell
Aye, Calypso, I sing to your spirit
The men who have served you so long and so well
Then, nothing. Somehow, the words simply stopped flowing. Discouraged and embarrassed, Denver returned home to Colorado and spent sleepless nights trying to conjure the words that he sought. He always drew a blank.
Strangely, the remaining lyrics came to him while he was skiing near his Aspen home. While on the slopes, John felt an electric-like “zap” that demanded his return to his mountain home to bring the rest of “Calypso” to a proper finish. The remaining words flowed easily to him as he drove 25 minutes to his house, and by the time John pulled into the driveway, the uplifting lyrics were in place.
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To sail on a dream on a crystal-clear ocean
To ride on the crest of the wild raging storm
To work in the service of life and the living
In search of the answers to questions unknown
To be part of the movement and part of the growing
Part of beginning to understand
Denver later declared, “It’s one of the best songs I’ve ever written,” and he often closed later concerts with “Calypso.”
