Love and loss, sex and skullduggery, conquests, failures, foibles – these are the elements of calypso, the stories in song that personify the islands of the West Indies. Calypso’s origins and rhythms are African, but somewhere along the way they were seduced by the innocence of the Caribbean. Originally a medium of communication among the poor, calypso stories were originally sung by the chantwell, a sort of town crier who provided information spiced with social commentary. Over the years, the commentary became the driving force, and the story-songs sought to entertain, amuse, and poke fun at everything from errant spouses to jaded northern tourists attempting to step out of their button-down world into the leisurely pace of the islands. These stories also seek to entertain, amuse, and poke fun, particularly at those of us who think we have a corner on reality.
