Digital Calypso

Digital Calypso
Unofficial artwork
General Information
Title	Digital Calypso
Written	2021
Recorded	2021
Released	14 Jan 2025 (leak)
Album	Book 1
Type	Demo
Length	2:23
Key + BPM	D minor • 122
Credits
Artist	Grimes
Writer(s)	Grimes
Producer(s)	Grimes

Digital Calypso is an unreleased song by Grimes, intended for her scrapped sixth album, Book 1.

Background

On December 14, 2021, the song was teased in a since-deleted TikTok video.

On May 8, 2023, Grimes confirmed that the song would be released in a Twitter reply.

On May 31, 2023, the song was included in a quickly deleted Book 1 tracklist.

On January 14, 2025, the full demo, along with other demos, was leaked.

Grimes gave an explanation as to why she didn't want to release the song:

❝ I don't want to release 4 year old music after going thru everything I've been thru. I do apologize rrrrllly sincerely tho. I shud do a better apology frankly - I agree. but it would be a waste of by far the best art I've ever made to shut this down and go release ancient material that is like a pale first attempt at an idea that subsequently took four years to become the darkest wisest storm ❞

❝ Some of these r just bedroom me in like an hour that's part of why im like yrggggg ❞

Composition

Meaning

The song is a reference to the epic poem Odyssey by the Greek poet Homer (and Greek mythology at large), where in it, a hero traveler by the name of Odysseus travels back home from the Trojan war and throughout his journey encounters various events and dieties, particularly, in regards to this song, the nymph Calypso, who offered Odysseus to stay with her on her island Ogygia in return for her love and immortality, but he refused and continued heading home. Hades and Persephone, on the other hand, are the God of the Underworld and the daughter of Zeus and Demeter respectively. Hades abducted Persephone to make her the queen of his realm, which consequently created yearly seasons, where in spring Persephone lives on Earth, and in Autumn is in the underworld, which is the place where dead people live.

Media

Video	Credits
	Title	Digital Calypso
	Premiere	14 Dec 2021
	Length	0:49
	Filmed by	Grimes
	Notes	The text on screen reads: Wrote, produced, engineered this new song and it gives me 🤍🤍 Been reading the Odyssey, wanna name my eventual daughter Odysseus, can't tell if that's crazy haha Been making an album with other musicians for the first time and it's nice to remind myself I can do it by myself Literally supposed to be promoting player of games but feelin this one I think ima retire from music, let it be my hobby, start doing tech schemes, get back indie ASAP and released everything I want whenever 🤍🤍

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Lay down
Take everything you wanderer of the sea
Lay down
I could be your Hades and you could be my Persephone

[Pre-Chorus]
Why would you leave wanderer?
Infinite life
That's what I could give you
Your immortal wife

[Chorus]
Ha-oh oh
Now you see the sorrow of Calypso
Ha-oh oh
Stay these years, I adore you, baby

[Verse 2]
Lay down
Stay with me and live forever, baby
Lay down
What's the question, let me answer, I see, ah

[Pre-Chorus]
Why would you leave wanderer?
Infinite life
That's what I could give you
Your immortal wife

[Chorus]
Ha-oh oh
Now you see the sorrow of Calypso
Ha-oh oh
Stay these years, I adore you, baby

Ha-oh oh
Now you see the sorrow of Calypso
Ha-oh oh
Stay these years, I adore you, baby

[Outro]