Caroline

Album: Good For You (2016)
Charted: 11
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The breakthrough song for Portland rapper Adam "Aminé" Daniel, this tribute to the perfect girl was influenced by an Outkast track. "The first time I heard the name 'Caroline' was in OutKast's 'Roses,' so that was definitely an influence on me in general," he told Genius. "But I wrote this song with the intentions of hopefully making a modern day 'Billie Jean.'"
  • Aminé croons the hook. He said: "(Kanye West's) 808s & Heartbreak made me realize I could rap and sing if I wanted to, thank you Yeezus. But I really got into singing when I started listening to Erykah Badu more. Her voice and cadence is just so far out there. 'Out My Mind, Just In Time ' specifically left an imprint on my imagination."
  • Let's get gory, like a Tarantino movie

    In the Quentin Tarantino-referencing video Aminé sports a Pulp Fiction shirt to pay homage to the movie director. Aminé said:

    "Tarantino is just one of those guys who's in his own lane, which I admire immensely. I don't really have a favorite because I really like him and the art he creates. Almost like Andre, I can't really give you my favorite OutKast song, I just really love the artist and the mind that creates the art. But I do have to say, Django took a lot of balls and risk, culturally, which I appreciated very much."
  • Caroline is frequently used as a titular name. Other artists that have recorded Caroline-monikered songs include The Beach Boys, Kaiser Chiefs, Neil Diamond, Status Quo, Alexis Babini, Brandi Carlile, Noah Gundersen and Kellie Pickler.
  • When Aminé the song on the November 15, 2016 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, he added a new verse directed at president elect Donald Trump: "You can never make America great again," he sang. "All you ever did was make this country hate again."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Christmas Songs

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.

Dean Pitchford

Dean PitchfordSongwriter Interviews

Dean wrote the screenplay and lyrics to all the songs in Footloose. His other hits include "Fame" and "All The Man That I Need."

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Director Nick Morris ("The Final Countdown")

Director Nick Morris ("The Final Countdown")Song Writing

Nick made some of the biggest videos on MTV, including "The Final Countdown," "Heaven" and "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)."

Steve Morse of Deep Purple

Steve Morse of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple's guitarist since 1994, Steve talks about writing songs with the band and how he puts his own spin on "Smoke On The Water."

Movie Stars In Music Videos

Movie Stars In Music VideosSong Writing

Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Mila Kunis and John Malkovich are just a few of the film stars who have moonlighted in music videos.