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

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

Mac Powell of Third Day

Mac Powell of Third DaySongwriter Interviews

The Third Day frontman talks about some of the classic songs he wrote with the band, and what changed for his solo country album.

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"They're Playing My Song

It wasn't her biggest hit as a songwriter (that would be "Bette Davis Eyes"), but "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" had a family connection for Jackie.

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Stan Ridgway

Stan RidgwaySongwriter Interviews

Go beyond the Wall of Voodoo with this cinematic songwriter.

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin Popoff

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin PopoffSong Writing

A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.