Oh Carolina

"Oh Carolina" is a 1958 song by John Folkes released by the Folkes Brothers in 1960 and by Shaggy in 1993.

Folkes Brothers version
"Oh Carolina"
Single by Folkes Brothers
B-side"I Met a Man"
Released1960
Recorded1960, RJR Studios, Kingston
GenreSka
LabelBuster Wild Bells
Songwriter(s)John Folkes
Producer(s)Prince Buster

The original version of the song was recorded by Jamaican vocal trio the Folkes Brothers (John, Mico, and Junior Folkes), and was produced by Prince Buster at RJR studios in Kingston.[1] The song was written by John Folkes in 1958 about his girlfriend (who was actually named Noelena).[2] The group had met Buster while auditioning at Duke Reid's liquor store and Buster decided that he wanted to record the song.[3] According to the brothers, Buster paid them £60 for the recording (Buster claims £100).[2]

Buster travelled to the Wareika Hills to find a Niyabinghi group to play on a recording session, and brought Count Ossie and his group of drummers (Count Ossie's Afro-Combo) back to the studio, where they played on "Oh Carolina".[1] "Oh Carolina" was a landmark single in the development of Jamaican modern music (ska, rocksteady and reggae) specially for the incorporation of African-influenced Niyabinghi-style drumming and chanting, and for the exposure it gave to the Rastas, who at the time were marginalised in Jamaican society.[2][4] The track's piano riff was performed by Owen Gray.[3] The single was licensed to Blue Beat Records for release in the UK in 1961.[2]

The two tracks on the single (The B-side was "I Met a Man") were the only songs recorded by The Folkes Brothers as a trio.[3] Mico and Junior Folkes re-recorded the song without John for the 2011 album Don't Leave Me Darling, the first release credited to the Folkes Brothers since the early 1960s.[2] "Oh Carolina" was later reissued on the Prince Buster label. The song was also recorded in 1973 by Count Ossie, on his album Grounation, and in 1975 by Junior Byles.

Track listing

Original release

A: "Oh Carolina"
B: "I Met a Man"

Prince Buster label reissue

A: "Oh Carolina"
B: "Chubby" – Prince Buster and the All Stars

Other releases

"Oh Carolina" was also issued as the B-side to Prince Buster's "Madness" on a 1961 single on the Fab label, and was included on a 1978 12-inch single of "Big Five".

Shaggy version
"Oh Carolina"
Single by Shaggy
from the album Pure Pleasure
B-side"Bow Wow Wow"
ReleasedFebruary 1, 1993 (1993-02-01)[5]
Recorded1992
Genre
Length3:50
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Shaun Pizzonia
Shaggy singles chronology
"Oh Carolina"
(1993)		 "Nice and Lovely"
(1993)

"Oh Carolina" was recorded by Jamaican musician Shaggy and released as the lead single from his 1993 debut album, Pure Pleasure. Produced by Sting International, it became an international hit. In the United Kingdom, it became the first of Shaggy's four chart-topping singles, spending two weeks at the summit of the UK Singles Chart in March 1993. The song fared less well in the United States, peaking at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song received major crossover airplay on American alternative rock radio, and as a result the song peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Shaggy's version also appeared on the soundtrack of the 1993 film Sliver.

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Alex Henderson described the song as an "infectious interpretation" in his review of the Pure Pleasure album.[6] Larry Flick from Billboard commented, "Gruff toasting and chanting are balanced by a clanging shuffle-beat." He added that it is "poised for instant pop radio success".[7] Chuck Eddy from Entertainment Weekly called it "joyous", noting "the lusty humor" of the song.[8] Tom Ewing from Freaky Trigger stated that Shaggy's take on the song "acknowledges its debt to the past right away – sampling the intro from the Folkes Brothers' 1960 original. Not just a nod of respect, it's a canny move, as the crackling, wheezing shanty-town piano sounded like nothing else on 1993 radio, giving "Oh Carolina" instant cut-through."[9] Dave Sholin from Gavin Report called it "an exciting original creation which can't help but bring excitement to radio."[10] Christina Pazzanese from Vibe wrote that "with its familiar, brassy Peter Gunn riff and goofy singalong lyrics, it's an instant favourite with even the most unwavering of dancehall-haters and seems destined to be the music's next breakthrough American smash."[11]

United Kingdom

7-inch vinyl / cassette

  1. "Oh Carolina" (Radio Version) – 3:12
  2. "Oh Carolina" (Raas Bumba Claat Version) – 3:50

12-inch vinyl

  1. "Oh Carolina" (Radio Version) – 3:12
  2. "Oh Carolina" (Raas Bumba Claat Version) – 3:50
  3. "Rivers of Babylon" (featuring Rayvon) – 4:03

CD single

  1. "Oh Carolina" (Radio Version) – 3:12
  2. "Oh Carolina" (Raas Bumba Claat Version) – 3:50
  3. "Oh Carolina" (Uptown 10001 Version) – 3:18
  4. "Bow Wow Wow" – 3:41

United States

CD single

  1. "Oh Carolina" – 3:53
  2. "Oh Carolina" (12" Flastbush Mix) – 3:06

Maxi-CD

  1. "Oh Carolina" (Hip Hop Remix) – 4:29
  2. "Oh Carolina" (Instrumental) – 3:48
  3. "Oh Carolina" (Silver Version) – 3:04
  4. "Oh Carolina" (Gangster Mix) – 4:29
  5. "Oh Carolina" (Bonus Beats) – 2:04

7-inch vinyl

  1. "Oh Carolina" – 3:53
  2. "Love Me Up" – 3:51

12-inch vinyl

  1. "Oh Carolina" (Radio Version) – 3:12
  2. "Oh Carolina" (Raas Bumba Claat Version) – 3:50
  3. "Oh Carolina" (12" Flastbush Mix) – 3:06
  4. "Love Me Up" (Dancehall Mix) – 3:51
  5. "Love Me Up" (Hip Hop Mix) – 3:51
  6. "Love Me Up" ("Up" Version) – 3:59

Charts and sales

Dispute over authorship

Following the success of Shaggy's version, John Folkes was involved in a legal dispute with Prince Buster over the authorship. As was common with Jamaican releases of the era, the song was credited on the label to the producer, in this case "C. Campbell" aka Prince Buster, and Buster claimed that he had written the song about a former girlfriend.[2] Folkes' claim was upheld in the UK High Court in 1994.[2]

Other cover versions

The Jamaican ska and reggae trombonist Rico Rodriguez recorded an instrumental version entitled "Carolina" as a B-side to his 1980 single, "Sea Cruise".[47]

In 1993, Vic Sotto, Francis Magalona, Richie D'Horsie and Michael V. covered a Tagalog parody version of the same song from the movie Ano Ba Yan? 2.[48]

Jamaican artist Yellowman created a popular cover version on his 1994 album Prayer

In February 1995, South Korean pop-group Roo'ra released a Korean version, with the title "날개 잃은 천사" ("Nalgae irun chunsa"; "Angels that lost their wings").[49]

References
  1. Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-655-6, p. 197, 328
  2. Alleyne, Mike (2012) The Encyclopedia of Reggae, Sterling, ISBN 978-1-4027-8583-2, p. 84
  3. Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) The Rough Guide to Reggae, Rough Guides, ISBN 1-84353-329-4, p. 23
  4. Jason Toynbee, Bob Marley, Polity Press, 2007, pp. 121-22.
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  6. "Shaggy - Pure Pleasure". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  7. Flick, Larry (3 July 1993). "Single Reviews: New & Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard. p. 66. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  8. Eddy, Chuck (4 August 1995). "Boombastic". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  9. "SHAGGY – "Oh Carolina"". Freaky Trigger. 30 January 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  10. Sholin, Dave (16 July 1993). "Gavin Picks: Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 62. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  11. "Shaggy - Pure Pleasure". Vibe. 1 October 1993. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
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  16. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 2180." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  17. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 26. 26 June 1993. p. 28. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  18. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 18. 1 May 1993. p. 23. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  19. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
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  21. "Offiziellecharts.de – Shaggy – Oh Carolina". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  22. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 18. 1 May 1993. p. 24. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  23. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Oh Carolina". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
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  26. "Charts.nz – Shaggy – Oh Carolina". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  27. "Norwegiancharts.com – Shaggy – Oh Carolina". VG-lista. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
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  33. "Shaggy Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
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  45. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Shaggy; 'Oh Carolina')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  46. "New Zealand single certifications – Shaggy – Oh Carolina". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  47. "RICO RODRIGUEZ - SEA CRUISE - CAROLINA". YouTube. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  48. "CAROLINA - Vic Sotto, Richie D' Horsie, Francis M. & Michael V." YouTube. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  49. 룰라 ("Roo'ra") (in Korean)
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