"Caroline" is a 1992
hip hop and
ragga
Raggamuffin music, usually abbreviated as ragga, is a subgenre of dancehall and reggae music. The instrumentals primarily consist of electronic music. Similar to hip hop, sampling often serves a prominent role in raggamuffin music.
Wayne Sm ...
song recorded by French rapper
MC Solaar
Claude M'Barali, professionally known as MC Solaar (; born 5 March 1969), is a French rapper of Senegalese and Chadian origin. He is one of France's most famous and influential hip hop artists. Some consider him the best French rapper of all ...
. Written by Solaar with a music composed by Jimmy Jay, it was the third
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
from his debut studio album ''
Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo
''Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo'' is the debut studio album by French rapper MC Solaar. The album title is a pun on the French version of the Biblical proverb "'" (he who sows the wind reaps the whirlwind, Hosea 8:7). It was released in 1 ...
'', on which it appears as the tenth track, and was released in April 1992. It achieved success in France where it was a top five hit and helped Solaar to launch his own musical style.
Lyrics and music
In "Caroline" the rapper reflects on a love story that ended badly, though the reasons that led to the split remain unknown. The lyrics contain many
pun
A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...
s, most notably referring to the four
playing card suit
In playing cards, a suit is one of the categories into which the cards of a deck are divided. Most often, each card bears one of several pips (symbols) showing to which suit it belongs; the suit may alternatively or additionally be indicated by ...
s in the chorus. Lyrically, Solaar describes the various steps of the relationship and their associated feelings, including love, hate and regrets. A slow rhythm was chosen to fit the reflective theme of the ill-fated love story. About Caroline's identity, Solaar first told producer Jimmy Jay that she was an imaginary girl, but was never really clear about it; Jay thinks she was a real woman whom Solaar secretly fell in love with, but was unable to win over.
Retrospectively, Solaar said he wonders how he could have written things that were "a little mature" and "well written" like "Caroline"'s lyrics, as at the time he was only "a teenager who wrote what he wanted for the world". Musically, it used a sample from
Southside Movement
The Southside Movement was an American Soul music, soul and funk musical group from Chicago, Illinois. Composed of vocalist Melvin Moore, guitarist Bobby Pointer (June 19, 1945 - December 26, 2016), keyboardist Morris Beeks, bassist Ronald Simmons, ...
's 1974 song "Save the World". The recording took place in a large studio in the
Opera Bastille
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...
, accompanied by four violinists from its orchestra, and Jay rented for the occasion the first synthesizer used by
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
.
Critical reception
"Caroline" marked a turn in Solaar's career as well as in the French rap industry as the song managed to create a new style. In 2002, Elia Habib describes "Caroline" as "an ode to the city, a moving work transfiguring the everyday environment in inventive, modern and expressive love terminology", uses puns like those of
Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, actor, author and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provoca ...
and displays a "linguistic erudition reminiscent of
Raymond Devos
Raymond Devos (; 9 November 1922 – 15 June 2006) was a Belgian-French humorist, stand-up comedian and clown. He is best known for his sophisticated puns and surreal humour.
Early life
Devos was born in Mouscron, Belgium, close to the Frenc ...
". In 2021, French newspaper ''
Liberation
Liberation or liberate may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War
* "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode
* "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode
Gaming
* '' Liberati ...
'' speaks of a "masterfully chiseled text", and of music that "twists with delight and languor around a subtly vaporous electronic construction that quite closely resembles it to nascent trip hop". However, the love theme has been criticized by other rappers including
Joey Starr who saw it as a distortion of rap.
Cover versions
In 1998, Solaar recorded a live version of "Caroline", which was included on his album ''
Le Tour de la Question'' and released as a charting single in France and Belgium (Wallonia). In 2014, French duo
Frero Delavega recorded their own version of the song, which peaked at number 107 on the French singles chart. In 2017, French singer
Vianney covered "Caroline" accompanied with his guitar only in the French TV show "Les copains d'abord chantent l'été"; this version was recorded live at the Studios Saint-Germain and included on his 2018 album ''Le Concert de Vianney'', and charted on the Ultratip Chart of Wallonia. There is also a live duet version with MC Solaar. This cover was deemed by
RTL "an inhabited version", and by Charles Decant of
Ozap "a very personal version". In 2020,
Black M
Alpha Diallo (born 27 December 1984), better known by his stage name Black M (originally Black Mesrimes), is a French rapper, singer, songwriter and member of the Sexion d'Assaut group.
In 2014, he released his first solo album, entitled '' Les ...
covered the song live accompanied by 300 choristers for a French TV show broadcast on
France 3
France 3 () is a French free-to-air public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5 and France Info.
It is made up of a network of regional television services providing ...
, and ''Voltage'' called it "a breathtaking performance".
Chart performance
In France, "Caroline" debuted at number 20 on the chart edition of 2 May 1992, which was the highest debut that week; it remained at this position for three weeks, then climbed and reached a peak of number four in its 13th week. It remained for 22 weeks in the top 50, 12 of them in the top 20. A live version was released in 1998 and entered the chart for seven weeks, with a peak at number 59.
In Belgium (Wallonia), the live version charted for eight weeks in 1999, with a peak at number 31 the last week.
On the
European Hot 100
The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and '' Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...
, the original version started at number 90 on 30 May 1992, reached a peak of number 25 in its 11th week and fell off the chart after 18 weeks of presence.
Track listings
1992 studio version
* CD single
[, CD single France (MC Solaar – "Caroline") (accessdate: 26 September 2021).]
# "Caroline" — 4:43
# "La Devise" — 3:39
* 7" single
[, 7" single France (MC Solaar – "Caroline") (accessdate: 26 September 2021).]
# "Caroline" — 4:43
# "La Devise" — 3:39
* CD maxi
[, CD maxi France (MC Solaar – "Caroline") (accessdate: 26 September 2021).]
# "Caroline" — 4:43
# "La Devise" — 3:39
# "Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo" (funkydelic mix) — 3:26
* 12" maxi
[, 12" maxi France (MC Solaar – "Caroline") (accessdate: 26 September 2021).]
# "Caroline" — 4:43
# "La Devise" — 3:39
# "Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo" (funkydelic mix) — 3:26
* 12" maxi - Remixes
[, 12" maxi remixes France (MC Solaar – "Caroline") (accessdate: 26 September 2021).]
# "Caroline" (aeroplane mix) — 6:20
# "Caroline"(powerfuzz mix) — 5:36
* CD maxi - Remixes
[, CD maxi remixes France (MC Solaar – "Caroline") (accessdate: 26 September 2021).]
# "Caroline" (edit) — 4:05
# "Caroline" (aeroplane mix) — 6:20
# "Caroline"(powerfuzz mix) — 5:36
* Cassette
[, Cassette France (MC Solaar – "Caroline") (accessdate: 26 September 2021).]
# "Caroline" — 4:43
# "La Devise" — 3:39
1998 live version
* CD single
[, CD single France (MC Solaar – "Caroline") (accessdate: 26 September 2021).]
# "Caroline" — 5:12
# "Victime de la mode" — 2:51
# "Les Boys bandent" — 3:23
Personnel
* Design — Alain Frappier
* Photography — Philippe Bordas
* Producer — Pigale Boom Bass, Jimmy Jay
Charts
; Studio version
; Live version
Release history
References
{{MC Solaar
1991 songs
1992 singles
MC Solaar songs
Live singles