"Caroline" is a 1992 hip hop and

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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

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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

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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 ''

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'' 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