"Oh Carolina" is a 1958 song by the Folkes Brothers, produced by Prince Buster and released in 1960, after which it became an early ska hit. It was covered by many various artists, including Shaggy in 1993.
"Oh Carolina" | |
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Single by Folkes Brothers | |
B-side | "I Met a Man" |
Released | 1960 |
Recorded | 1960 |
Studio | RJR (Kingston) |
Genre | Ska |
Label | Buster 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 he paid £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.
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".
"Oh Carolina" | ||||
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Single by Shaggy | ||||
from the album Pure Pleasure and Sliver: Music from the Motion Picture | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 25 January 1993 | |||
Genre | Reggae [5] | |||
Length | 3:11 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Shaun Pizzonia | |||
Shaggy singles chronology | ||||
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"Oh Carolina" was covered by Jamaican musician Shaggy and released in January 1993 by Virgin and Greensleeves as the lead single from his debut album, Pure Pleasure (1993). Produced by Shaun Pizzonia, it became an international hit following its use in the 1993 film Sliver , starring Sharon Stone. [5] 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. The song's success returned reggae music to mainstream popularity in the UK. [5] The accompanying music video for "Oh Carolina" received heavy rotation on MTV Europe. [6]
AllMusic editor Alex Henderson described the song as an "infectious interpretation". [7] Larry Flick from Billboard felt that "gruff toasting and chanting are balanced by a clanging shuffle-beat." He added that it is "poised for instant pop radio success". [8] Chuck Eddy from Entertainment Weekly called it "joyous", noting the "lusty humor". [9] Tom Ewing of 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." [10] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report viewed it as "an exciting original creation which can't help but bring excitement to radio." [11] James Masterton wrote in his weekly UK chart commentary, "If there is a dance craze at the moment it certainly has to be this 'dancehall' style of ragga". [12] James Hamilton from Music Week's RM Dance Update described it as a "gruff ragga revamp" and "catchy". [13]
Seamus Quinn from NME wrote, "Ragga Sleaze to please that could have only come from the States. Musically it's almost rockabilly ragga with Motown snippets and weird boogie time themes. If this wasn't bizarre enough, the lyrical content gets this week's Roger Mellie award for sheer rudeness. Not one for the Student Unions of this world, I fear, but this is genuine out-of-order humour with a compelling hook. Just nod yer head and grin." [14] Al Weisel from Rolling Stone remarked that featuring "the hard-hitting rhythms and relentless vocals of dance hall, "Oh Carolina" also harked back to the joyousness and soul that characterized the pre-Rastafarian Jamaican music of the '60s: a sense of fun that's been lost to some extent amid the sexism and violence glorified in a lot of dance hall." [15] Charles Aaron from Spin wrote, "His voice a flu-season growl, 24-year-old Shaggy comes off like a bewildered Studio One relic who wandered into a dancehall booby trap of pings, dings, and rattles. J. Raff Allen produces like a Spike Jones fan." [16] Christina Pazzanese from Vibe constated 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." [17]
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Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) [53] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Germany (BVMI) [65] | Gold | 250,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [66] | Gold | 5,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI) [67] | Gold | 400,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 25 January 1993 | 12-inch vinyl | Greensleeves | [68] |
8 February 1993 |
| [69] | ||
Japan | 28 July 1993 | CD | Virgin | [70] |
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]
The Jamaican ska and reggae trombonist Rico Rodriguez recorded an instrumental version entitled "Carolina" as a B-side to his 1980 single, "Sea Cruise". [71]
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. [72]
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"). [73]
The Romanian-Romani band Taraf de Haïdouks included a cover titled "Carolina" featuring Kočani Orkestar on their album Band Of Gypsies. [74]
Cecil Bustamente Campbell, known professionally as Prince Buster, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer. The records he released in the 1960s influenced and shaped the course of Jamaican contemporary music and created a legacy of work that would be drawn upon later by reggae and ska artists.
The Folkes Brothers are a Jamaican group, composed of John Folkes, Mico Folkes, and Eric Joseph ("Junior") Folkes, and are the originators of the hit single "Oh Carolina".
Greensleeves Records & Publishing, shortened to Greensleeves Records, is a record label specializing in dancehall and reggae music. The company was founded by Chris Cracknell and Chris Sedgwick. Based in Britain, Greensleeves Records started as a small record store in West Ealing, London, in November 1975. The record label was founded in 1977, with early releases including albums by Augustus Pablo and Barrington Levy.
"Angel" is a song by Jamaican reggae artist Shaggy featuring additional vocals from Barbadian singer Rayvon. Sampling the 1973 song "The Joker" by American rock band Steve Miller Band and interpolating the 1967 song "Angel of the Morning" written by Chip Taylor, it was released to radio on 9 January 2001 as the follow-up to Shaggy's international number-one hit, "It Wasn't Me". "Angel" also proved to be successful, reaching number one in 12 countries, including Australia, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
"It Wasn't Me" is the first single from Jamaican-American reggae musician Shaggy's fifth studio album, Hot Shot (2000). The song features vocals from RikRok. The lyrics of the song depict one man asking his friend what to do after his girlfriend caught him cheating on her with "the girl next door". His friend/Shaggy's character's advice is to deny everything, despite clear evidence to the contrary, with the phrase "It wasn't me."
"Mysterious Girl" is the second overall single and third British single from singer-songwriter Peter Andre's second studio album, Natural (1996). It was written by Glen Goldsmith, Philip Jackson, Ollie Jacobs and Andre, and produced by Jacobs & Mubs. The song features guest vocals from Caribbean rapper Bubbler Ranx. It was first released as a single by Melodian Records in Australia on 14 August 1995 and was issued in the United Kingdom the same year, but it was not until a re-release in 1996 that the song became a commercial success there.
Pure Pleasure is the debut album released by Jamaican singer Shaggy. The album was released on July 30, 1993. The album spawned four singles: "Oh Carolina", which was a dancehall remake of a ska hit by the Folkes Brothers, reached number one on the UK Singles Chart; "Nice and Lovely", which reached number 46 on the UK Singles Chart; "Soon Be Done", which peaked at number 39, and "Big Up", which was released as the main theme from the movie Made in America.
"Carnaval de Paris" is a song by English electronic music trio Dario G. The song was recorded for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France and was released as a single on 18 May 1998 in Europe. The following month, the track was issued in the United Kingdom and peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart.
"Kingston Town" is a 1970 song by Lord Creator about Kingston, Jamaica, released as a single on producer Clancy Eccles' Clandisc label. It was also recorded in 1989 by reggae group UB40 and was released as the second single from their album Labour of Love II, reaching number four on the UK Singles Chart and number one in France and the Netherlands.
Clifford Smith, better known as Mr. Vegas, is a Jamaican dancehall singjay.
"Oh Baby I..." is a song by English girl group Eternal, written by Lotti Golden and Tommy Faragher. It was the fifth single released from their debut album, Always & Forever (1993), in October 1994 by EMI and 1st Avenue. The song entered the UK Singles Chart at number seven on October 30th, climbing to its peak of number four a week later. The single spent 10 weeks in the top 40, which up to this point was their longest chart run, and was certified Silver by the BPI on 1 January 1995 for shipments over 200,000. The song also reached the top 10 in the Netherlands and narrowly missed the top 10 in Ireland and New Zealand, charting at number 11 in both countries. The music video for "Oh Baby I..." was directed by British director and editor Tim Royes.
"Boombastic" or "Mr. Boombastic" is a song by Jamaican musical artist Shaggy, released in May 1995 by Virgin Records as the second single from his third studio album, Boombastic (1995). The song was both produced and co-written by Shaggy. After being used in an ad for Levi's, it achieved commercial success in many countries, including Ireland, UK, Sweden, New Zealand, and Australia, where it topped the singles charts. It spent a week at number one on both the US Billboard R&B chart and the UK Singles Chart. It also reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. The track contains a sample from King Floyd song "Baby Let Me Kiss You". A remix featuring Sting International, which features a sample of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On", was released in January 1996. The latter is featured on some versions of the Boombastic album as a bonus track.
"Me Julie" is a single released by Ali G and Jamaican musician Shaggy from the soundtrack to the 2002 film Ali G Indahouse. The single was written in reference to the main character Ali G's love interest in the film, Julie, played by Kellie Bright. "Me Julie" peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and sold 200,000 copies in the United Kingdom, as stated by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
Orville Richard Burrell, better known by his stage name Shaggy, is a Jamaican-born reggae musician, singer and deejay who scored hits with the songs "It Wasn't Me", "Boombastic", "In the Summertime", "Oh Carolina", and "Angel". He has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards, winning twice for Best Reggae Album with Boombastic in 1996 and 44/876 with Sting in 2019, and has won the Brit Award for International Male Solo Artist in 2002.
"You Don't Love Me " is a song by Jamaican recording artist Dawn Penn, released in February 1994 by Big Beat as the first single from her first studio album, No, No, No (1994). The song's lyrics are credited to Penn, Bo Diddley and Willie Cobbs, and production was handled by Steely & Clevie.
"Turn Your Lights Down Low" is a song by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers from their 1977 album, Exodus. It is the only song on side B of the album that was not released as a single. However, a remastered version featuring Lauryn Hill was released in 1999. The duet was commercially successful, peaking at number one on the UK R&B Chart while topping the charts in New Zealand and Romania. It received a nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 43rd Grammy Awards.
"Nice and Lovely" is a song by Jamaican reggae artist Shaggy, released as the second single from his debut studio album, Pure Pleasure (1993). The song was released on 25 June 1993, following the success of his debut single, "Oh Carolina". It was considered much of a step away from the simplicity of the first single, and as such, the release was surrounded by controversy. "Nice and Lovely" was only released in the United Kingdom, however, promotional copies of the single were issued in the United States. It peaked at No. 46 on the UK Singles Chart, forty-five places lower than "Oh Carolina".
"Soon Be Done" is a song by Jamaican reggae artist Shaggy, released in June 1993 by Virgin and Greensleeves Records as the third single from the artist's first studio album, Pure Pleasure (1993). The song peaked at #39 on the UK Singles Chart, six places higher than "Nice and Lovely". It was only released in the United Kingdom and Europe.
"That Girl" is a song by English reggae singer Maxi Priest featuring Jamaican reggae musician Shaggy. It was released on 10 June 1996 as the first single from Priest's sixth album, Man with the Fun (1996). The song samples the 1962 instrumental "Green Onions" by Booker T. & the M.G.'s. "That Girl" reached the top 20 in at least eight countries, including the United Kingdom, where it peaked at No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart. It also peaked at No. 3 on the Finnish Singles Chart, No. 4 on the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart, No. 7 on the Australian Singles Chart and No. 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"Why You Treat Me So Bad" is a song by Jamaican-American reggae musician Shaggy featuring American rapper and emcee Grand Puba. It was released in 1995 as the second single from his third studio album, Boombastic (1995), and contains elements from "Mr. Brown" by Bob Marley. It was a notable hit in several countries, including Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the UK, where it peaked at number 11.
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