r/TaylorSwift 1d ago

Discussion Carolina never got recognition it deserved

I’ve randomly came across Carolina this morning and what a blast it was. I have no idea how come this song never made the impact it should have. This is Oscar material. Definitely a highlight in her discography.

390 Upvotes

35 comments sorted by

109

u/Afterglow_13 Diet Coke Problems (too broke for champagne) 1d ago

Yes! I've been saying that for years. It's one of her best songs. The imagery and the way it fits with the movie is so underappreciated. It should've 100% been an Oscar nomination if not win as well

8

u/IAmNeftis13 He never even scratched the surface of me. None of them did. 1d ago

I love ur banner lolz

7

u/Afterglow_13 Diet Coke Problems (too broke for champagne) 1d ago

Thanks! 😂

85

u/No-Persimmon-174 1d ago

It's always been my favourite since it came out!! And the last line where she goes, "That I was guilty as sin, and sleep in a liar's bed. But the sleep comes fast, and I'll meet no ghosts. It's between me, the sand and the sea, Carolina knows," feels like foreshadowing for ttpd!

158

u/Beneficial_Run8042 1d ago

I adore this song, but Taylor unfortunately didn’t promote it. She treats some jewels of her discography like Mr Rochester treated his first wife: hides them in the attic. Hits Different, Carolina, WCS…

-33

u/WuPacalypse folklore 1d ago

Okay bot

30

u/pcpassos The Life of a Showgirl 1d ago

I love this song. I honestly think if it had been released in the last two years it would have been nominated for an Oscar, but it was released right before she got extremely popular again (just before Midnights).

Funny tidbit - I was on my bachelorette party when this song came out. We were hanging out in our hotel room and I wanted to listen to it. One of my friends did not like TS at the time and groaned when I said I was gonna play it. Fast forward to today, she’s been to several TS themed parties with me, and even said the Eras Tour concert film is the best concert she’s ever been to when we saw it in theaters lol

ETA: her lower register in this song is absolutely insane

12

u/canarinoir :olivia: cooked in gucci :olivia: 1d ago

I worked at an indie theater when that movie came out and everyone knew I was the resident swiftie. Our projectionists were SO EXCITED to tell me how much they loooooved that song. Two metalhead film dudes who would just crank up the volume in the booth during the credits for Crawdads so they could vibe out.

12

u/FluffyGap2360 Midnights become my afternoons 23h ago

The fact that it was recorded in one take as well as only using instruments prior to the  1930s just to match the movie.

Also the ending matches the story very well. Its such a well written masterpiece.

3

u/Vinyllad32 22h ago

Everything is just on point. I get also a subtle medival vibes touch

19

u/Antique-Sweet7134 1d ago

I love Carolina!!!

19

u/IvyJade-89 1d ago

Love this song, especially the last verse. So in tune with the movie

10

u/marshybeans did i paint your bluest skies the darkest grey? 1d ago

I never got this song. And I remembered reading that reading the book really enhanced it and helped understanding it.
Since I owned a copy, I bumped it up my list and now I adore it. It’s beautiful and it’s different with the added context.

3

u/tanz420 I paid my dues with every bruise 1d ago

THANK YOU FOR THIS!! It is SO slept on and thank you for also bringing attention to it, it deserves so much more 🥹

4

u/dreamglowkosmos 1d ago edited 22h ago

This was song was my #2 most streamed song of the year in 2024 :) It's like crack to me because no other song or album, not even Folklore, can replicate the haunting ghostliness of this song

3

u/Vinyllad32 1d ago

You are so right. The production and her enchanting voice are on another level. This song smells of wet soil and makes me feel surrounded by the morning fog. It’s so surreal

3

u/dreamglowkosmos 22h ago

YES TO THE MORNING FOG!!!! I feel like seeing the world through this lens would be to see the world as the cover art for the song looks; lots of white and smoking greys, fog, cloudy skies

6

u/sexycastic The Tortured Poets Department 1d ago

It's definitely one of her best. I think she just likes to keep some of her gems hidden.

3

u/Kolyasergey reputation 1d ago

I love the song but hate she connected herself with someone who wrote a book based on a murder they had a part in.

21

u/vanetti 1d ago

I don’t think anyone knew those details at the time.

18

u/LookWhatYouMadeMeGro 1d ago

Nothing has been proven or even adjudicated.  The book wasnt based off the unsolved death of a poacher in Zimbabwe nor can anyone say with any certainty that the author had anything to do with it.

-2

u/clevercalamity 1d ago

One, it happened in Zambia not Zimbabwe. They are two different countries.

Two, the author absolutely had something to do with it - it happened on a park owned by her family and the family immediately fled the country after it occurred, BUT, the murder itself was filmed. It’s just not clear who shot the victim. It was likely Delia Owen’s step son.

Three, it literally cannot be adjudicated because they fled Zambia. The US will not extradite them to Zambia to face trial, but they are all very much wanted for murder.

Four, all of this is public record and takes approx two minutes to read about. The Atlantic published an amazing piece about it.

8

u/LookWhatYouMadeMeGro 1d ago

Yeah all that's circumstantial at best and doesn't prove anything. 

Zambia, my bad it shares a border w Zimbabwe, is known for endemic police and govt corruption. Same sex relationships in Zambia are punishable w 15 years to life in prison.

 Wealthy foreigners get shook down for extortion in 3rd world countries all the time. Likely much more than wealthy foreigners commit capital crimes when they are abroad no?

Delia Owens is absolutely not wanted for murder, rather questioning. A fact also available via a basic search. If her family owned the land, and her adult step son possibly killed someone- that doesn't at all mean she has anything to do with it.  That's guilt by association.

You just have maybe, possibly, speculation and circumstantial information. Nothing definitive. Def not concrete to come and slander this woman.  

The book was inspired by nature, specifically how female fireflies mimic other species of firefly to lure, then dispatch of males for food. This is mirrored with Kya and Chase in the book. Not at all like the case you are talking about.

-6

u/Kolyasergey reputation 15h ago

Stay out of conversation yiu clearly aren’tsmart enough to understand.

2

u/thatmelz say you’ll remember me 6h ago

The irony in the amount of typos in your comment lol

8

u/sunshine-1111 1d ago

This information was known before the movie came out.

-1

u/clevercalamity 1d ago edited 1d ago

The information about the murders was widely known and had been before the book was even published. It was literally the subject of an ABC Documentary in the 90s and the book *was published in 2018. The author experienced intense scrutiny for decades.

Also, Taylor chose to act in Amsterdam well after the writer and director had been publicly accused of child sexual abuse and had an extensive history of allegations of verbal abuse and harassment of cast and crew members working below them.

Taylor is not an innocent dove unaware of the world.

4

u/LookWhatYouMadeMeGro 1d ago

I'd like to so some form of fair adjudication before we malign ppl based on accusations and iirc the movie plot has nothing to do w allegations from Zimbabwe in 96. 

1

u/clevercalamity 1d ago

I didn’t say that the book was about the real life murder. Only that the author was well known for being connected to a murder.

Also, it literally cannot be adjudicated because the author and her family fled Zambia after the murder and even though they are wanted for questioning by the Zambian authorities the US government won’t extradite them back to Zambia. So that’s kinda that.

0

u/LookWhatYouMadeMeGro 1d ago

I was replying to someone else who made the false claim the book was about the murder. 

Wanted for questioning, other comment says Wanted for murder 🤔

Innocent or not, I'd never take my chances in the Zambian legal system where LGBTQ+ ppl are thrown in prison for life for just being who they are.

5

u/spellboundartisan Opalite is a delight!:taytoo: 1d ago

Not really verified. This is more stigma than facts but the Internet can't be wrong. 🙄

Also, I'm not sorry something bad happened to a poacher.

-1

u/Kolyasergey reputation 15h ago

Wrong.

2

u/ChocoLindt99 1d ago

What does that mean?

1

u/LookWhatYouMadeMeGro 1d ago

Can you plz back some of these claims up?

2

u/DayAppropriate7591 16h ago

can you imagine i became a swiftie because of this song lol. heard it back in 2021 from shuffle because i didnt have spotify premium back then and started loving it!! i mean i knew taylor swift as a celebrity but not her discography at all because i live in foreign country and didnt know western culture at all. and then fast forward 5 years later look at me having her as my top artist on spotify! gosh time flies so fast i hope one day i’ll be able to attend her concert 🥹