Carolina in My Mind

This article is about the song by James Taylor. For the What Would You Do? episode of the same name, see What Would You Do? (season 13).

"Carolina in My Mind"
Single by James Taylor
from the album James Taylor
B-side"Taking It In" (1969 original) "Something's Wrong" (1970 reissue)[1]
ReleasedFebruary/March 1969 (original UK & US releases)
October/November 1970 (US & UK reissues)
RecordedJuly–October 1968
GenreFolk rock, country pop
Length3:36 (original)
3:57 (1976 version)
LabelApple
Songwriter(s)James Taylor
Producer(s)Peter Asher
James Taylor singles chronology
"Something in the Way She Moves"
(1969) 		"Carolina in My Mind"
(1969) 		"Knocking 'Round the Zoo"
(1969)

"Carolina in My Mind" is a song originally written and performed by American singer-songwriter James Taylor. It was Taylor's second single from his 1968 self-titled debut album. Taylor wrote Carolina in My Mind while in England recording for the Beatles' label Apple Records, and the song's themes reflect his homesickness at the time. Released as a single in 1969, the song earned critical praise but not commercial success. It was re-recorded for Taylor's 1976 Greatest Hits album in the version that is most familiar to listeners. It has been a staple of Taylor's concert performances over the decades of his career. Carolina in My Mind is one of the most covered contemporary folk songs of all time, the most famous of which being covers by American singer-songwriter John Denver and American rock music duo the Everly Brothers.

The song was a modest hit on the country charts in 1969 for North Carolinian singer George Hamilton IV, released as the first single from his 1970 album Back Where It's At (see George Hamilton IV discography). Strongly tied to a sense of geographic place, "Carolina in My Mind" has been called an unofficial state anthem for North Carolina. It is also an unofficial song of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, being played at athletic events and pep rallies and sung by the graduating class at every university commencement.[2] The association of the song with the state is also made in written works of both fiction and non-fiction. It has become one of Taylor's most critically praised songs[3][4] and one that has great popularity and significance for his audience.[3]

  1. ^ Castleman, Harry; Podrazik, Walter J. (1976). All Together Now. Pierian Press. pp. 75, 93.
  2. ^ Keyes, Brian (June 24, 2019). "Alumni reflect on how 'Carolina in My Mind' stays with them years after graduation". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Halperin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference rsrg79 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).