Jamaican dancehall artist Shaggy’s rendition of “Oh Carolina” hit the scene in January 1993 as the leading track from his debut album, Pure Pleasure (1993). Shaggy recalls how he mischievously flipped the ska song into one of dancehall’s biggest hits in an interview recorded by Jay Will with questions posed by his manager Martin Kieszernbaum.
“OH Carolina” was the cover of an original song, produced by Prince Busta, and in Jamaica when that song was played we as kids cursed to it, ‘Oh Carolina you R*ss, Bo*bocl**t,’ that was every party, everybody singing the Sh*t,” The Grammy winner reggae artist said.
However, it was in Flatbush, amidst the vibrant dancehall scene, that Shaggy found inspiration to reimagine the song. “I am in Flatbush at the time, the dancehall ceiling is up,” he recounts. “I flipped this record so that the whole party would sing ‘you r*ss, Bombocl**t’.” For Shaggy, this transformation was more than just a creative endeavor; it was a mission. “That was my only goal,” he asserts.
Shaggy’s dancehall version released by Greensleeves was produced by Shaun “Sting International” Pizzonia, and it swiftly gained global recognition, notably after its inclusion in the film “Sliver” (1993), starring Sharon Stone. In the UK, it marked Shaggy’s inaugural chart-topper, reigning for two weeks on the UK Singles Chart in March 1993. It was the fist Jamaican song to debut at No. 1, conversely, it attained a modest position in the US, peaking at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100.
However, the song found favor among American alternative rock audiences, reaching number 14 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and reintroducing reggae to mainstream UK audiences. The music video for “Oh Carolina” received substantial airtime on MTV Europe with Shaggy playing a lover-boy pleading for the attention and affection of several women, with scenes of him singing with a choir of older folks on backing vocals.
The song It is certified Gold in the U.K. (400,000), Australia (35,000), Germany (250,000) and New Zealand (5000).
Shaggy was not the only artist to cover John Folkes “Oh Carolina,” initially penned in 1958 for his girlfriend Noelena. Artists across different genres and regions have covered the song “Carolina” or its adaptations. Jamaican trombonist Rico Rodriguez recorded an instrumental version as a B-side to his 1980 single “Sea Cruise.”
In the same year as Shaggy’s version In 1993, a Tagalog parody version was performed by Vic Sotto, Francis Magalona, Richie D’Horsie, and Michael V. for the movie “Ano Ba Yan? 2.” Jamaican dancehall artist Yellowman also released a popular cover on his 1994 album “Prayer.”
South Korean pop-group Roo’ra debuted a Korean rendition titled “날개 잃은 천사” (“Nalgae irun chunsa”; “Angels that lost their wings”) in February 1995. Additionally, the Romanian-Romani band Taraf de Haïdouks featured a cover titled “Carolina” with Kočani Orkestar on their album “Band Of Gypsies.” Shaggy also re-recorded his version for his Hot Shot 2020 album, released on July 10.
When the song became popular because of Shaggy, Prince Buster and John Folks go into a legal dispute over the authorship of the song, however Folkes eventually won in a UK High Court in 1994.
Emerging as a seminal ska hit upon its release in 1960 by the Jamaican vocal trio, the Folkes Brothers (comprising John, Mico, and Junior Folkes), Prince Buster recorded the track at the RJR studios in Kingston, with fusion of African-inspired Niyabinghi-style drumming and chanting, courtesy of Count Ossie and his group of drummers, Count Ossie’s Afro-Combo.
It was the first time in Jamaican modern music that a song was encompassing ska, rocksteady, and reggae, while also spotlighting the marginalized Rastafarian community.
The track, which featured Owen Gray on piano, was released under the Buster Wild Bells label. Its UK release in 1961 under Blue Beat Records introduced British audiences to this groundbreaking sound. Despite being the sole recordings of The Folkes Brothers as a trio, “Oh Carolina” endured, experiencing subsequent re-recordings and reissues. Notably, Mico and Junior Folkes revisited the song without John for the 2011 album “Don’t Leave Me Darling,” marking the first release credited to the Folkes Brothers since the early 1960s.
