Most People Forget That The Everly Brothers Recorded One of James Taylor’s Early Hits in 1969

Think of a James Taylor song, and “Carolina In My Mind” is likely somewhere near the top of the list. The song, one of Taylor’s earliest singles, didn’t chart when it was first released. Now, decades later, it remains one of his signature songs. But what most people forget is that one year after Taylor released “Carolina On My Mind” in 1968, The Everly Brothers released the same song.

In 1969, the duo, made up of siblings Phil Everly and Don Everly, released “Carolina In My Mind”, changing the title slightly to “Carolina On My Mind”. The song did not appear on an album and did not chart. Still, The Everly Brothers liked the song enough to include it on their 1994 Heartaches and Harmonies boxed set.

Taylor wrote “Carolina In My Mind” by himself. From his eponymous freshman record, the song says, “In my mind I’m going to Carolina / Can’t you see the sunshine, can’t you just feel the moonshine? / Ain’t it just like a friend of mine to hit me from behind? / Yes, I’m going to Carolina in my mind.”

Other artists who have recorded this Taylor classic include George Hamilton IV, Melanie, and John Denver

How James Taylor Wrote “Carolina In My Mind”

Taylor was born in Massachusetts. But when he was just a little boy, his family moved to North Carolina, which is what inspired “Carolina In My Mind”. In the song, Taylor sings, “Karen, she’s the silver sun, you best walk her way and watch it shine / Watch her watch the morning come / A silver tear appearing now I’m crying, ain’t I? / I’m going to Carolina in my mind.”

Taylor later reveals that Karen was a real person whom he met on the Spanish island, Formentera. They later traveled to Ibiza but missed the last ferry. Without money to spend the night anywhere, they killed time at an outdoor cafe, which made Taylor a bit nostalgic for home.

“I started getting homesick,” Taylor recalls on Late Night With Seth Meyers. “And I thought of this song and my home so far away and wrote ‘Carolina In My Mind’ as the sun was coming up.”

It may not have been a big hit, but Taylor still performs “Carolina In My Mind” in his live shows today.

“My audience responds well to it,” Taylor tells Parade. “And because it wears well, I like ‘Carolina In My Mind’. I play it almost every time I perform, and I haven’t tired of it.”

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