Sweet Carolina (song)

Lana Del Rey

Writer(s)

Lana Del Rey
Chuck Grant
Robert Grant Jr.
Alana Champion

Producer(s)

Lana Del Rey
Drew Erickson

Recorded

June 14, 2021^{[citation needed]}

Released

October 22, 2021

Length

3:24

From

*Blue Banisters* track listing
"Cherry Blossom"	N/A

"Sweet Carolina" (originally titled "Sweet Caroline"^[1]) is a song by Lana Del Rey, from her eighth studio album and seventh major-label studio album Blue Banisters. It is co-written with her father, Rob, her sister, Chuck, and Alana Champion.

Background[]

The song was first teased by Rob Grant on Instagram and Twitter. On September 20, 2021, he revealed that he recorded on the piano for the track.^[1]^[2] On September 29, 2021, he revealed that the song was recorded in one take.^[3]

On October 19, 2021, Del Rey posted on Rob Grant's Instagram account that the song was written "within 20 minutes".^[4]

Via an Instagram live on October 22, 2021, Rob Grant and Del Rey confirmed that the song was done in just one take. That same day, co-writer Alana Champion revealed that the lyric about iPhones and cryptocurrency originated between a private conversation between herself and Chuck Grant.^[5]

The song is written for and about Chuck Grant, who was just three weeks away from giving birth to her daughter, Phoenix, when the song was recorded.^{[citation needed]}

Cross-references[]

Dancing is also mentioned in "California", "Dance Till We Die", "Lust for Life", "Prom Song (Gone Wrong)", and "When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing", among several others.
Del Rey also sings about her music living "on and on" in "If I Die Young".
Lilacs are also mentioned in "Off to the Races" and "Roses Bloom For You".
God is also mentioned in "God Bless America - and All the Beautiful Women in It", "God Knows I Tried" and "Gods & Monsters", among several others.
The lyric "And Jason is out in the lawn" is similar to the lyric "George got arrested out on the lawn" from "Breaking Up Slowly".

Lyrics[]

Don't have to write me a letter
'Cause I'll always be right here
Closer to you than your next breath, my dear
We love every hair on your head
Love you like God loves you
And you say that you're scared
Might be unprepared, for having the baby blues

Baby blues, baby blues
If things ever go wrong
Just know this is your song
And we love you

You name your babe Lilac Heaven
After your iPhone 11
"Crypto forever!" screams your stupid boyfriend
Fuck you, Kevin

We love every freckle you have
We love you like God loves you
If you're ever stressed out
Just dance in the night
If you get those baby blues

Baby blues, baby blues
If things ever go wrong
Just know this is your song
And we love you

Pink slippers all on the floor and
Woven nets over the door
It's as close as we'll get
To the dream that they had
In the one-nine-sixties

And Jason is out in the lawn
And he powerwashes every time things go wrong
If you're stressed out just know
You can dance to your song
'Cause we got you

If you get the blues, baby blues
Just know this is your song
It live on and on
Way past me and you

If you get the blues, baby blues
You've got us if you choose
So there's nothing to lose
And we love you

So don't write me a letter
I'll always be right here
Closer to you than your next breath, my dear

Credits[]

Personnel

Lana Del Rey — songwriting, production, vocals
Drew Erickson — production, mixing, piano, Prophet, rhodes
Robert Grant Jr. — songwriting, piano
Chuck Grant — songwriting
Alana Champion — songwriting
Michael Harris — engineering, mixing
Dean Reid — enngineering, mixing
Jon Sher — assistant engineering
Ben Fletcher — assistant engineering
Adam Ayan — mastering

Gallery[]

Recording session[]

Between September 20 and October 19, 2021, Rob Grant shared on his Instagram and Twitter accounts various pictures of the recording process of "Sweet Carolina".^[1]^[2]^[4]