Taylor Swift’s single ‘Carolina’ just dropped. See how Swifties are reacting

Pop singer Taylor Swift has released a new single, “Carolina,” based on the novel “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens. The timing of the song’s release coincides with the novel’s film adaptation, scheduled to hit theatres on July 15.

“Where the Crawdads Sing” follows Kya, an orphaned girl from the marshes of North Carolina, as she grows up at the fringes of society in the 1950s. As Kya matures, she becomes romantically involved with a boy, Chase, of more “civilized” upbringing. When Chase mysteriously dies, suspicions turn toward Kya.

Swift’s “Carolina” was produced by longtime collaborator Aaron Dessner, known by Swifties for his work on Swift’s Grammy-winning album “Folklore,” its sister album “Evermore,” and Swift’s recently re-recorded “Red” and “Fearless.”

In a live stream earlier this month, “Crawdads” director Olivia Newman revealed that Swift and Dessner had recorded the track in one take, using only instruments only available before 1953, in an attempt to recreate the atmosphere of the book and film.

In an Instagram post on Thursday night, Swift said she and Dessner “meticulously” worked on the song, creating a sound “authentic to the moment in time when this story takes place.”

Dessner echoed that, saying on Instagram that “Carolina” is one of his favourite songs of Swift’s.

“We … channelled the eerie beauty of the North Carolina marsh where the story is set. It sounds fittingly like this recording could have been made a long time ago,” said Dessner.

This is far from Swift’s first contribution to a film soundtrack. Her collaboration with the Civil Wars for “The Hunger Games,” a haunting ballad titled “Safe and Sound,” won a Grammy in 2013, and her “Fifty Shades Darker” duet with Zayn, “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever,” peaked at number two on the U.S. charts.

See how Taylor Swift fans, or “Swifties,” online are reacting to Swift’s new single:

Correction — June 27, 2022:Longtime Taylor Swift collaborator Aaron Dessner worked on Swift’s album “Folklore,” its sister album “Evermore,” and the recently re-recorded “Red” and “Fearless.” A previous version of this article erroneously said Dessner worked on Swift’s album “1989.”

Aisling Murphy is a reporter for the Star’s radio room based in Toronto. Reach her via email: aislingmurphy@thestar.ca

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