"Heads Carolina, Tails California" is a song written by Tim Nichols and Mark D. Sanders and recorded by American country music artist Jo Dee Messina. The song was released in January 1996 as her debut single and served as the lead-off single for her self-titled debut album. The song reached the Top 10 on both the U.S. and Canadian country charts.
| "Heads Carolina, Tails California" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Jo Dee Messina | ||||
| from the album Jo Dee Messina | ||||
| B-side | "Walk to the Light" | |||
| Released | January 22, 1996 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:29 | |||
| Label | Curb | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| Jo Dee Messina singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Heads Carolina, Tails California" at CMT.com | ||||
American Aquarium covered the song on their 2021 album Slappers, Bangers, and Certified Twangers: Vol 1. The song enjoyed a revival in 2022 when it was used as the basis for Cole Swindell's number one hit "She Had Me at Heads Carolina", eventually propelling the original song to a platinum certification by the RIAA.
Content
edit"Heads Carolina, Tails California" is an up-tempo song about a narrator who wants to just take her love and run off together somewhere, but anywhere will do as long as her love comes with her.
Critical reception
editDeborah Evans Price, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably, calling it a "rollicking country ode to flipping a coin and hitting the road in search of a better life 'somewhere greener, somewhere warmer.' She also said that "passion and energy permeate Messina's strong vocal attacks on this infectious tune."[1]
In 2022, Cole Swindell, Ashley Gorley, Jesse Frasure, and Thomas Rhett re-wrote the song as "She Had Me at Heads Carolina", which heavily references "Heads Carolina, Tails California" and incorporates its melody. Additional co-writers' credit was also given to Sanders and Nichols. This song appears on Swindell's 2022 album Stereotype,[2] from which it was released as the third single. On November 7, 2022, Swindell released a remixed version of the song which featured new vocals by Messina.
In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the song at #172 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking.[3]
Music video
editA music video was released for the song directed by Roger Pistole and filmed in the Mojave Desert. Messina is shown performing with an old-fashioned microphone (a Shure Unidyne Model 55) in a run-down wooden shack in the desert and leaning against the counter of a diner, dressed as a waitress. Throughout the video are scenes of men traveling on an old dirt road pushing tires with them. They are seen sitting in the diner that Messina is seen in, and outside of a rural gas station in which the diner is located.
Chart performance
edit"Heads Carolina, Tails California" debuted at number 70 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of January 27, 1996. It would soon reach number 2 on that chart, behind "My Maria" by Brooks & Dunn.
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[4] | 3 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[5] | 11 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] | 2 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (1996) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[7] | 26 |
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[8] | 52 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[9] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Billboard, February 3, 1996 - Vol. 108, No. 5
- ^ Katherine Yeske Taylor (April 8, 2022). "Defying the Stereotype: Cole Swindell Releases His Fourth Album". American Songwriter. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ "The 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. May 24, 2014.
- ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 2980." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. May 27, 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
- ^ "Jo Dee Messina Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Jo Dee Messina Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1996". RPM. December 16, 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
- ^ "Best of 1996: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
- ^ "American single certifications – Jo Dee Messina – Heads Carolina, Tails California". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
