Heads Carolina, Tails California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids "Heads Carolina, Tails California" |
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| 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 | |||
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| Jo Dee Messina singles chronology | ||||
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"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.
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
"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.
Music video
A 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
"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 |
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| Canada Country Tracks (RPM) | 3 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard) | 11 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard) | 2 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1996) | Position |
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| Canada Country Tracks (RPM) | 26 |
| US Country Songs (Billboard) | 52 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Sales |
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| United States (RIAA) | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
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xunspecified figures based on certification alone |
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