Steve Martin has been playing banjo and bluegrass music long enough now that it’s no longer an interesting footnote of his storied career, but a legitimate part of it; His 2009 record, The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo, won a Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album. His most recent record, So Familiar with Edie Brickell, came out in 2015, and now he’s ready to follow it up with a new Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers album, fittingly titled The Long-Awaited Album.
He previously shared “Caroline” from the release, and now the track has a fresh music video starring Bill Hader and Cecily Strong, with Hader having a hard time getting over his ex, Strong. The Brian Petchers-directed video is a quirky and interesting blend of live-action footage and animated background and foreground elements that brings a lighthearted touch to the heartbreak of the song’s lyrics.
Martin previously said about the song:
“Research has shown that there are many, many songs with the title ‘Caroline.’ However, this is the only good one.”
The song’s narrator, Hader’s character in the video, begins obsessed with why things went wrong: “Can you tell me why you left me standing in the parking structure? / Caroline, I was the almost-perfect boyfriend ever for you / And you even said that to me one time at the Olive Garden.” By the end, though, he seems to have come to terms with the situation: “Yes I know that we could not have lasted / Daily life cannot be that intense / I’ll phone my friends and try to explain / Why this past year I have acted so insane.”
The Long-Awaited Album comes out on September 22nd. Watch the video for “Caroline” above.
