Beach Boys -- "Caroline, No" (1966)

Could we ever bring 'em back 

Once they have gone?

Oh Caroline, no 

When I finished law school, I took a job in a city that was over 1000 miles away from my hometown (which is where my parents still live).  I never moved back.

When my daughter Caroline finished journalism school 18 months ago, she took a job near our home and moved back in with us.  I saw her almost every day, which was a treat after 5 1/2 years of college and graduate school.

Today, she loaded up her car and drove to Maine to take a new job.  (You can read all about that new job here.)  Maine's not quite 1000 miles away, but it might as well be.  I expect her to move back one day, but who knows?  She may follow my example instead.

Caroline watching a Cape Cod sunset

Karma's a bitch, as the saying goes.  I now know how my parents felt when I moved away.  But it's not really the same thing.  Any person in his or her right mind would rather have one Caroline than a hundred of me, so I feel like my loss is much greater than my parents' loss was.  

"Caroline, No" is without a doubt the most beautiful song on what is without a doubt the most beautiful pop-music album ever recorded, Pet Sounds.

And yes, I know that I featured "Caroline, No" in a 2 or 3 lines post in November 2010.  (Click here to read that post.)  Until now, I've never featured the same song twice on 2 or 3 lines.  But there's a first time for everything.  

Click here to listen to "Caroline, No."

Click here to buy "Caroline, No" from Amazon.