Neil Diamond, the Kennedy family and "Sweet Caroline".

Neil Diamond’s interest in music began at 16, when he got his first guit­ar. He studied at New York Uni, apparently intending to do medic­ine after. But he left college in his final year to take a job as a staff song writer for the Sunbeam Music Co. After a short time, he became one of the songwriters who worked out of New York’s Brill Building, important in popular culture.

In 1965 Diamond signed a recording contract with Bang Records, and one year later his debut album was released. Then he wrote the song I’m a Believer (1966), soon made famous by the Monk­ees. In 1967 Diam­ond sign­ed a new recording contract with Uni Records, with whom he recorded hits like Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show (1969), Sweet Caroline (1969), Cracklin’ Rosie (1970), I Am…I Said (1971) and Song Sung Blue (1972). I still remember every note of music and all the lyrics for these songs.

After joining Columbia Records, Diamond recorded the sound track for the film Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973), earning a Grammy. He continued to release successful albums during the 1970s and in 1980 Diamond made his film debut; he starred in a remake of the film The Jazz Singer, for which he also wrote and per­for­m­ed the sound track. But I remember neither the music or lyrics for his later albums. In the C21st Diamond released albums until 2018, when he announced his retirement from touring.. due to Parkinson disease.

Diamond has sold 100+ million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He was first honoured by the Song­writers’ Hall of Fame, on his induction in 1984. And was induct­ed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

Now focus on MY favourite Diamond song, Sweet Caroline.

Where it began, I can't begin to knowing
But then I know it's growing strong
Was in the spring
And spring became the summer
Who'd have believed you'd come along

Hands, touching hands
Reaching out, touching me, touching you

Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
I've been inclined
To believe they never would

In a 2007 interview, Diamond stated the inspiration for his song was Pres John F Kennedy's daughter Caroline who was 11 years old at the time it was released. Appropriately Diamond sang the song for her at her 50th birth­day cele­bration that very year. Diamond said that a magazine cover photo of sweet young Car­oline dressed up in riding gear on a horse, with her parents in the background, created an image in his mind. And the rest of the song came together five years after see­ing the picture, while he was sitting in a Memphis hotel room for just one hour.

Arranged by Charles Calello and recorded at American Sound Studio in Memphis TN, the song was released in 1969. Clearly the song was hugely popular. It was Neil’s favourite record and probably the biggest, most important song of his career. Upon its release, the song reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. In fact 1.75 million copies of Sweet Caroline have been sold since it was written in 1969, which earns him up to $500,000 a year. For me, it is just a delightful memory of 1969, my last year as a single woman.

In 2013 Diamond announced that he would donate the royalties to One Fund Bost­on to help families affected by the Boston Marathon bombing.

Neil Diamond had previously announced his retirement from touring in 2018, cancelling his planned 50th anniversary tour to Australia. He revealed that he had been suffering from Parkinson’s dis­ease, explain­ing was diff­icult to travel and perform on a large scale basis. None­theless in 2020 Diamond started a global singalong of Sweet Caroline to help make people a bit happier, after a year of the COVID-19 pandemic.