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Sweet Caroline
Written by Neil Diamond
Performed by Neil Diamond
Released May 28, 1969
[Verse 1]
Where it began
I can’t begin to know when
But then I know it’s growin’ strong
Was in the spring
And spring became the summer
Who’d have believed you’d come along?
[Pre-Chorus]
Hands, touchin’ hands
Reachin’ out, touchin’ me, touchin’ you
[Chorus]
Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
I’ve been inclined
To believe they never would
But now I…
[Verse 2]
Look at the night
And it don’t seem so lonely
We fill it up with only two
And when I hurt
Hurtin’ runs off my shoulders
How can I hurt when holdin’ you?
________________________
This might be one of the most well-loved songs in the United States. If you want to get a group of people to start singing with joy and unity, start playing Sweet Caroline. Something about that “ba ba ba” just gets into your soul. When you hear it, the hurtin’ and divisions run off your shoulder, and you just want to embrace whoever is close by. It’s a staple at American sporting events – especially in the Midwest and in the Northeast.
But have you ever wondered what it’s about or what inspired it? That’s where the story gets either sweet, bittersweet, or a bit weird, depending on your perspective and interpretation. (via wiki)
Inspiration
Neil Diamond has provided different explanations for the song’s origins. In a 2007 interview, he stated the inspiration for the song was John F. Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy, who was 11 years old at the time it was released. Diamond sang the song for her at her 50th birthday celebration in 2007. On December 21, 2011, in an interview on CBS’s The Early Show, Diamond said that a magazine cover photo of Caroline Kennedy as a young child on a horse with her parents John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy created an image in his mind, and the rest of the song came together about five years after seeing the picture. However, in 2014, Diamond said the song was about his then-wife Marcia Murphey, but he needed a three-syllable name to fit the melody.
I’m not here to ruin Sweet Caroline for anyone. Far from it. But I feel a lot better about Diamond’s 2014 explanation of the song than the earlier ones. The 2014 explanation does not force me to contemplate why the following lyrics were inspired by the picture of a small child:
Hands, touchin’ hands
Reachin’ out, touchin’ me, touchin’ you
Of course that can be a fatherly and completely innocent sentiment. But would I want an adult man inspired by pictures of my daughter, as a child, to write those lyrics? No, I would not.
Ultimately, I suppose Caroline herself signed off on the song by having it played at her 50th birthday party. She thus knows Neil Diamond, too, at least to some extent. If so, she might know more than is public about the sentiment of the lyrics. That said, given how big the song is, culturally, she probably didn’t have a choice but to embrace it. It was reaching out to touch her either way. And yet it’s a huge cultural phenomenon precisely because it’s joyful, uplifting, and good. Nearly everyone likes this song. We just have to assume the best of Mr. Diamond.
Chart history
| Weekly Charts (1969) | Peak position |
| Australia (KMR) | 3 |
| Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM) | 2 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM) | 3 |
| South Africa (Springbok) | 7 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 4 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) | 3 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 | 3 |
As far as “my name is a popular song title” songs go, this is one of the best possible songs you could get – except maybe during your teenage years. There are a lot of women who have carried around the heavy burden of being named Roxanne since 1978. Can you imagine? And while Delilah is a hard-sell for many because of the Bible, it was made even more difficult by ’06 The Plain White T’s song.
There are others: Cecelia, Eileen, Jolene, “Dirty” Diana, etc.
As for me, there are a lot of songs with “Dust” in the title, but not many with “Dusty.” Song title association is not something I’ve ever dealt with. My lifelong pop culture name association is with this guy:
Anyway, if you clicked on this, you probably just want to hear the song. I can’t blame you. It’s catchy and not in a “this earworm is ruining my life” kind of way.
Here is a video of Neil Diamond performing the song live from 1969:
BA BA BA. Good times never seemed so good.
I always thought it was a bit icky, a grown man singing to a child, “touching you, touching me’.
Yeah… I didn’t know about the connection with Caroline Kennedy, but it’s hard to hear the song the same way now that I do know.