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Neil Diamond’s Classic Hit Comforts Americans Traumatized by Bombings

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A surprisingly bearded Neil Diamond serenades the crowd at Boston’s Fenway Park last weekend to lift their spirits in the wake of the Boston Marathon terrorist attack.
A surprisingly bearded Neil Diamond serenades the crowd at Boston’s Fenway Park last weekend to lift their spirits in the wake of the Boston Marathon terrorist attack.
Legendary singer-songwriter Neil Diamond was happy to learn that his classic hit song “Sweet Caroline” has been bringing comfort to Americans still reeling from the emotional trauma of last week’s devastating Boston Marathon bombings. A long-time popular favorite for fans to belt out during Boston Red Sox games, the upbeat tune has been sung by players and fans over the past week at games played by the New York Yankees, the Toronto Raptors, and other major league teams, in a show of solidarity with their beleaguered New England brethren.

“There is a lot of comfort that music can offer,” Diamond said. “In this particular situation, I’d much rather it not have happened than for ‘Sweet Caroline’ to become part of it. But it’s obviously offering comfort to people and I feel good about that.” Diamond offered his thoughts during last Thursday’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and celebration in Los Angeles, noting that his whole purpose in writing the 1969 hit – which was intended as a message to slain President John Kennedy’s daughter Caroline – was to provide a sense of solace.

“I wrote it in a hotel in Memphis, Tennessee,” he explained. “And I think there’s a little bit of  G-d in that song. I always have felt that. There’s no accounting for what can happen to a song. But this one had something special to it.”

Over the weekend, the superstar took things a step further by making the quick decision to travel to Boston and surprise local fans with a live performance of “Sweet Caroline” during Saturday’s Red Sox game, which was going ahead as life in Boston began to return to normal following the capture of the second suspected terrorist in the marathon attack. Observers speculated that Diamond’s spirited rendition may have given the Red Sox players the extra motivation to score a win over the Royals. (Some Jewish observers also took note of the fact that the face of the singer – who is Jewish – was adorned with a well-developed beard, leading them to wonder if he was following the semi-mourning ritual of sefira, which prohibits the cutting of one’s hair for a portion of the period between Passover and Shavuot.)

“I was humbled and honored to be in Boston and be able to personally thank and express my gratitude to the first responders and law enforcement officers,” Diamond told People Magazine.

Earlier in the week, Diamond sent out a Twitter message of appreciation to the Yankees for defying the traditional “feud” between Yankees and Red Sox fans and playing the song at the end of the third inning during a game, in tribute to Bostonians. The Brooklyn-born hitmaker tweeted, “Thank you NY Yankees for playing ‘Sweet Caroline’ for the people of Boston. You scored a home run in my heart. With respect, Neil #One Boston.”

“I think it’s important that we recognize that we’re all behind the people in Boston and everyone that was involved,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi commented. “You think about that being a song that’s a tradition there, it’s special to Fenway Park and the people of Boston. We’re behind them. Put the baseball teams aside, we want to be there for them.”

Diamond has become so moved by the nation’s latest terrorist attack that he has begun penning a new tune partially related to it. “I’m writing now and obviously affected by this situation in Boston, so I’m writing about it just to express myself,” he told Rolling Stone.

The song will reflect the national concern over the recent uptick in violence across the country, which includes mass shootings in Connecticut and Colorado. “It’s like an infestation, and I’m writing about the general situation, not just about this bombing in Boston,” Diamond revealed, “but what we’re going through with all of these tragedies — shootings and so on and so forth.”

Over the course of his 47-year career, Neil Diamond has sold over 125 million records worldwide, including 48 million in the United States alone. He is considered to be the third most successful adult contemporary artist ever on the Billboard chart behind fellow Brooklynite and Jewish icon Barbra Streisand, and Elton John. Diamond’s songs have been covered internationally by many performers from various musical genres, and – widely considered to be a premiere live performer – he still regularly sells out large concert venues.

Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. Additionally, he received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000, and in 2011 was an honoree at the Kennedy Center Honors. In addition to “Sweet Caroline,” Diamond has had such top hits as “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Song Sung Blue,” “Longfellow Serenade,” “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” (a duet with Streisand), and “America.”

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