| "Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byNeil Diamond | ||||
| from the albumBrother Love's Travelling Salvation Show | ||||
| B-side | "Dig In" | |||
| Released | May 28, 1969 | |||
| Studio | American Sound (Memphis) | |||
| Genre | Soft rock[1] | |||
| Length | 3:21 (LP Version) 2:51 (Single Edit) | |||
| Label | Uni/MCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Neil Diamond | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Neil Diamond singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Sweet Caroline" is a song written and performed by American singerNeil Diamond and released in May 1969 as asingle with the title "Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good)". It was arranged byCharles Calello,[2] and recorded atAmerican Sound Studio inMemphis, Tennessee.
Neil Diamond has provided different explanations for the song's origins. In a 2007 interview, he stated the inspiration for the song wasJohn F. Kennedy's daughter,Caroline Kennedy, who was 11 years old at the time it was released.[3][4] Diamond sang the song for her at her 50th birthday celebration in 2007.[5] On December 21, 2011, in an interview onCBS'sThe Early Show, Diamond said that a magazine cover photo of Caroline Kennedy as a young child on a horse[6] with her parents John F. Kennedy andJacqueline Kennedy created an image in his mind, and the rest of the song came together about five years after seeing the picture.[7] 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.[7]
The song reached No. 4 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart in the week ending August 16, 1969,[8] and was certifiedgold by theRIAA on August 18, 1969, for sales of one million singles.[9] "Sweet Caroline" was also the first of Diamond's 58 entries on the USEasy Listening chart, peaking at No. 3.[10]
In the autumn of 1969, Diamond performed "Sweet Caroline" on several television shows. It later reached No. 8 on theUK Singles Chart in March 1971.
In July 2021, "Sweet Caroline" re-entered the UK Singles Chart again 50 years after its first UK release, following its use by England supporters duringEuro 2020. It re-entered the chart at No. 48 on the week ending July 15 and a week later it rose to No. 20.[11]
Cash Box called the song "sensational", highlighting the fact that Diamond's "material and production sound take on a completely different dimension in this love ballad which maintains a warm glow throughout with occasional surges of strength".[12]Record World said that "Neil Diamond stirs rich excitement with this voluptuous new 'Sweet Caroline'."[13]Billboard called it a "hard hitting love ballad" with "exceptional production and vocal workout".[14] The song has proven to be enduringly popular and, as of November 2014, has sold over two milliondigital downloads in theUnited States.[15]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[29] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[30] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[31] since 2004 | 3× Platinum | 1,800,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[32] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
| United States digital sales | — | 2,456,102[33] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
There are three distinct mixes of this song. In the original mono 45 mix, the orchestra andglockenspiel are more prominent than in the stereo version on theBrother Love's Travelling Salvation Show LP. The third version was a remix found only on the initial CD release of Diamond's 1974 compilationHis 12 Greatest Hits.[34] This version has the orchestra mixed down and has the background vocals mixed up. It has a longer fade as well. A live version of the song is on his 1972Hot August Night LP.
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, Diamond changed some of the lyrics to "Hands ... washing hands ... don't touch me ... I won't touch you."[35]
TheNational Football League'sCarolina Panthers have played the song as a victory song at all home games since 1996. In 2020, the Panthers played the song to an emptyBank of America Stadium in honor of all front-line workers in the COVID-19 pandemic.[36]
The song has been played atFenway Park, home ofMajor League Baseball'sBoston Red Sox, since at least 1997[37] and in the middle of the eighth inning at every game since 2002.[38] On opening night of the 2010 season at Fenway Park, the song was performed live by Diamond himself.[39] Several days after theBoston Marathon bombing in April 2013, Neil Diamond led the crowd at Fenway Park in a rendition of the song.[40] TheNew York Yankees, the longtimerivals, showed their support for the city by playing the song overYankee Stadium's loudspeakers the day after the incident.[41] Sales of the song surged nearly 600 percent in the week after the bombings, to 19,000 copies, up from 2,800 the week before.[42] Diamond said that he would donate his royalties from those sales to the One Fund Boston charity to help the people affected by the bombings.[43]
TheIowa State Cyclones have used "Sweet Caroline" as a football victory song since 2006.[44]
Since 2008, theUniversity of Pittsburgh has used "Sweet Caroline" as an unofficial school sing-along song by inserting "Let's Go Pitt!" over the instrumental three-beat "Ba Ba Ba"[45] interval after the title refrain and replacing the repeated phrase (often added by fans, although not in the original recording) "So good" with "Go Pitt!"[46][47][48] The song started as a rallying anthem played between the third and fourth quarters ofPittsburgh Panthers football games,[49][50] but has been adopted for use during other university sports contests, alumni events, and student ceremonies, including graduation commencement ceremonies,[51][52] and references to the song have appeared on various school merchandise.[53] However, Pitt's arch-rival, West Virginia University, "adapts" the song for their own purposes to troll Pitt, even when Pitt is not the opponent.[54]
"Sweet Caroline" is sometimes part of the regular rotation of songs during sports events at other universities, including theUniversity of North Carolina.Out of a speculated concern with the song's lyrics in the wake of thePenn State child sex abuse scandal, the university removed the song from the rotation of music played atfootball games prior to the 2012 season.[55][56] However, performances resumed to loud renditions atPenn State football games in September 2013.[57]
On February 22, 2020, newly crownedWBC andThe Ring heavyweight world championTyson Fury sang the song live in the ring at theMGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas to celebrate hisknockout victory against Deontay Wilder following the conclusion of their rematch.[58] Fury had also previously sung "Sweet Caroline" at a press conference ahead of his fight againstFrancesco Pianeta in 2018.[59]
The song is used at theOntario Hockey League'sErie Otters home games, where fans replace the "bum, bum, bum" with "London sucks!" in reference to the rivalLondon Knights.[60]TheNational Hockey LeagueVancouver Canucks regularly play this song atRogers Arena, their home rink, during 3rd-period stoppages in play to energize the home crowd.
Fans of theNorthern Ireland national football team adopted the song as an anthem after it was played in the post-match stadium celebrations after defeatingEngland in 2005.[61] The song has been used at home games ever since.[62] Northern Irish darts playerDaryl Gurney began using the song as his walk-on song in 2015 forProfessional Darts Corporation events, in tribute to the football team.[63]
On June 29, 2021, at the Round of 16 of theUEFA Euro 2020 championships, after theEngland national football team won 2–0 againstGermany, England supporters amongst the 40,000 spectators who were present atWembley Stadium remained and sang the song after the match. The team manager,Gareth Southgate, remarked "So, to be able to send them home feeling as they do tonight, to hear them at the end ... I mean, you can't beat a bit of 'Sweet Caroline', can you? That's a belter, really."[64] During post-match interviews, the team captain,Harry Kane, was visibly moved as he paused to listen to the singing crowd, remarking: "Yeah, it's special. I'm speechless, I don't know what to say."[65][66] After their 2–1 semi-final win againstDenmark, the England players led the crowd through a rendition of the song.[67]
The song was subsequently adopted by theEngland women's football team on their run to victory inEuro 2022, being played in the stadiums after each game as England won;[68]Chloe Kelly, who scored the winning goal in the final, was being interviewed pitch side after the win but ran off with the microphone when the song started playing to sing along with the team.[69]
Reading started using the song as requested by the players in their first season in the Premiership for the 2006/07 season. According to former playerGlenn Little, this was selected as part of a celebration of their record-winning 106-point Championship season. However, it was not until 2015, when Little suggested it should be re-established, that it became a fan favourite.[70] The song was later adopted by supporters ofAston Villa during their Championship game againstStoke City in February 2019, as they battled from an early deficit to obtain a draw. After the game, Aston Villa had 12-game unbeaten run, which enabled them to reach the2019 English Football League play-offs. Subsequently, they continued to sing the song after they won a pivotal penalty shootout at their cross-city rivalsWest Bromwich Albion, before eventually winning the play-offs and winning promotion to thePremier League for the2019–20 season.[71] The club players had later continued their strong association with the song, and sang the song within their dressing room, after a pivotal draw at their final match of the season, to narrowly escape relegation from the Premier League by only one point.[72]
Forcricket in England, the home crowd atLord's, along with the players of theEngland cricket team, sang the song after theirboundary count win at the Final of the2019 Cricket World Cup.[73]
The song was played inArthur Ashe Stadium after British tennis playerEmma Raducanu won the2021 US Open Women's singles final.[74]
On November 15, 2021, theSwiss national football team sang the song after a 4–0 win againstBulgaria in honor to theNorthern Ireland national football team, who drew against theItaly national football team, thus permitting the Swiss to qualify directly to the2022 FIFA World Cup.
The song is also played before the main event of Matchroom Sports boxing cards in the UK and sometimes overseas.
The song is also played at theAlgodoneros de Unión Laguna stadium whenever the team wins a match, considered as a victory song for the locals. Remixes of the song are also played there on important events, accompanied by fireworks.
UFC middleweight fighterDarren Till has adopted the song as his entrance music beginning atUFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Till.[75]
In 2019, "Sweet Caroline" was selected by theLibrary of Congress for preservation in theNational Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[76] In 2020 the song byNeil Diamond was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame.[77]
Austrian singerDJ Ötzi released a version of the song in 2009 throughUMG. His version reached number 19 on the German singles chart, staying for 18 weeks in the German charts. It also peaked at number 18 on the Austrian charts.[78] The song was also included on his albumHotel Engel (Gold Edition).
| Chart (2009-2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[79] | 18 |
| Germany (Official German Charts) | 19 |
In 2001, a version byDustin the Turkey for the compilationDustin's Greatest Hits reached No. 1 on theIrish Singles Chart, the character's sixth Irish number one.[80]
In 2022, American actress and singerSofia Carson recorded a version for theNetflix romantic drama filmPurple Hearts.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Franchise | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ballparks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Culture |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lore |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rivalries | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Administration |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Series championships (9) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| American League pennants (14) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Division championships (10) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wild card berths (8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minor league affiliates | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Broadcasting |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
