The audience erupted with joy as the iconic opening notes of Sweet Caroline filled the air. Neil Diamond, a living legend, stepped onto the stage unannounced, catching everyone by surprise. His voice, still rich with emotion and power, carried through the venue like a warm embrace. Fans were on their feet, singing along with every “bum-bum-bum” and “so good, so good, so good,” their voices blending in harmony with his. It was a magical moment, overflowing with nostalgia and unity, as Diamond reminded the world why his music transcends generations.

At the time, many people in the UK wondered why Sweet Caroline was the unofficial anthem of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and why Rod Stewart sang it at the televised party outside Buckingham Palace on 4 June 2022. Neil Diamond is American and Rod Stewart has an extensive repertoire of his own.

The simple answer is that the track was the clear winner when Radio 2 listeners voted for a Jubilee song. Royal fans were urged to sing it at street parties on 5 June. As for Sir Rod, he was asked to sing the song by the BBC. Why didn’t the BBC fly out Neil Diamond? Neil Diamond has Parkinson’s Disease. Here is a rare recent public appearance:

That was Diamond singing “Sweet Caroline” at the Broadway opening of A Beautiful Noise, the musical based on Neil Diamond’s life and music. A poor kid from Brooklyn, as he has put it, Diamond was a songwriter before he had success with his own recordings. The list of hit songs that Neil Diamond wrote, both for others and himself, is extensive. His songs were recorded by Elvis Presley (And the Grass Won’t Pay No Mind & Sweet Caroline), Lulu, Cliff Richards & Deep Purple, to name a few.

Many music fans don’t know that I’m a believer (The Monkees) & Red, Red Wine (UB40) were written by Neil Diamond. Diamond’s ten US number ones include Cracklin’ Rosie, Song Sung Blue and You Don’t Bring Me Flowers. Diamond is one of the best-selling artists ever (over 130M records worldwide according to Wikipedia) and he wrote 38 US top-40 singles. Here is Neil Diamond singing Beautiful Noise (1976), the fantastic hit song that gives its name to the musical based on his life:

The video is the only copy of the original 1976 promo film available on YouTube. Unfortunately, the video was faded out after two minutes by the TV show on which it was broadcast. Never mind, it is a delightful blast from the past that shows Neil Diamond at his prime. Interestingly, the Beautiful Noise single was produced by Robbie Robertson of The Band.

Neil Diamond’s last tour, before he retired due to his Parkinson’s Disease, was in 2017. In 2019, the Library of Congress selected Diamond’s iconic 1969 song Sweet Caroline for preservation on account of its cultural, historic & aesthetic significance.