In 1969, Neil Diamond released a song that would eventually become so much bigger than he ever imagined.
More than half a century later, “Sweet Caroline” is arguably Diamond’s most universally recognizable song, heard everywhere from his own concerts to sporting events and celebrations around the world. But according to the singer-songwriter, there came a point when he realized the song didn’t really belong to him anymore.
In a new interview with Billboard, Diamond reflected on the remarkable second life of “Sweet Caroline” and what the song has come to mean to the millions of people who sing along with it.
For Diamond, its transformation is about “happiness, unity, joy and togetherness.”
And witnessing that transformation ultimately changed the way he thought about one of his own creations.
“It no longer was my song,” Diamond said. “It belonged to the world.”
Neil Diamond Says ‘Sweet Caroline’ ‘Came Through Me and Not From Me’
Diamond’s relationship with “Sweet Caroline” is especially fascinating because he doesn’t entirely take credit for creating it.
He described the song as something that “came through me and not from me,” suggesting that even at the beginning, there was something about “Sweet Caroline” that felt bigger than its songwriter.
The song was released in 1969 and became one of Diamond’s early breakthrough hits, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Yet its original chart performance only tells a fraction of its story.
Related: 1971 Hit, Which Took Neil Diamond 4 Months to Write, Remains His Favorite Song 55 Years Later
Over the ensuing decades, “Sweet Caroline” became a communal singalong, with the audience-supplied “so good, so good, so good” refrain becoming so closely associated with the song that Diamond himself eventually incorporated it into performances.
Its reach has extended especially far into sports. The Boston Red Sox famously made “Sweet Caroline” a Fenway Park tradition, while the song has also been embraced by English soccer fans and heard at countless other sporting events.
That communal life is what appears to fascinate Diamond now. A song written and recorded by one man has become something thousands of strangers can sing together, often with little connection to the circumstances in which it was originally created.
‘Sweet Caroline’ Has Followed Neil Diamond for More Than 50 Years
The song’s longevity is even more remarkable considering the enormous catalog Diamond built around it.
He went on to score major hits including “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Song Sung Blue,” “I Am… I Said,” “Love on the Rocks” and “America,” selling more than 130 million records worldwide and earning induction into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
But “Sweet Caroline” developed a cultural identity all its own.
Diamond has watched generations who weren’t alive when the single was released learn its words, its pauses and even the extra chants that weren’t part of his original recording.
And that helps explain why, when Diamond talks about the song today, he doesn’t simply describe it as one of his biggest hits.
Instead, he talks about what happened when everyone else got hold of it.
What began as a Neil Diamond song in 1969 became a ritual shared among stadiums full of people, something capable of creating a few minutes of the “happiness, unity, joy and togetherness” Diamond now associates with it.
More than 55 years after its release, perhaps that’s why Diamond’s assessment feels so fitting.
“Sweet Caroline” may have come through Neil Diamond, but somewhere along the way, as he puts it, “it belonged to the world.”
Related: 1972 Album, Called ‘Magic in a Bottle,’ Is Still Neil Diamond’s Favorite 54 Years Later
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