"Solitary Man", "Cherry, Cherry", "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon", "Thank the Lord for the Night Time", "Kentucky Woman", "Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show", "Holly Holy", "Cracklin' Rosie", "Song Sung Blue", "Longfellow Serenade", "Forever in Blue Jeans", "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" (with Barbra Streisand), "Love on the Rocks", "Hello Again", "America", ..... do them! Do them all!
I was at a heavy metal concert a little while ago. Before the band took the stage, taped music was being played. When Sweet Caroline started up, an arena full of metal-heads sang along with passion! Everybody loves Neil.
It's very sad to hear that, I certainly wish him all the best. All the pleasure he's given to so many people over the years with his great music, it's a fantastic legacy.
I think about him often. I grew up listening to him, and watching him on tv. He's one of my all time favorite artists. Such a beautiful man, has a beautiful soul. with an equally beautiful voice. Thank you Mr. Diamond, we love you, and may the Lord grant you strength and comfort each day. 🙏🏽💞💞💞
My Dad dragged me to a Neil Diamond concert, I was a typical know-it-all teen, and he was sooo old-fashioned. I whined for an hour while we drove. Then Neil Diamond shut me up. Wow, he was incredible!
@@anglosaxon5874 - You might want to give your reply a second look before you suggest "education" to others. You made the EXACT same mistake the O.P. did and added another TWO just for good measure. Irony in it's purest form.
Agree. I immediately thought of all the folks feeling alone in the world or who are considering harming themselves. In today’s vernacular, YOUR LIFE MATTERS.
Neil Diamond was my eldest sister's favorite artist. She was never able to see him in concert but in 1986 we drove from Ohio to Atlanta, GA to not only see him once, but twice. She passed away in 1987 and I will always remember the adventure we shared. Neil puts on the best concert and is impeccable live. 2 1/2 hours of nothing but straight entertainment!
Sweet Caroline,Coming to America, Cherry Cherry, A Little Bit Me,Shiloh, Red Red Wine,Play Me, Cracklin Rose,September Morn, You Don’t Bring Me Flowers Anymore with Barbara Streisand.
"Solitary Man" is the definitive early Neil Diamond song. It made the charts in 1966. "Cherry, Cherry" and "Kentucky Woman" are also early classics! Diamond was also a songwriter in the legendary Brill Building. He wrote a number of hits in the 60s for the Monkees, including "I'm a Believer", "A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You", and "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)".
Add in "Crackling Rosie" and "Play Me." The Monkees songs are fantastic, too. Such an amazingly talented singer/songwriter. I absolutely love all his music except for one song I absolutely cannot stand.😲.Just one. I won't mention which one it is - I don't want to get hit with an ⚡!🤣
One of my favorite singer songwriters spanning many decades. He had tons of hit songs. "I Am, I Said" is one of my favorite songs by Neil. It is almost an autobiography of his life & fame. He wrote the song "I'm A Believer" which became a big hit for the Monkees in 1966. Other great songs are "Cherry, Cherry", "Kentucky Woman", "Red Red Wine", "Shilo", "Solitary Man", "Holly Holy", "Cracklin' Rosie", "Song Sung Blue", "Longfellow Serenade", "Desirée", "Forever In Blue Jeans", "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" etc. I was privileged to see him live in concert twice.
I love Neil Diamond, what a voice! This takes me right back to the 1970s, such a great song. Another fav song is 'Sweet Caroline' which is sung a lot by English football fans at matches!! Apart from that, so many other fantastic songs such as 'Song Sung Blue', 'Forever in Blue Jeans', 'Beautiful Noise' and 'Solitary Man'. He is a great song writer as well as an amazing singer! 😊😊
Lets just say the 1980 film remake of "The Jazz Singer" won't be remembered as a shining moment in Neil Diamond's acting career. But the film's soundtrack is terrific, and became Neil's biggest selling album in the US. So many great songs; "America", "Love on the Rocks", "Summerlove", "Hello Again", etc. "Hello Again" was the song used in the film Saving Silverman.
I ❤ Neil Diamond. He has such a beautiful voice and his music is so original and beautiful. More Neil Diamond for sure, like Brother Loves Traveling Salvation Show, Shiloh, America (would be good for 4th of July), Play Me, Forever in Blue Jeans, Cherry Cherry, and duet with Barbara Streisand “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” 🌸 ❤. He has so many songs he’s written. Such a beautiful voice and his music is just amazing. I saw Neil Diamond live many years ago, and he did put on a good show ❤
So many awesome songs! A few of my favorites: Solitary Man, Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show, Crackling Rosie, Coming to America... He is such a wonderful singer.
Remember, he is comparing rent in LA to rent in NYC, where the only reasonable rent is in rent controlled apartments. No, LA rent wasn't even reasonable when my mother attended UCLA in the late '50s.
Always loved that song. To me, it was a defiant declaration to the world that, even if he was alone and insignificant to others, he was still a person and still mattered. "I am, I said, to no one there, and no one heard at all, not even the chair" has to be one of the saddest lyrics I've ever heard. This would be a rabbit hole well worth the trip.
Watch the video from the movie “The Jazz Singer”. The woman and old man they keep showing in the audience are his girlfriend (played by Lucie Arnaz, daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz of the sitcom “I Love Lucy”) and his father ( played by the legendary Sir Laurence Olivier).
"HOT AUGUST NIGHT" is a double album of Neil's finest "live" recordings ever! Backed with a full orchestra he performed many of his hits with engineering that featured brilliant sound!
Yes here in NZ it was the same. Wasn't cool to say we liked Neil Diamond ... But we still sang his songs at parties non the less, with the encouragement of a few brews
Neil is the man! I own all of his albums on vinyl - around 20 I think. His live stuff is way way better than his recorded stuff. He comes alive in front of an audience. Hot August Night, a live 2 disc album, is my favorite album of all time of any artist. Saw him 3 times in his prime even though I don't go to a lot of concerts.
The man was something live. He would perform for hours and get the crowd going like crazy. Everybody up, singing and dancing. Was amazing!! People would be there with their children and parents. Multi generations just loving the show. He's one of a kind!!!
Wikipedia-I Am... I Said", which took Diamond four months to compose, is one of his most intensely personal efforts, making reference to both Los Angeles and New York City. Diamond told Mojo magazine in July 2008 that the song came from a time he spent in therapy in Los Angeles. He said: It was consciously an attempt on my part to express what my dreams were about, what my aspirations were about and what I was about. And without any question, it came from my sessions with the analyst. In the same month, he told Q that the song was written "to find [him]self" and added, "It's a tough thing for me to gather myself after singing that song." But Diamond has also given another inspiration for this song: an unsuccessful tryout for a movie about the life and death of the comedian Lenny Bruce. Author David Wild interviewed Diamond for a 2008 book and he discussed how his efforts to channel Lenny Bruce evoked such intense emotions that it led him to spend some time in therapy.
When you have a chance, you should check out "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", a duet by Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1978. Funnily enough, "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" was written by Neil Diamond with Alan and Marilyn Bergman, and was originally released by Diamond as a solo track on his 1977 album "I'm Glad You're Here with Me Tonight." Early in 1978, Barbra Streisand covered the song on her album "Songbird." These recordings were spliced together by different radio stations, creating unofficial duets, the success of which led to the studio bringing both artists together for an official duet recording. 🤩
Brooklyn born and raised of immigrant parents. This is my favorite of his songs. Deep. I can understand the feeling being from East Harlem yet now living in Texas.
This song was released in 1971. Neil had hits in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. The movie he starred in and did the music for was a remake of The Jazz Singer.
Neil Diamond was born in Brooklyn 1/24/1941..to Jewish immigrants from Poland...he received a $9 acoustic guitar for a birthday gift...and at age 15 wrote his first song 'Hear Them Bells'...while singing at his High School there was a classmate he wouldn't formally meet for another 20 years..that was Barbara Streisand... In 1958 Neil entered NYU pre-med to become a doctor but medicine didn't interest him as much as music..he dropped out at the end of his junior year just 10 credits shy of graduating.. music became his world..working in and around music..writing and performing... Throughout the years he had ups and downs.. appearances on Dick Clark's American Bandstand..and in 1966 recorded his first album... Neil also made appearances on other variety shows..wrote music for other groups/singers and even musical scores for films as well as a short foray into acting... however acting wasn't his strength and decided to stick to music... Neil was well loved for his musc and still today new listeners are drawn to his melodic style... 🌿🌿🌿
Neil Diamond is legend! Not only is he one of the most prolific songwriters to come out of the 60s New York "Tin Pan Alley", he's one of the most engaging performers to grace the stage. His double live LP, Hot August Night, is in my top 5 live concert recordings.
He wrote this when he first moved to LA and was struggling to get his career started. He said it is a true story of loneliness in his small apartment. Listen to his America song. Watch him as The Jazz Singer in the movie of the same name.
I love it when you find out you didn't know you knew. As an older bloke tuning in from Australia, I'd love it if you had a set day of the week for a " return to the rabbit hole " show for artists like Neil Diamond or Billy Joel etc, who have such great back catalogues of timeless classics.
He ran/flew from LA to the Boston Red Sox Opening Day right after the Boston Marathon bombing, so he could sing Sweet Caroline LIVE. The Sox have played Neil’s recorded version in the 8th inning for over 27 years now. It was a horrendous tragedy and Neil wanted to do “something” to show honor and respect. It meant so much to all New Englanders. This was the same day Big Papi took the mike and said to the world, “This is our f*cking city! Four years after his Parkinson’s diagnosis, he returned to Fenway in June of 2022 to sing Sweet Caroline still again at 82 years old! How can anyone not love this man? 💕🌈
He was in "The Jazz Singer " in 1980. He played Jess Robin,the main character. Near the end he is in a sparkling blue shirt. Beautiful. He sings the song "America".
One of the greatest performers, writers, and singers of all time! His catalog of songs is huge. One of the greatest all time live albums is the 1972 Hot August Night Live album. Masterpiece. I hope you do more of his songs.
A coworker of mine called one Friday evening after we left work and asked if I wanted a pair of Neil Diamond tickets in the round. I said heck yeah! In my opinion, he’s a classic!!!
Neil Diamond is one of the greatest American singer/songwriters of all time. Period. I don't like to repeat myself. Brother Loves Traveling Salvation Show, Holly Holy, Cherri Cherri.
Holly Holy, Kentucky Woman, Coming to America (just think of the Statue of Liberty). He's been around for a long time, deserves huge accolades for his songwriting, lyrics and performances.
My late mother was a huge Neil Diamond fan. She had a chance to meet him a month before she passed away, and he was kind and charming. I always think of Mom when I hear his music, and they are happy memories.
Oh so many memories of my darling dad when I was a teenager in the 70’s and only listened to rock music. He had Hot August Night and used to play it and I grew to love it. My dad has been gone for 18 months and I miss him so much, this has made me cry. Such a great song by an amazing artist.
I was fortunate enough to see him in concert, early 1990s. He was showing his age, but his voice was still as strong and as clear as it was in the 1970s. I saw a few of his stages a decade or so later and could hear his voice lost much of it's 'texture' for lack of a better word, he still sounded good but age finally caught up with his vocal cords. Back around 1972/73 I fell in love with his voice and I think his Taproot Manuscript, Moods, and Hot August Night (live) albums are my favorites.
He started out as a song writer and when he would sing a song to present it to the artists they said why aren't you recording these yourself because your voice is incredible. The rest is history.
Neil Diamond is the Man. Hot August Night is one of the best albums of all time . We played " Crunchy Cranola " amongst other , of my Dads favourite tracks at his Funeral .
Interestingly, in 1970, Neil Diamond was serious about getting into the movies. Neil was being courted to play the lead role in a biopic about the deceased, legendary shock comic, Lenny Bruce. Neil threw himself into preparing for this part, to the point of performing a full set of standup comedy at "The Bitter End West" in West Hollywood. And while Neil didn’t get the part, he was inspired to write one of his most intimate songs, "I Am...I Said." Apparently, Neil did a perfectly good job at the audition, but the experience shook him up. He was unsettled by speaking a deceased artist’s words in the presence of the decreased's mother, Sally Marr. In addition, Lenny Bruce’s material was considerably more risque than Diamond’s. As Neil stated in "I Am...I Said", he's “not a man who likes to swear.” Neil told Rolling Stone afterward, “He (Lenny) was just saying all those things I had been holding in. It was all the anger that was pent up in me. Suddenly here I was, speaking words that I had never spoken before. These violent monologues of his, and the way he acted. And I went into therapy almost immediately after that.” Writing "I Am...I Said" was therapeutic for Neil Diamond, and came out of a period of introspection. According to Neil, "the song was consciously an attempt on my part to express what my dreams were about, what my aspirations were about, and what I was about. And without any question, it came from my sessions with the analyst.” The lyric also referred to the sense of dislocation he felt at leaving his birthplace of New York City for Los Angeles, where he still felt like an outsider. Neil admitted that even decades after writing this song, it was still tough for him to gather himself after performing it.
Neil Diamond is amazing. I got to see him live and I cannot stress enough how incredible he is. I AM is such an incredible song. It has so many levels. In Hebrew God is Yahweh- I Am. Listen again thinking of that.
Neil Diamond is one of the greatest songwriters ever that when he started out just wanted to be a songwriter, that only started singing to have his music be heard. He then became the great singer/ songwriter/ performer that the world loved ❤️💫
Not only was Neil a great performer, but has written hit after hit for other artists. Back when he got divorced it was the most expensive celebrity divorce ever.
Neil Diamond was my mother's favorite. I took her to a couple of concerts, she was so excited. Play Me, Beautiful Noise, Coming to America, Song Song Blu, Forever in blue jeans....man he's got so many
This was the first concert I took my wife to... I was 24 and she was 20... It was 1990... I think we were the youngest ones in the audience... I grew up listening to him and I just never knew if I was ever going to get a chance to see him again. Paid top dollar for tickets right up close to the stage he was in What's called the round where he had a round stage in the middle of the coliseum that rotated so that everybody got a good look at the band in the middle of the show because it was close to the holidays. He stopped and did 45 minutes of Christmas and Hanukkah songs and then continued on with the show. It was fantastic.
Someone recommended this as a first Neil Diamond listen. It's a good one. I think "Holly Holy" is my favorite Neil Diamond song. You've probably heard "Girl You'll be a Woman Soon" if you've seen Pulp Fiction.
Now this is one of the greatest singer-songwriters ever. He sold more than 130 million albums worldwide, broke attendance records wherever he performed in the world and received numerous awards. He has a unique, distinctive voice and tons of charisma as a performer. He has numerous bangers to chose from, from Solitary Man over Brooklyn Roads, Holly Holy, to later songs like Hell Yeah.
“I Am…I Said” is an amazing Neil Diamond song from March 1971. This song also opens and closes his wonderful album "Stones". Stones opens with the single version of “I Am..I Said” and closes with a reprise, which begins with the second verse and continues after the single fades, with Diamond shouting “I am!” with only strings for accompaniment. Rolling Stone reviewer Paul Gambaccini singled this moment out, calling it “as touching as the single itself." The live version of “I Am…I Said”, from Neil's defining 1972 live album "Hot August Night", is also great. Although it was the finale of his main set, it’s actually more intimate than the single, beginning with just acoustic guitar and never reaching the expected crescendo. Diamond’s delivery evinces all the emotional turmoil that birthed the song, along with the toughness and confidence that came out of it.
I saw Neil in Wichita, too, in the 80's. Twice in Wichita and once in Oklahoma City. Neil Diamond is just a spectacular singer, songwriter and performer. I've been a HUGE fan of his since the beginning of his career!!! ❤❤❤❤😊😊
"Play Me" is so beautiful. I think that you would add it to your playlist to share with your wife. Enjoyed this reaction and yes " I am". We all have a purpose. love n peace
I had such a massive crush on him when I was a kid. I love this song. My folks listened to him.....his music reminds me of them. Wonderful memories. My fave by him is Cracklin' Rosie. I just love love love that song. And others....too many to name. Play Me, Love on the Rocks, Beautiful Noise, September Morn, Forever in Blue Jeans, Holly Holy, Longfellow Serenade, Brother Loves Traveling Salvation Show, Kentucky Woman, Hello Again..........the list goes ON.......
