Sweet Caroline

Today, Neil Diamond is regarded as one of the biggest songwriters and musicians of popular music, but during the initial years, his career didn't really start well. After a very unsuccessful years period, Diamond established himself as a songwriter from the mid-1960s and eventually also as solo artist. The song "Sweet Caroline" in 1969 was his first big hit and paved the way for many other successful songs.

Neil Diamond himself told two different origin stories about "Sweet Caroline" - a song that is still very famous and popular today. On the one hand he said in an interview that the inspiration for the song was Caroline, daughter of former U.S. president John F. Kennedy. He had seen a photo of the eleven-year-old in a magazine and from this image in his head the song emerged five years later. On the other hand he said that his then wife Marsha inspired him to write the song, but he needed a three-syllabled name to fit the melody. We don't know which of the stories is true - both are pretty tenacious.

"Sweet Caronline" is still extremely popular today and is considered as a pop classic. Many artists have covered the song since its publication in 1969, such as Elvis Presley or Frank Sinatra. Stefan Schwalgin created an authentic concert band arrangement, that surely will stuck in the minds of musicians and listeners alike.

Serie Sound Classics No. 39