If you've been following the news recently, you've probably heard that Neil Diamond revealed the inspiration behind Sweet Caroline, that old-time favorite of Red Sox fans and drunken revelers at bar's closing times everywhere.

Diamond said he wrote the song when he saw a picture of Caroline Kennedy when she was seven-years-old. So the truth is finally revealed.

Or is it? Here's an alternate reason/urban myth for all of you to enjoy (or more likely, yell at me and say I'm full of something.) My Dad use to be a broadcast journalist for several networks throughout his career, and at one point worked in Boston. There, he worked with a camera-woman named Carolyn, who claimed she used to date Neil years earlier. They were dating when he wrote the song, and he told her he dedicated the song to her, only changing her name slightly for rhyming purposes. She apparently bought this and told my Dad the song was for her.

Make of that what you will. Maybe the couple were just having a HUGE fight at the time, and Diamond figured that would soothe her anger nicely. That'd be awesome. But maybe there's some truth to it; after all, Sweet Caroline is a pretty romantic song...if you're sober enough to notice when listening to it. Seriously, it needs to be banned from bars the world over.

Until next time,
Brian

Posted by
Brian Mccarthy