> Q Research General #25111:Sweet CarolineEdition
Should be added to rally playlist
Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” Was Inspired by This Former First Daughter
An "innocent, wonderful picture" of Caroline Kennedy triggered Diamond to include her name in his 1969 love song.
By Rachel ChangPublished: May 14, 2020
Neil Diamond
Photo: RB/Redferns
Good times never seem so good (so good, so good, so good) as when Neil Diamond’s 1969 hit “Sweet Caroline” is being sung by a huge crowd. The carefree singable track debuted in May 1969, becoming the ultimate summer hit, spending 14 weeks on the charts, peaking at No. 4 on the Hot 100.
Since then, it’s been covered by notable artists like Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Roy Orbison — and become the unofficial anthem of the Boston Red Sox. “It somehow had a connection to the spiritual nature of people’s lives,” Diamond told Red Sox historian Gordon Edes in a 2020 interview for the baseball team’s site. “Maybe it’s the joy of singing it too… Chills, thrills, sing it from the hills!”
The Caroline whose sweetness has charmed audiences for decades remained a mystery until Diamond revealed the inspiration in 2007: a childhood photo of Caroline Kennedy, daughter of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
And the two didn’t even know each other. The unlikely inspiration came from a photo of Kennedy when she was about seven years old — even though Diamond was 17 years her senior.
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