Sweet Caroline

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Neil Diamond has provided different explanations for the song's origins. In a 2007 interview, he stated the inspiration was John F. Kennedy's daughter Caroline Kennedy, who was 12 years old at the time it was released. Diamond sang the song for her at her 50th birthday celebration in 2007. On December 21, 2011, in an interview on CBS's The Early Show, Diamond said that a magazine cover photo of Caroline Kennedy as a young child on a horse with her parents created an image in his mind, and the rest of the song came together about five years after seeing the picture. However, in 2014, Diamond said the song was about his then-wife Marcia Murphey, but he needed a three-syllable name to fit the melody.

In Their Own Story

The tradition at Fenway Park solidified when the song began playing in the middle of the eighth inning every game starting in 2002. Before that, it had been played there since at least 1997. The emotional weight of this ritual was highlighted after the Boston Marathon bombing in April 2013. Several days later, Neil Diamond himself led the crowd at Fenway Park in singing the song. The New York Yankees, longtime rivals, showed their support for the city by playing it over Yankee Stadium's loudspeakers the day after the incident. Following these events, sales of the song surged nearly 600 percent in that week, jumping from 2,800 copies to 19,000. Diamond announced he would donate his royalties from those specific sales to the One Fund Boston charity.

Reader's Guide

The song has been played at Fenway Park, home of Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox, since at least 1997 and in the middle of the eighth inning at every game since 2002. On opening night of the 2010 season at Fenway Park, the song was performed live by Diamond himself. Several days after the Boston Marathon bombing in April 2013, Neil Diamond led the crowd at Fenway Park in a rendition of the song. The New York Yankees showed their support for the city by playing the song over Yankee Stadium's loudspeakers the day after the incident. Sales of the song surged nearly 600 percent in the week after the bombings, to 19,000 copies, up from 2,800 the week before. Diamond said that he would donate his royalties from those sales to the One Fund Boston charity.

Did You Know?

• The song reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the week ending August 16, 1969, and was certified gold by the RIAA on August 18, 1969.
• In July 2021, 'Sweet Caroline' re-entered the UK Singles Chart 50 years after its first UK release, following its use by England supporters during Euro 2020.
• In 2019, the song was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, Diamond changed some of the lyrics to 'Hands ... washing hands ... don't touch me ... I won't touch you.'