Sweet Caroline

Lore & Background

Neil Diamond has given different explanations for the song's inspiration. In a 2007 interview, he said the inspiration was Caroline Kennedy, then 12 years old. In 2011, he said a magazine cover photo of Caroline as a young child on a horse with her parents inspired him. In 2014, he said the song was about his then-wife Marcia Murphey, but he needed a three-syllable name. The song reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1969 and was certified gold. It has been used at Fenway Park since at least 1997 and in the middle of the eighth inning since 2002. On opening night of the 2010 season at Fenway Park, Diamond performed the song live. After the Boston Marathon bombing in April 2013, Diamond led the crowd at Fenway Park in a rendition, and sales surged nearly 600 percent. In the UK, the song became a pre-fight anthem at boxing events, attributed to promoter Eddie Hearn.

Reader's Guide

The song has three distinct mixes: the original mono 45 mix, the stereo version on the Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show LP, and a remix on the initial CD release of His 12 Greatest Hits. A live version appears on the 1972 album Hot August Night. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Diamond changed some lyrics to 'Hands ... washing hands ... don't touch me ... I won't touch you.'

Did You Know?

• The song was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry in 2019.
• It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2020.
• In June 2026, CBS News included it in its list of 250 essential American songs of the past 250 years.
• DJ Ötzi released a version in 2009 that reached No. 19 on the German singles chart.
• Roy Orbison recorded a cover in 1973 for his album Milestones.