Cracklin’ Rose get on board
We were a multi-generational Neil Diamond family. My parents played Neil's albums constantly back in the 70s, and his movie The Jazz Singer was a must-see event, on repeat in those early days when HBO was Home Box Office and would only show one movie a day.
Neil, in his blue sequinned glory, was the first show to open the Van Andel Arena and I was there having won free tickets from a print vendor. And yes, there were elderly women throwing panties in the late 90s.
He was kind of a dish, even in his later years.
He was among the many talented scribes who wrote hit singles for The Monkees such as I'm a Believer, A Little Bit Me a Little Bit You, and Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow. I'm a Believer is an iconic pop single, a hit not only for the Monkees but also for Anne Murray in the 70s and Smashmouth in the early 2000s, appearing on the soundtrack to the movie Shrek. That's three generations!
Neil had a long string of hits starting with Solitary Man in the '60s. His contributions to pop culture as a singer/songwriter can be heard daily at baseball parks across the country, Sweet Caroline serving as a "feel-so-good so good! so good!" singalong during the 7th inning stretch.
Not bad for a kid from Brooklyn who learned to write poetry because he was too shy to talk to girls.
