What is your favorite Neil Diamond song?

[CTyankee]

I truly adore "Love on the Rocks" but there are more that thrill me..."You Don't Bring Me Flowers" and "Hello." The man is terrific...

[Donkees]

1. Coming to America

[lunasun]

8. +1 great American song played on the 4th at the Chicago fireworks this year where we were sitting

[rurallib]

17. Love that song

he did many good ones, but I have always felt this song captures what America is (supposed) to be about better than any other song.

[July]

60. That video makes me wonder.

Immigration, for a time, meant many people who knew little of this country, and who usually had no English ( like my Italian grandfather), felt they had a chance here, despite prejudices of the 19th and early 20th century. What in our policy was different then? People from around the world were immigrating to the U.S., and for the most part were being admitted.

I don't know enough about it to guess why so many were welcomed then, while now everyone seems to be suspected of nefarious objectives.

[jpak]

2. Sweet Caroline

[CincyDem]

3. +1

[crazycatlady]

11. Am I wrong for despising this song?

(My name is Caroline and I'm just sick of people singing it to me).

[mikeargo]

26. I understand

I never liked "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore."
But I'll sing this song during the seventh inning stretch.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

31. I can't pass this sign without remembering that song

https://goo.gl/maps/GGp1n5BwrR82

[Orrex]

61. BOMP! Bomp! bomp!

[Chasstev365]

4. Anything he wrote for the Monkees!

[Sedona]

6. I'm a believer!

.

[TheDebbieDee]

15. NEIL DIAMOND WROTE FORO THE MONKEES?!?! Kewl!

[Chasstev365]

16. I'm a Believer and Little Bit Me, Little Bit You! Maybe more!

[Dave Starsky]

27. He wrote a ton of stuff for them, other than the big hits.

Here's my personal fave.

[Mister Ed]

5. Probably "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show".

Love songs are a dime a dozen. Maybe a dime a million, I don't know. But it took real imagination to write a pop hit about a tent-show revival. Plus he sang it so beautifully and powerfully.

[LeftInTX]

37. Mine too!

[LNM]

59. That's the one!

Still gives me goose bumps and I'm an atheist!

[Skittles]

7. Solitary Man

perfection

I too am a longtime fan

[IcyPeas]

23. +1 for Solitary Man

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

32. +2 for that; joining skittles

(no ass kicking required please)

[GP6971]

9. All of the above plus

Holly Holy

[WePurrsevere]

10. Love all of the ones mentioned so far but I think 'I am I said'...

is probably the one that gets me the most...

[CTyankee]

12. Oh, yes.

Why were some people so down on him, like he wasn't really all THAT good...

[WePurrsevere]

14. I truly don't know. I've always found him to be a deeper artist..

than he seems to be given credit for.

I know my own admiration for him grew when I stumbled on his Jonathan Livingston Seagull album at the local library. They're all really good but his song Dear Father and Be moved me to tears and were the perfect songs I needed to hear at that moment in my life.

[Duppers]

21. First time I listened to this

I cried. It touched me deeply because I could relate - not belonging anywhere, with no one understanding me. There's not a more lonely feeling. Bad times, glad they are over.

I have the vinyl album but haven't listened to it in decades, so thank you for posting.

[WePurrsevere]

25. I'm glad it touched you and...

that you're at a better place now.

[femmocrat]

48. My choice, too!

Second would be "Coming to America."

[WePurrsevere]

49. That's way up there for me. IMO 'Coming To America' and...

the Hamiliton Mixtape, 'Immigrants (We get the job done)' should be played at every pro-immigration rally.

[7wo7rees]

13. Soolaimon

[Dave Starsky]

28. That whole album, Tap Root Manuscript, is brilliant.

Neil went off to Africa and came back with a bunch of song ideas inspired by the music he heard there. To my knowledge, I don't think any popular rocker had ever done that before.

[oasis]

43. Paul Simon's "Graceland" album has several Africa inspired tunes. nt

[Dave Starsky]

47. Indeed. And it's a great album.

But it came out about ten or eleven years after Tap Root Manuscript.

Neil was a trailblazer. As someone else here said, his work is a lot deeper than people give him credit for.

[Generic Brad]

18. Crunchy Granola

Why has that not been used to sell breakfast cereal? Why?

[Glorfindel]

19. "Done too Soon"

The man is terrific. I never heard a song of his I didn't like. Thanks for an interesting question!

[letolino]

20. song sung blue

everybody knows one...

[NanceGreggs]

24. "Play Me"

[chaplain_M]

29. Any song of his that's out of earshot.

[CTyankee]

33. I take it that you are not a fan...but why?

[Dave Starsky]

34. Because it's "cool" and "edgy" not to like him.

I can't say I'm a fan of anything he's done after, say, the early '80s. In fact, I think a lot of it is pretty cheesy. But his output from the '60s through the '70s is fantastic. That dude was a powerhouse of hooks and hits.

[CTyankee]

36. When my son was in high school he turned up his nose to Neil Diamond...

none of the really cool kids liked him...

[cloudbase]

30. Brooklyn Roads n/t

[Boomerproud]

35. Sweet Caroline and You Got To Me.

and a slew of others.

[lastlib]

38. "If You Know What I Mean" is Numero Uno!

"I've Been This Way Before",and "Hello Again" both really touch a nerve for me as well.

[billh58]

39. Cracklin Rosie... n't

[Rhiannon12866]

44. Here's a classic video:

[billh58]

45. Thanks!

I was 29, and had almost that much hair...

[Rhiannon12866]

46. LOL! He really is at the top of his form here!

And I remember, too, was in high school.

[Barack_America]

57. I'll second that.

Great song.

[Iggo]

40. Longfellow Serenade.

[YvonneCa]

41. I Am, I Said...

...is my favorite. He's a poet. His music is great, but the lyrics are the best. ❤️💕

[Moostache]

51. Beat me to it!

"LA's fine, but it ain't home....New York's home, but it ain't mine no more"

[NightWatcher]

42. I loved his cover of Metallica's "Master of Puppets"

I heard it on a rare bootleg.

[hamsterjill]

50. "Morningside" has special meaning to me.

Anything Neil - I love! I've seen him in concert eight times and never been disappointed.

To me, his music is religion. I love Lady Magdalene.

[ailsagirl]

52. Solitary Man!

[Eugene]

53. Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show

That and Solitary Man are some of first songs I knew.

Longfellow Serenade also holds a special place.

[JenniferJuniper]

54. Red, red wine

go to my head
Make me forget
that I still need her so

Red, red wine
It's up to you
All I can do, I've done
But memories won't go
No, memories won't go

[Clarity2]

55. Omg, so many Diamond fans!!

I'm so glad I found this board.

Almost every song.

My Dad sometimes tortured us when we were kids playing his music downstairs while we were sleeping. I was a light sleeper, so it kept me up. He was his biggest fan. I hated Neil Diamond until I became a young adult.... and my Dad died, and I became his biggest fan & suddenly "I got it".

But I still sometimes have a very hard time listening to some of his music. It's heart wrenchingly deep. Times like this (Twittler as president) makes it harder to listen to, and makes me miss my father more. He'd be horrified by Trump.

If I had to pick one it would be I am I said. But I haven't been able to listen to that song in a very long time. Sweet Caroline - just an upbeat, easy song to listen to, so I listen to that more than anything.

I went to his hot august summer night concert with my husband in NYC in 2008. My first Diamond concert. Would give anything to get to see that again - but front row center.

[jalan48]

56. Kentucky Woman is a good one.

[MiltonBrown]

58. Cherry Cherry

Favorite song that I thought was Neil Diamond is 'Rock Me Gently' by Andy Kim