Part Four of the “Happiest Sounding Sad Songs’

Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond

It is rare that a bar will kick people out at the end of the night before 1969’s anthemic “Sweet Caroline” comes on the jukebox. Each night, drunkards all over the country sing along and pump their fists to each “ba, ba, BA.” Beside alcoholics, dozens of sporting teams (including the NY Rangers, Red Sox, Penn State, and Red Wings) have played the song after home victories.

If you actually sit down and listen to the words, it lyrically alludes to some sort of seasonal fling with a woman named Caroline. That’s fine; 90% of songs are written about women. Except for the creepy undertones in this song. What creepy undertones? Well, how about that this song is about old Neil serenading JFK’s then eleven year-year old daughter. He divulged the inspiration behind the song two years ago, citing a picture of a young Caroline Kennedy. Diamond explained, “It was a picture of a little girl dressed to the nines in her riding gear, next to her pony.”

Ohhh. That’s not weird.