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Hugh Jackman and Neil Diamond shared epic karaoke moment<\/p>\n
Hugh Jackman reveals how Neil Diamond\u2019s music shaped his life and led to an unforgettable friendship after making “Song Sung Blue.”<\/p>\n
Before he was the guy leading stadiums full of fans through the chorus of “Sweet Caroline,” Neil Diamond<\/a> was a kid in Brooklyn writing song lyrics while bored in class.<\/p>\n From his first hits in 1966 (\u201cSolitary Man\u201d and \u201cCherry Cherry\u201d) through the early \u201890s, he developed into a superstar with a heady catalog high on melodrama and earnest vocals. His more than 130 million albums<\/a> sold worldwide meant a career deserving of cover songs and tribute acts \u2013 such as the one in the movie \u201cSong Sung Blue”<\/a> with Hugh Jackman playing<\/a> a Diamond “interpreter” (tribute artist) \u2013 as well as a pop culture touchstone. Just ask Quentin Tarantino<\/a>.<\/p>\n Diamond’s expansive songwriting career touched The Monkees (\u201cI\u2019m a Believer\u201d), Glen Campbell (\u201cSunday Sun\u201d), Deep Purple (\u201cKentucky Woman\u201d) and UB40 (\u201cRed, Red Wine\u201d).<\/p>\n Diamond also produced the landmark live album \u201cHot August Night\u201d<\/a> in 1972 and his biggest success, the soundtrack to the 1980 remake of \u201cThe Jazz Singer\u201d<\/a> (his acting, however, did not earn the same kudos).<\/p>\n Diamond, 84, retired from touring in 2018 after being diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s disease<\/a>. In honor of his ample repertoire, here are 10 of his best songs.\u00a0<\/p>\n 10. \u2018Play Me\u2019 (1972)<\/p>\n From his earliest stage days, Diamond exhibited a suave demeanor. But the effect that \u201cPlay Me\u201d had on the women in his audiences bordered on Beatlemania, especially among older fans smitten with his romantic entreaty. Singing about his hunt for love, Diamond offered poetry \u2013 \u201cYou are the sun, I am the moon, you are the words, I am the tune\u201d \u2013 while every guy slid down his seat in embarrassed inferiority.<\/p>\n 9. \u2018Beautiful Noise\u2019 (1976)<\/p>\n For his 1976 album of the same name, Diamond turned to Robbie Robertson of The Band to produce, resulting in a more robust sound. The song \u2013 which gave Diamond\u2019s 2022 Broadway jukebox musical<\/a> its name \u2013 is powered by the organ playing of The Band\u2019s Garth Hudson, but even more affecting is the audible joy in Diamond\u2019s voice as he sings, \u201cIt’s a beautiful noise\/And it’s a sound that I love\/And it fits me as well\/As a hand in a glove.\u201d<\/p>\n 8. \u2018Crunchy Granola Suite\u2019 (1971)<\/p>\n The percussive shifts, blasts of horns and flute breakdown are captivating enough. But who doesn\u2019t love a good \u201cdeedle-le deet-deet-deedlee-doo\u201d in their pop songs? Released as the B-side to \u201cStones,\u201d the groovy finger-snapper was inspired by Diamond\u2019s move from his native New York to Los Angeles, where he says he was intrigued by the healthier lifestyle among the California dreamers. The encroaching guitar chords cast it as the perfect concert opener for years, including on \u201cHot August Night.\u201d<\/p>\n 7. \u2018I Am \u2026 I Said\u2019 (1971)<\/p>\n Of all the dramatic Diamond songs, this fist-clencher wins as the ultimate in vocal theatricality. It\u2019s a deeply personal song for Diamond, who wrote it as a way to find himself and confront insecurities, as he has said in interviews <\/a>over the years. While the lyric “\u2019I am\u2019… I said\/To no one there\/And no one heard at all\/Not even the chair\u201d is often ridiculed, it\u2019s actually an astute turn of phrase to exemplify Diamond\u2019s feelings of emotional abandonment.<\/p>\n 6. \u2018You Don\u2019t Bring Me Flowers\u2019 (1978)<\/p>\n Though known as an iconic duet with Barbra Streisand<\/a>, the pensive ballad about waning love was written by Diamond along with Alan and Marilyn Bergman as the theme song to the Norman Lear sitcom \u201cAll That Glitters.\u201d The show concept changed and the song was nixed but released on Diamond\u2019s album \u201cI\u2019m Glad You\u2019re Here With Me Tonight.\u201d Streisand covered<\/a> the emotionally piercing song the following year, and clever DJs around the country began splicing the two solo versions together. Listener response was so great that Diamond and Streisand hit the studio to officially record the duet.<\/p>\n 5. \u2018Love on the Rocks\u2019 (1980)<\/p>\n Throughout his career, Diamond swung from dreamer to cynic with the ease of a Cirque du Soleil performer. This track from \u201cThe Jazz Singer\u201d could be read as the dissolution of a romantic relationship, but his almost snarling vocals suggest he\u2019s channeling the young performer he portrays in the movie when he sings, \u201cAnd when they know they have you\/Then they really have you\u201d and \u201cJust pour me a drink and I\u2019ll tell you more lies.\u201d It\u2019s always a delight when bitter Neil appears.<\/p>\n 4. \u2018Hello Again\u2019 (1981)<\/p>\n Another contribution to \u201cThe Jazz Singer\u201d soundtrack, the slow-burn ballad is one of the most sumptuous in Diamond\u2019s catalog. It isn\u2019t the most complicated song, either musically or lyrically. But the beauty is in its simplicity. The rich piano chords, swelling strings and lyrics about missing someone and the need to reconnect expose Diamond\u2019s vulnerability. As well, his vocal delivery still produces chills. \u00a0<\/p>\n 3. \u2018Sweet Caroline\u2019 (1969)<\/p>\n Just because the anthem has been co-opted by sporting events, karaoke playlists<\/a> and anywhere alcohol and\/or fist pumping is involved doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s Diamond\u2019s top song. Much like Billy Idol\u2019s version of \u201cMony Mony,\u201d<\/a> the fan-added embellishments to the chorus are juvenile and have forever marred an otherwise perfectly pleasant ditty. Diamond has said the tune was inspired by a young Caroline Kennedy, but he has also suggested it was written for his wife at the time, Marcia Murphey<\/a>, but he needed a three-syllable name to fit the melody. Whatever the real story behind the name, the song might be \u201cso good\u201d but isn’t his greatest. \u00a0<\/p>\n 2. \u2018America\u2019 (1981)<\/p>\n Think back, if you will, to 1980, when Diamond\u2019s dramatic rumble of patriotism and celebration of immigration elicited welcoming cheers and pride in embracing foreigners who wanted to share their cultures and experience the American dream. What a time.<\/p>\n 1. \u2018Cracklin\u2019 Rosie\u2019 (1970)<\/p>\n