Post by erik on Jul 3, 2021 12:58:27 GMT -5
He may not have always been the critics' darling, but it was a different story with the fans. And this week, Neil Diamond is spotlighted for a true anthem of American patriotism for the 245th birthday of our country.
AMERICA (Neil Diamond; Capitol; 1981)—With a combination of Brill Building expertise and Greenwich Village-influenced folk-rock, Neil Diamond was one of the most influential performers during the period between 1967 and 1979. Hits like “Solitary Man”, “Kentucky Woman”, “Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show”, ‘If You Know What I Mean”, and “September Morn” made him a fan favorite, though not necessarily a favorite of critics. This trend continued and accelerated in late 1980, when he made his film-acting debut in a remake of The Jazz Singer. In the film, Diamond portrayed a young singer torn between his Jewish father (portrayed by Sir Laurence Olivier) and his dreams of pop stardom. The film, directed by Richard Fleischer (Tora! Tora! Tora!; Soylent Green), was a critical and commercial disaster, but the same was not said for Diamond’s own soundtrack, which sold quite well. Two songs from the album,, “Love On The Rocks” and “Hello Again”, managed to reach #2 and #6, respectively, on the Hot 100 in early 1981; both also hit #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart. A third hit from the soundtrack, “America”, also became a sizeable hit. With its theme of people who have come from other parts of the world to the “sweet land of liberty” (borrowing a slice of the patriotic anthem “My Country ‘Tis Of Thee”), “America” managed to reach #8 in late June 1981, close to the 205th anniversary of American independence. Ironically, however, it was included twenty years later on a Clear Channel memorandum listing songs deemed ‘inappropriate” following 9/11, which, as with all the other songs on the list, infuriated music fans everywhere. By 2019, Diamond had to retire from concert performances due to the encroachment of Parkinson’s Disease. Nevertheless, “America” had become one of his signature songs, helping him earn a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.
AMERICA (Neil Diamond; Capitol; 1981)—With a combination of Brill Building expertise and Greenwich Village-influenced folk-rock, Neil Diamond was one of the most influential performers during the period between 1967 and 1979. Hits like “Solitary Man”, “Kentucky Woman”, “Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show”, ‘If You Know What I Mean”, and “September Morn” made him a fan favorite, though not necessarily a favorite of critics. This trend continued and accelerated in late 1980, when he made his film-acting debut in a remake of The Jazz Singer. In the film, Diamond portrayed a young singer torn between his Jewish father (portrayed by Sir Laurence Olivier) and his dreams of pop stardom. The film, directed by Richard Fleischer (Tora! Tora! Tora!; Soylent Green), was a critical and commercial disaster, but the same was not said for Diamond’s own soundtrack, which sold quite well. Two songs from the album,, “Love On The Rocks” and “Hello Again”, managed to reach #2 and #6, respectively, on the Hot 100 in early 1981; both also hit #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart. A third hit from the soundtrack, “America”, also became a sizeable hit. With its theme of people who have come from other parts of the world to the “sweet land of liberty” (borrowing a slice of the patriotic anthem “My Country ‘Tis Of Thee”), “America” managed to reach #8 in late June 1981, close to the 205th anniversary of American independence. Ironically, however, it was included twenty years later on a Clear Channel memorandum listing songs deemed ‘inappropriate” following 9/11, which, as with all the other songs on the list, infuriated music fans everywhere. By 2019, Diamond had to retire from concert performances due to the encroachment of Parkinson’s Disease. Nevertheless, “America” had become one of his signature songs, helping him earn a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.