This was Neil Diamond’s first single after signing with MCA records back in 1968. Diamond had already scored numerous hits for Bert Burn’s Bang record label and was now ready to debut on the MCA distributed UNI label.
The song highlighted a far more personal side of Neil Diamond with its autobiographical lyrics and adult oriented orchestral arrangements. It appeared on the album Velvet Gloves And Spit which also included the singles “Two-Bit Manchild,” “Sunday Sun” and a remake of the song “Shilo.” The jameshallison casino album also included the most unhip and embarrassing song in the entire Neil Diamond canon, the anti-drug “Pot Smoker’s Song” in which drug addicts share their bizarre stories.
I’ve always been willing and able to give Diamond a pass for the aforementioned track, and hits like “September Morn,” “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” and the many other middle of the road cringe-worth songs from the 1980s, in exchange for the greatness of hits like “Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show,” “Sweet Caroline,” “Holly Holy,” “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “I Am…I Said,” “Song Sung Blue,” “Cherry Cherry,” “Kentucky Woman,” “Solitary Man,” “Thank The Lord For The Night Time,” “I’m A Believer, “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon,” and so many others.
How could you not…
