They’re Coming to America: a Neil Diamond Song for 4th of July

I remember when I first heard this song at the beginning of Diamond’s movie The Jazz Singer.  It has a driving rhythm and a sing-along quality, a great way to start a film. It made me appreciate this country and what it has offered to immigrants.

 The movie had mixed reviews, but the soundtrack was Diamond’s most successful album.

 The slow ballads “Love on the Rocks” and “Hello Again” are also included.

 I downloaded onto my phone today, with the Freegal app. I think it makes nice 4^th of July music.

Music for Your Silent Monks: “The Hallelujah Chorus” by George Frideric Handel

This video makes me smile every time I see it.

 Handel’s masterpiece was originally written for Easter, but it’s become a Christmas staple, and there are dozens of versions on Freegal.

If you want the traditional orchestra and choir version, you can look for the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Fiedler, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

If you’d like to hear it in another language, you can give a listen to the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra.

If you like hearing just one person interpret it, you can pull up Johnny Mathis or Neil Diamond.

And if you’re in the mood for something really different, then you’ll want to search for Philharmonic 2000’s version. It’s called “Hallelujah Hustle.”

Merry Cherry Christmas: "Cherry, Cherry Christmas" by Neil Diamond

Photo: Franz Eugen Kohler

So, how exactly does one have a “cherry, cherry” Christmas?

 I’m of two minds with this song. One the one hand, it just seems like a jingle advertising Diamond’s other songs. But, maybe, it’s just his way of poking a little fun at himself.

OK. It’s Christmas. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. And I found myself downloading the song from Freegal, I guess partly out of affection for those songs.

I found references to 7 of his songs. I imagine alert readers our there can probably find more: 1. Cherry, Cherry, 2. Holly Holy, 3. Song Sung Blue, 4. If You Know What I Mean, 5. Red, Red Wine, 6. Sweet Caroline, 7. Beautiful Noise.

“It’s lovely weather for a sleigh ride together…”: “Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson

Photo: Declan Jewell

"Sleigh Ride" has just seemed like one of those songs that is always around during the Christmas season, and no wonder since year after year it is the most-played song on the radio, according to ASCAP.

It was written by Leroy Anderson, he of the songs that feature creative sound effects. My parents had an album of The Boston Pops performing a Leroy Anderson fun fest, and there were songs with typewriters and chickens, and such.

You can find about any style you'd like in Freegal. In addition to traditional orchestra versions, you can find renditions by Johnny Mathis, Ray Conniff, Wynton Marsalis, Harry Connick, Jr., Neil Diamond, Mitch Miller, Andy Williams, George Shearing, Clay Aiken, Duke Ellington, Henry Mancini, Columba Minstrals (Celtic), Nashville Superpickers, and Kenny G.
I prefer the orchestral versions by Arthur Fiedler or Christmas Strings.
 

"Hands, touching hands"--"Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond

Photo: Teak Sato

"Sweet Caroline" is one of the top 100 downloads on Freegal.

The Neil Diamond tribute band Super Diamond, was pretty fun. I learned three new things:

1.      The album Hot August Night was recorded 40 years ago, in 1972. (Yes, it’s been that long.)

2.      Neil Diamond wrote the song “I’m a Believer,” the one that the Monkees did so well with.

3.      It’s a lot of work to pretend to be Neil Diamond. After about an hour, I was worried for the performer’s voice, he had to growl so much.

Hot August Night with Neil Diamond (or at least a bunch of guys that look like him)



Photo:Greg Hume

 Any of Neil’s hits you want, they’re on Freegal.

The temp will hit 90 degrees today. Time to go hear a rendition of “Brother Love’s Travelin’ Salvation Show.” “Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies and everyone goes…”

It’s Super Diamond! At the Hudson Gardens Event Center.

Why go to hear songs that were popular 40 years ago?  Maybe being a nostalgic geezer has something to do with it. But, you’ve gotta admit, Diamond (and yes, that is his real name) had some good tunes. And that growly voice.

Why go see a tribute band? It’s close and it’s the last concert of the season. It could be good. It could be awful. I’ll let you know.

Forever in Blue Jeans by Neil Diamond

Photo: Lion Hirth

Neil Diamond has about a gazillion songs on Freegal.

I counted 39 albums from 1966 to 2008. Dude's been busy.

You've got your "Hot August Nights," Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show," "Desiree," "America," all the Diamond you could want.

Remember Jonathan Livingston Seagull? The soundtrack is there. Mom took my sister and me to the drive-in to see it when I was 11. I remember it as a couple of hours watching a bird in the water. But the album was cool. It made more money than the movie.

"Forever in Blue Jeans" is my favorite Neil Diamond song. It's catchy in a growly-voiced sort of way. It will always be the summer of '79, listening on KOMA radio when they turned the signal up at night.

Fun fact about Neil Diamond: that's actually his name. Who'da thought? Son of Kieve and Rose Diamond. With a name like that, he had to go into show business.

Hi middle name is Leslie. You can kinda see why he didn't include that is his name. Doesn't have quite the right macho.

You can get free and legal downloads of "Forever in Blue Jeans" at the Freegal site.