As a teenager growing up in Brooklyn, New York, Neil Diamond was already writing songs, along with some poetry for girls. By the time he entered New York University on a fencing scholarship, songwriting pulled him in an entirely different direction. Eventually landing a job writing for Sunbeam Music Publishing, and dropping out of school, Diamond recorded a few of his own songs as a duo, Neil and Jack (with high school friend Jack Packer). Soon after, Diamond was signed to Columbia in 1962 as a solo artist.
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After releasing several singles of his own under the label, including “Cherry, Cherry” and his first hit “Solitary Man”—later covered by Johnny Cash, Chris Isaak, and more—Diamond was still drawn to writing for other artists at several publishing houses, spending most of his early career writing at the Brill Building in New York City.
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Penning more songs for other artists, many of which he would later record himself, Diamond wrote “Sunday and Me,” which was a top 10 hit for Jay and the Americans, along with several songs for The Monkees, including their 1966 No. 1 hit “I’m a Believer” while working at Brill.
Within a few years, Diamond’s songs were being covered by Elvis Presley (“Sweet Caroline,” “And the Grass Won’t Pay No Mind”), along with Deep Purple (“Kentucky Woman”), and Lulu‘s rendition of his 1966 song “The Boat That I Row,” among dozens of other artists who would connect to and cover his songs over the next five-plus decades.
In 2022, American Songwriter took a look at songs Diamond wrote that were made famous by other artists first. Here’s a look at three more songs Diamond wrote for other artists during his earlier Brill days.
1. “Where Do You Run,” Billy Fury (1965)
Written by Neil Diamond
In his early writing days, Diamond’s lyrics crossed the Atlantic to British musician and actor Billy Fury, who recorded Diamond’s “Where Do You Run.” At the time, Fury was topping the charts along with his fellow Liverpudlian musicians The Beatles, who even auditioned to back Fury on tour.
Known for his roles in the 1962 film Play It Cool and That’ll Be the Day in 1973, Fury also hit the charts with his songs “Jealousy,” “Wondrous Place,” and the Carole King and Gerry Goffin-penned “Halfway to Paradise.”
Where do you run
To hide the hurt
Where do you hide the pain
Tears that fall like rain
When your somebody wants somebody new
Where do you run
After you’ve found
All of the things she said
Were meant for him instead
And now you know
That you just don’t belong
You give all you got
And for what
You just turn your back on her
And someone else is standing
2. “It Comes and Goes,” Bennie Thomas (1965)
Written by Neil Diamond
Diamond never recorded “It Comes and Goes” himself, but it has been covered by a number of artists since Bennie Thomas first recorded it in 1965 and later by Mike Berry and Sadina (Priscilla Mitchell).
It comes and goes
The feeling I’ve been feeling
When she comes it grows
I know it’s just a feeling
But when she’s around
I get the feeling
That I’m in some other world
Like some other girl
And when she calls her name
I don’t know what it is
But it’s just not the same
I don’t know what’s been missing
But I know it’s gone
I feel it from
My head way down to my toes
It comes and goes
3. “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You,” The Monkees (1967)
Written by Neil Diamond
Some of the earliest songs Diamond wrote for other artists while he working out of the Brill Building were several for The Monkees by the mid-1960s. In addition to writing The Monkees’ first No. 1 hit “I’m a Believer,” which went gold within two days of its release, Diamond also penned “Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow),” “Love to Love,” and “A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You,” for the group.
“A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” went to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Around this time, Diamond was becoming known more as a songwriter and was ready to branch out on his own as an artist and released his debut album The Feel of Neil Diamond in 1966 and follow u a year later.
Walk out
Girl, don’t you walk out, we’ve got things to say
Talk out
Let’s have it talked out and things will be okay
Girl
I don’t wanna fight
I’m a little bit wrong
And you’re a little bit right
And I said, girl
You know that it’s true
It’s a little bit me
It’s a little bit you, too
Photo by Denise Truscello / Getty Images for Keep Memory Alive
