Shining Brightly: 4 Standout ‘Diamond’ Songs

Diamonds are alluring, coveted, and often quite costly. As it turns out, they’re also often on the minds of songwriters. Tunesmiths have referred to the gems in a literal sense. And they’ve often utilized them for their metaphorical qualities.

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The four songs in this list all contain some form of the word “diamond” in their titles. And they come from some serious songwriting heavyweights.

“Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” by The Beatles

According to John Lennon, the impetus for this song from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band came from a picture drawn by his son Julian. When John asked him who the picture represented, he replied that it was “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”. Even if Lennon didn’t make the connection to the LSD initials, plenty of fans certainly did. Lennon uses some fantastical descriptions in the verses to describe the apparition of a girl haunting his narrator. But in the chorus, he keeps it simple, simply repeating Julian’s title again and again. Maybe he realized that a simple mention of diamonds would conjure up all kinds of images in the imaginations of his listeners.

“Black Diamond Bay” by Bob Dylan

This is the one song on this list where the word “diamond” is a bit incidental to the overall effect. But we’d take any opportunity to talk about this wonderful yet unheralded track from Bob Dylan’s 1976 album Desire. As was the case with much of that album, Dylan co-wrote “Black Diamond Bay” with Jacques Levy. The titular location hosts a variety of sketchy yet fascinating characters, all of whom conduct their daily lives while a natural disaster approaches to wipe them all out. It’s like a bizarre episode of The Love Boat. And then Dylan pulls the rug out with a twist ending that makes us question everything we just imbibed.

“Diamonds And Pearls” by Prince & The New Power Generation

Prince decided to align himself with a new group at the start of the 90s. The New Power Generation joined him on the 1991 album Diamonds And Pearls, which was a return to commercial prominence for him. He hands off some of the vocal heavy lifting on the title track to Rosie Gaines, who improvises around Prince singing the main melody. Old buddy Sheila E. makes her presence felt on the track by adding some synth drum fills. Meanwhile, Prince and his new colleagues conjure a mesmerizing musical atmosphere. The lyrics attest to a tumultuous relationship. But the chorus and the promised diamonds make an effort to reconcile.

“Like A Diamond” by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers

Tom Petty devoted his 2002 album The Last DJ to bemoaning the state of radio in America. At times, the album gets pretty heated as Petty makes his points about the homogenization and corporatization of rock and roll. At times, the album comes off as a little more admirable than it is enjoyable. But Petty takes time out from the storyline here and there to deliver a pop gem. “Like A Diamond” presents Petty at his most tender. It’s an example of how the word “diamond” can be so effective in capturing the deep emotion felt by the narrator. Some exceptional lead guitar work from Mike Campbell adds to the powerful effect.

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