The Strange Connection Between Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” and the Kennedy Family

Spending over six decades in the music industry, Neil Diamond solidified himself as an icon with countless hit songs. Over his career, the singer sold more than 130 million albums and even gained a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Although Diamond produced songs like “Forever In Blue Jeans” and “Song Sung Blue”, he will always be remembered as the voice behind “Sweet Caroline.” Released as a single in the late 1960s, the song not only entertained millions, but caused some to wonder exactly who Diamond was singing about. Although there have been several theories, it seems that fans have the Kennedy family to thank.

Looking over Diamond’s personal life, he married three times to Jay Posner, Marcia Murphy, and Katie McNeil. He also had four children named Elyn, Jesse, Micah, and Marjorie. With none of his past loves named Caroline, in 2007, Diamond hoped to clear the air about the origins of the hit song. He recalled seeing a picture of President John F. Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline, in a magazine. “It was a picture of a little girl dressed to the nines in her riding gear, next to her pony. It was such an innocent, wonderful picture. I immediately felt there was a song in there.”

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Neil Diamond Insisted “I Was Surprised As The Next Guy”

Although loving the picture, “Sweet Caroline” didn’t become a song until years later when Diamond found himself at a hotel in Memphis. While he promised to write a song about his fiancé at the time, Murphey, the singer learned the name just didn’t fit. “‘Sweet Caroline’ was born in a motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, really as an afterthought to some songs I had specifically prepared for the next day’s recordings. When it came out of me in that humble little room, I was as surprised as the next guy.”

While shocked by what he produced at the hotel, Diamond knew he had something special. “The minute it did come out of me, I knew it was special and had some other special meaning other than potential commercial success. Most songs take planning and thought. ‘Sweet Caroline’ has none of those elements in its creation.”

Knowing how to write the perfect love ballad, Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” found its inspiration not from love but from President Kennedy’s lovely daughter, Caroline.

(Photo by Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Keep Memory Alive)