The story behind Neil Diamond’s song ‘America’

As the race for the 2024 Presidential election hots up, the topics of immigration and patriotism are front of mind for most Americans. Perhaps even more than the national anthem, no song captures the spirit of the land of opportunity better than ‘America.’

(Last edited 24 January 2024)

Over the past few years I’ve written a number of articles about Donald Trump. In them I’ve talked about his transgressions, his image, his rhetoric and the growth of fake news. Most recently, in the light of all the legal cases against him taking place as he campaigns for a second term, I wrote about how Nikki Haley is positioning herself as the most likely Republican Presidential candidate should Trump find his path back to the White House blocked by his legal woes.

Having also put together a series of deep dives into some of my favourite songs, I’ve been keen for some time to do another, but was struggling to find a song to write about.

The more I thought about it, three things came to mind that made me settle on Neil Diamond’s America. Freshest in my memory was when I discovered Nikki Haley was the daughter of Indian immigrants, something I had no idea about.

And then of course I could not escape an increasing theme of Donald Trump’s most recent rally speeches, in which he, the son of an immigrant himself, sharpens his rhetoric on what he calls illegal aliens, those who have come to or who are trying to seek a new life in the United States.

Added to this, one of the biggest political stories playing out in the UK over the past few years has also been around immigration. One of the main drivers of the 2016 Brexit vote centred on immigrants and now the subject of refugees is a central platform of Rishi Sunak’s Conservative party under the slogan ‘Stop the boats.’ Again, Sunak himself is the son of immigrants.

Traditionally, both Britain and America were considered shining lights when it came to welcoming those from other countries seeking a better life. For years, immigrants were welcomed to Britain from all over the world especially the Caribbean and Asia. Modern day America was of course built on immigrants from England, Ireland, Scandinavia, Germany and more recently from Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean and South America.

The Statue of Liberty — an 1885 gift to America from the people of France to recognise the USA as “a champion of liberty” — quickly became the symbol of hope and a beacon of freedom for all immigrants arriving in New York.

How things have changed, as both America and Britain have turned from being countries that welcomed immigrants to doing all they can to villify them and stop them from entering. America has built a wall on its southern border and one of the priorities of Britain’s Conservative government is preventing ‘illegal’ migrants from coming in.

Which brings me to America, a song Neil Diamond wrote in 1980 inspired by his grandparents journey from Eastern Europe to New York City. To many, it’s the unofficial anthem for all immigrants who call America their home.

Diamond wrote it as part of the soundtrack for The Jazz Singer, a movie he would star in, which itself was a remake of the 1927 movie of the same name starring Al Jolson.

Born Asa Yoelson in what today is Lithuania, Jolson was the epitome of the American success story. From an impoverished Jewish immigrant, he went on to become a highly successful singer and by 1920 he was the biggest star on Broadway and one of America’s highest paid performers. The Jazz Singer was the first ever ‘talking picture’ and effectively marked the end of the silent film era. And, perhaps more than anything, it was Jolson’s dynamic voice, physical mannerisms and charisma that held audiences spellbound. The original movie was based on a 1925 play of the same name written by Samson Raphaelson, which in turn was an adaptation of his short story The Day Of Atonement, about the early life of Al Jolson.

Now I have to confess to being a long-time fan of Neil Diamond. My earliest memories of him was watching late night specials of his when I was a kid. I was drawn by his voice — immediately recognisable and unlike anyone else — and his abilities to tell stories through his songs. I could forgive his awkward looks and his questionable dress sense. I remember going to see The Jazz Singer in 1980 and thinking he looked out of place in the lead role, but was impressed by his soundtrack, especially the song America.

I’m fairly sure I bought that album. What I do know is I did buy 1976’s Beautiful Noise. What’s more I even got see him live when he played a run of five nights at Earls Court in June 1984. Back then, Earl’s Court was London’s biggest indoor concert venue. I don’t recall much about it, but I do remember it featured a laser flying bird, which at the time was something to behold.

Since then I’ve followed his career and his life. I really liked 12 Songs and Home Before Dark the two acoustic albums he made with Rick Rubin, the producer who I think captured his voice better than anyone else. The last time I saw him was in May 2008 when he played the Sportpaleis in Antwerp, Belgium.

Fast forward to today and Neil Diamond’s music is still omnipresent. Rarely a week goes by without hearing a rendition of Sweet Caroline, which seems to be sung at almost every football match. I’m not a big fan of that song, but whenever I think of Neil Diamond, it’s America that always comes to mind. It’s one of those enduring songs that you know has something special about it.

However, listening to it now, with its lyrics of hope and expectation, it no longer reflects America today, a country that if Donald Trump returns to power, would likely expel immigrants rather than welcome them.

Against that backdrop, let’s go back to a different era, back to the year 1980 and find out more about the song and why it was written.

The song’s meaning: The song’s theme is a positive interpretation of the history of immigration to the United States, specifically about the immigration of displaced Jews seeking the American Dream.

As with most Neil Diamond songs, it demonstrates his expressive delivery and his mastery of brilliantly economical lyrics. He rarely says two words when one can do, although as here, he often repeats a lyric for dramatic emphasis.

As soon as he sings ‘Far’ you know exactly who you’re listening to. That rich, throaty rasp is so distinctive. Indeed, there are few singers whose delivery is quite so idiosyncratic. While his voice could generally be classified as a bass-baritone, some of his singing can be quite a bit higher.

The second line of the song says “Without a home, but not without a star”, almost certainly refers to the Star of David, otherwise he would have said “stars” in reference to the fifty on the US flag.

His other line, “We’re traveling light today” would seem to refer to people coming with nothing, as opposed to those coming with all of their belongings. This makes sense as many Jews would have come to the US with little to no belongings at all.

The line “Freedom’s light burning warm” is clearly a reference to the Statue of Liberty, the welcoming first sight the immigrants experienced. Long considered a beacon of freedom, her friendly torch is leading them to a new beginning where a country welcomes them with open arms.

Diamond himself explained the song’s meaning this way:

“It’s the story of my grandparents escaping Jewish oppression in Russia and coming to America for their freedom in the steerage section of a Holland-America ship.”

Another time he said this:

“To me, it’s the story of my grandparents. It’s my gift to them, and it’s very real for me. Maybe that’s why it became so popular. It wasn’t thought out or intellectualized, just sheer emotion. In a way, it speaks to the immigrant in all of us. That’s what makes it so easy to empathize with the song.”

Interviewed in 2003, he added:

“It was written especially for The Jazz Singer. I hoped to tell a little bit of the story of the immigrant who comes here with big dreams, with the idea of America being firmly implanted in that dream.”

Many have commented that no other song, not even the national anthem, encapsulates the ideals that America was founded on.

Indeed at the conclusion of the song, Diamond even includes a line from Samuel Francis Smith’s My Country, ’Tis of Thee, which served as an early national anthem of the United States.

Lyrics:

Far, we’ve been traveling far
Without a home
But not without a star
Free, only want to be free
We huddle close
Hang on to that dream

On the boats and on the planes
They’re coming to America
Never looking back again
They’re coming to America

Home, don’t it seem so far away?
Oh, we’re traveling light today
In the eye of the storm
In the eye of the storm

Home, to a new and a shiny place
Make our bed, and we’ll say our grace
Freedom’s light burning warm
Freedom’s light burning warm

Everywhere around the world
They’re coming to America
Every time that flag’s unfurled
They’re coming to America

Got a dream to take them there
They’re coming to America
Got a dream they’ve come to share
They’re coming to America

They’re coming to America
They’re coming to America
They’re coming to America
They’re coming to America
Today, today, today, today, today!

My country ’tis of thee
Today!
Sweet land of liberty
Today!
Of thee I sing
Today!
Of thee I sing
Today!

Creating the song: Getting precise details of where the song was recorded and who played on it has proved really difficult.

What I do know is that the recording sessions for the Jazz Singer album took place across five different studios: Arch Angel Studios, Cherokee Studios, Dawnbreaker Studios, Record Plant Mobile Studio, Sunset Sound and that all the tracks including America were produced by Bob Gaudio.

Most of the musicians listed as playing on the album have performed with Neil Diamond for many years. As far as I know, all, apart from two, are still alive.

Dennis St. John: Drums & Musical Director from 1971–1981 (died from esophageal cancer in June 2012, aged 70)

Richard Bennett: Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar — As a touring sideman, he performed with Neil Diamond for seventeen years (1971–1987) before joining Mark Knopfler’s band. Incidentally, he also co-wrote, Forever In Blue Jeans, another very popular Neil Diamond song.

Doug Rhone: Guitar (joined in 1976)

Reinie Press: Bass (retired from Diamond’s band in 2015, where he had served almost 45 years as bass player)

Tom Hensley: Piano, Keyboards

Alan Lindgren: Piano, Synths

King Errisson: Congas

Vince Charles: Steel drum, Percussion (member of Diamond’s band for 25 years, died June 2001, aged 55)

Donny Gerard, Doug Rhone, H L Voelker, Luther Waters, Marilyn O’Brien and Oren Waters: Backing vocals

I still have the programme from when I saw Neil Diamond in 1984 and it lists the musicians in his band. With the exception of the backing singers, all of the above who were on the record, were on stage that night apart from drummer Dennis St John, who was replaced by Ron Tutt. I’ve also found out that the opening song was America.

America begins quietly with strings that then dramatically build, before we hear drums and a synth introduces the song’s theme, punctuated by electric guitar.

We then hear Diamond sing the words ‘Far, we’ve been traveling far.’

Dennis St. John’s galloping drums propel the song as it continues to build before being bolstered by background vocals, singing ‘Today!’

It then fades and we hear ET-like keyboards and Diamond’s breathy vocals speaking ‘My country ’tis of thee’

And then, it’s over.

To my mind, it finishes far too quickly. The soundtrack ends with a two minute reprise, which I feel was originally intended to be a seamless part of the song.

Listening to his later live renditions of the song, Diamond makes it more bombastic, by adding horns and louder guitars.

“Well, I’m New York City born and raised.”

Lyric from 1971s I Am I Said

Neil Leslie Diamond was born on 24 January 1941 in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York to Jewish parents. His father, Akeeba Diamond, known as Kieve, was a dry-goods merchant. Both he and his wife Rose’s parents were Jewish immigrants from Poland.

When Akeeba Diamond was born in New York on 15 May 1917, his father, Avraham Damenstein (1883–1943), was 33 and his mother, Zelda Boyarsky,(1888–1970) was 30. Akeeba had two younger brothers, Hirch and Hyman Diamond. At some stage, the family changed their surname from Damenstein to Diamond.

Apparently, Neil Diamond’s first language was Yiddish taught to him by his grandmother.

In 1945, the Diamond family, which now included Neil’s younger brother Harvey, moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming where his father was stationed with the United States Army. That must have been a huge culture shock to a Jewish family from Brooklyn. A few years later, while Neil was in high school, they moved back to Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach where he attended Lincoln High.

From there he went to Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn’s Flatbush district where he sang in the chorus with classmate Barbra Streisand, although the two would not meet until years later when they were both stars and recorded his song You Don’t Bring Me Flowers.

“I was a good kid. I never really got into too much trouble. And there was a lot of trouble around in Brooklyn that you could get into.”

By the age of 15, Neil had written his first song, Here Them Bells and on his sixteenth birthday he received a gift that would change his life forever: a guitar.

“As a teenager I fell in love with the Everly Brothers. I had all of their singles.”

In addition to singing in the choir, whilst at Erasmus he also took up fencing, a skill which led him to attending New York University on a fencing scholarship. At NYU he studied medicine with the aim of becoming a laboratory biologist, but after four years his passion for music took over and he dropped out, at the end of his junior year, just 10 credits shy of graduation.

He went to work for Sunbeam Music on Manhattan’s Tin Pan Alley for a $50-a-week, 16-week contract writing songs for Sunbeam Music, working for a while in the legendary Brill Building.

In his own words, he spent the next 7 to 8 years “trying to make it as a songwriter.” When his contract ended it wasn’t renewed. Undeterred, he rented a storage room in a printer’s shop located above the famed Birdland nightclub on Broadway, installed a $30 piano and a pay phone, and set about writing his songs his own way.

A chance encounter with the songwriting/record producing team of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich led to a contract with Bang Records. And in 1966 he recorded his debut album, which featured his first hit Solitary Man and Cherry, Cherry which became his first Top Five song.

“Jeff and Ellie were great teachers. When I wrote Kentucky Woman, I wrote the chorus to impress Jeff. At the time, they were producing me and I wanted to make them happy as they were the talented duo in the business. When Phil Spector had a dozen songs on the charts, Jeff and Ellie had co-written all twelve of them.”

The Monkees recorded two of his songs including I’m A Believer which was a hit in 1967 and its follow-up A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You.

“With I’m A Believer I got the biggest cheque I’d ever received and I promptly went and hid it in my room and I didn’t find it again for seven or eight months!”

The same year he also wrote Red, Red Wine, which went on to become one of his biggest hits when many years later it was recorded by British reggae band UB40.

Filling a musical void that existed between Sinatra and Elvis, Diamond found wide acceptance with his songs, but endured criticism that his music was too middle-of-the-road.

“Bang wanted me to continue writing songs like Cherry, Cherry, but the Beatles were showing everybody that you could spread your wings and I wanted to do that and be a little more creative.”

He split with Bang Records in 1969, and signed a contract with California’s Uni label, for which he recorded his first gold records, including his biggest and most enduring hit, Sweet Caroline.

In 1970 he released Cracklin’ Rosie and even introduced Elton John at his first ever US appearance at Hollywood’s Troubador nightclub.

1971 saw I Am I Said with Song Sung Blue following in 1972.

“I Am I Said really dug deep. I was seeing a shrink at the time and I’d show him my lyrics. That song was a story I wanted to tell and I wanted to tell it as good as I could. It was the most difficult song I’ve ever written before or since. It took me about four months, five or six hours a day, writing up hundreds of pages on who I was to give me the raw material for the song.”

He had a cancer scare in 1979, when a tumor was found on his spine and had to be surgically removed, confining him to a wheelchair for three months.

“I had unusual symptoms for a year and a half, first in the soles of my feet and then working up my leg and into my back. Eventually, the doctors found I had a monstrous tumour in my spinal column. It was causing paralysis and an inability to walk. I got the best neurosurgeon in Los Angeles and I had microsurgery. It was a long and difficult surgery. I was in a very delicate place and even wrote my last letters to my kids.”

During his recuperation he was given a script. It was for the lead role in a planned remake of the early sound film, 1927s The Jazz Singer.

1980 saw him make his movie debut playing the son of a Jewish cantor trying to succeed in the music industry in which he co-starred with Laurence Olivier. Apparently, he took the role partly as a tribute to one of his great childhood idols, Al Jolson.

“I did the movie only because it was a way to expose the music. If it had no music in it I wouldn’t have been involved.”

Although the reviews were negative — he even won the first-ever Worst Actor Razzie Award for 1980 and would never act in movie roles again. In his 2003 interview with Larry King, he admitted “I don’t have a feeling for movies” and recalling that The Jazz Singer was a “very scary” experience.

“I hate videos and I hate film. It’s a really horrendous process. It’s hard work. It’s mentally exhausting. There’s no fun involved in it. You’re at the behest of the director who really has all the fun in the film-making process.”

Despite its critical failure, the film took more than three times its budget and, most important for Diamond, produced the hit single, America, which gained national prominence when TV news broadcasts used it to underscore the return of the American hostages from Iran.

Throughout his illustrious career, Diamond struggled with his introverted personality. Indeed one of his best known songs is Solitary Man focuses on the very subject. While off stage he was quietly spoken, even shy, as his career developed he turned to flamboyant outfits. He worked closely with clothes designer Bill Whitten, to create a larger than life on-stage persona, and took to wearing sequinned shirts, although he admits to being colour blind.

“They’re all custom made. Hopefully they’re all unique and wild and will dazzle people for two hours. I put them on and it’s like Clark Kent putting on his Superman cape!”

Diamond discovered Workroom 27, Bill Whitten’s West Hollywood custom shirt business in 1974. Whitten would go on to design stage clothes for the likes of The Commodores, The Jacksons and Elton John, and it was he who created Michael Jackson’s iconic Thriller outfit including his Swarovski-studded rhinestone glove and crystal-encrusted socks. Born in Bessemer, Alabama in 1944, Whitten died in 2006 in Los Angeles. He was 61.

In that 2003 Larry King interview, Diamond also claimed he was a “writer who performs” and that he had only one singing lesson in his life. He went on to say “I don’t write when I’m performing and I don’t perform when I’m writing.”

Only a handful of artists have sold as many records as Neil Diamond. With more than 130 million albums sales worldwide he dominated the charts for over five decades racking up 38 Top 40 singles and 18 Top 10 albums. In addition, he has achieved 40 Gold, 21 Platinum and 12 Multi-Platinum albums.

Awards: As well as being a Grammy Award-winning artist, in 1984 Diamond was indicted into The Songwriters Hall of Fame and in 2011 he became a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, where he was indicted by Paul Simon. He’d flown back from Australia for 24 hours.

“If I had a speech, I’d make it. But I don’t have one, so all I’m going to say is thanks so much!”

In addition, he has been presented with The Johnny Mercer Award, The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and The Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award, three of the highest honours bestowed on songwriters and artists. He has also been the recipient of the NARAS Music Cares Person Of The Year Award and in 2011 he received the prestigious Kennedy Center Award for his contributions to American culture.

Family life: His first wife was his Jewish high school sweetheart Jaye Posner whom he met when he was working as a busboy in the Catskills resort area. After getting together in 1958, they dated for five years before marrying in March 1963.

They had two children, Marjorie Diamond (born 1966–57 years old) and Elyn Diamond (born 1968–55 years old) After six years they separated in November 1969.

“After my first divorce I wrote a song called Hurting You Don’t Come Easy which was about that breakup.”

His second wife Marcia Murphey was a production assistant at ABC Television, who he married in December 1969. The pair had two children: musician-turned-photographer Jesse Diamond and Micah Diamond (born 1978–45 years old)

“I adore my kids and fortunately have a very close relationship with all four of them.”

After 26 years together they divorced in March 1994. In their settlement, Diamond was forced to pay $150,000,000 to Murphey, which at the time was said to be the most expensive divorce in US history.

“I’ve always been hard to live with. And I still am. I’m a moody kind of a person. But when I’m moody, it’s the best time for me to write. So I make it difficult for someone else.”

Looking back at those two divorces, in 2003 he said that both were exceptional women and blamed himself for their demise. “I don’t think I was very good at marriage.”

“It’s probably the first time in my life that I’ve ever been single. It’s an interesting experience. I don’t necessarily like the idea of being alone. I don’t think it will last very long, but it’s interesting while it lasts.”

In 1996, whilst on tour in Brisbane, Australia, Diamond met Rae Farley, who was in charge of the tour’s merchandising, and they had a long relationship but never married.

“When I was in Australia I met a young lady and I fell in love with her and we were together for eight years. She was an extraordinary woman and I adored her.”

In 2012 he married Katie McNeil, 29 years his junior, whom he met when she worked on his documentary video Hot August Nights/NYC and who subsequently became his manager.

His father, Akeeba Diamond died in Florida in 1985.

“When my Dad died I wrote a song in memory of him called The Angel Above My Head, but I got into a big battle with the record company who didn’t want to release it. I got angry, so I left and I sued them, although eventually we reached a compromise. He was a great Dad and I miss him so much.”

His mother, Rose Diamond, lived to the ripe old age of 100 when she died in Los Angeles in 2019.

Private life: Like many celebrities, with the exception of his much pulicised divorce from Marcia, Neil Diamond has done a very good job of keeping his private life private.

As far as outside interests go, the only hobby of his that I’m aware of is a love for riding Harley Davidsons. In addition, I also know he enjoys a good cigar.

Today he lives in Malibu, California with his third wife Katie. Their five-bedroom house, built in 1996, which they bought in for $7.25 million in 2017, spans 4,692 square feet and is located on a private cove, Encinal Bluffs.

They also own a vacation home in Basalt, Colorado.

In January 2018, on the eve of his 77th birthday, Diamond announced his retirement from touring and performing. This followed a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease — a neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement, coordination, and balance.

In 2022 he sold his entire song catalogue and master recordings to Universal. This reportedly also included 110 unreleased tracks and an unreleased album.

Also in 2022, a new ‘jukebox’ musical about his life called A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical premiered on Broadway. His one and only live appearance since retiring was at the show’s opening where he gave a brief, impromptu rendition of Sweet Caroline.

In a 2023 interview the now 83–year-old Diamond said his singing is “better than ever.” He also revealed he’s still creating new material at home, adding:

“I always have a scrap of paper or a pad around to jot down ideas. Then, when I have more time, I develop them. It’s part of my life.”

Robert John Gaudio was born on 17 November 1942 in the Bronx, New York, and raised in Bergenfield, New Jersey.

As a member of The Royal Teens, he wrote his first hit, Who Wears Short Shorts? when he was just 15, before becoming keyboardist and tenor vocalist of The Four Seasons. Formed in 1960 in Newark, New Jersey, the doo-wop quartet’s lead singer was fellow Italian-American Frankie Valli (born Francesco Castelluccio)

Bob Gaudio wrote or co-wrote and produced the vast majority of the band’s music, including hits like Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like A Man, Sherry and December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night), as well as Can’t Take My Eyes Off You for Valli. Though he stopped performing with the group in the 1970s, Gaudio and 89-year-old Valli remain co-owners of The Four Seasons brand, with each owning 50%.

As well as the movie soundtrack for The Jazz Singer, he produced six albums for Neil Diamond. Gaudio also produced the hit You Don’t Bring Me Flowers for Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond, a duet that reached the top of Billboard charts in 1978, for which he received a Grammy Award nomination.

In 1995 he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Gaudio was instrumental in mounting Jersey Boys, a musical play based on the lives of the Four Seasons, which opened on Broadway on 6 November 2005. In 2006, the play won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical. In 2007, it won a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album.

In 2012, along with Franki Valli, he was a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

In 1981 he married Judy Parker, having met her in 1973 at the Motown Studios in Los Angeles, while recording a ‪Marvin Gaye/Diana Ross duet. They had two daughters, Lisa and Danielle. Judy Parker died in 2017 from respiratory complications. She was 79.

They lived at the San Remo on Central Park West and in Montauk, NY, however, since the 1990s their primary residence had been Nashville, TN where 82-year-old Bob still resides.

Samson Raphaelson, the author of The Jazz Singer, was born in New York’s east side on 30 March 1896. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1917 and worked his way through school as a waiter. After college he spent a year as a reporter in Chicago before switching to writing advertising copy. In 1925 he began writing plays and his first script, based upon one of his short stories, The Day of Atonement, first published in the January 1922 of Everybody’s Magazine. After four rewrites, it became The Jazz Singer. It would play on Broadway for two years and form the basis of the world’s first talkie starring Al Jolson. However, Raphaelson didn’t write the screenplay and was dissatisfied with the movie version of his story. Following The Jazz Singer’s success, he went on to write more than a dozen plays and numerous movie scripts, including Hitchcock’s thriller Suspicion, before eventually becoming a professor at Columbia University. He died in his sleep on 16 July 1983 at his home in Manhattan. He was 87-years-old.

Different versions:

1986 — Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

This is an instrumental version where a saxophone replaces the vocals.

2012 — The University of Oklahoma’s Marching Band did their version.

2023 — RetroMusicWorld

Contrast those two instrumentals with this one from 2023.

2002 — Live at Croke Park, Ireland

This is a pretty good live rendition, notable for it being accompanied by a string section.

2008 — Live at Madison Square Garden, New York City

I’m not that keen on this version as there are so many instruments it loses the simplicity of the original arrangement.

2012 — Live at the Greek Theatre, Los Angeles

2017 — Live at the Forum, Inglewood, California

This is the most recent live version I can find. I think the musicianship and arrangement feel somewhat flat. This ponderous version is notable for its extended instrumental outro. A shadow of his former self, you could clearly see he was lacking in energy and that age had caught up with him. Neither did the beard suit him. Not long after this performance, Neil Diamond would announce his retirement from live shows.

2020 — Live acoustic version by Aaron Pelsue

2022 — Cast recording from The Neil Diamond Musical: A Beautiful Noise

This medley is from the Original Broadway cast recording featuring Will Swenson and produced by Bob Gaudio.

“Nothing is ever impossible, something inside tells me so.”

Lyric from 2008’s Act Like A Man by Neil Diamond

About the author: Based in Sussex-by-the-Sea, on England’s south coast, Gary is a creative writer and image-maker. He specialises in creating out of the ordinary portraits of musicians and people with interesting faces, as well as photographing some of the world’s finest flowers and gardens, not forgetting an array of automotive exotica.

On the writing side, he has used his research skills to author deep dives into some noteworthy songs beginning with Bryan Ferry’s ‘These Foolish Things’ ‘Ghost Town’ by The Specials, ‘All The Young Dudes’ by Mott the Hoople and ‘Real Wild Child’ by Ivan.

He has also written a biography of Robert Palmer and the stories behind Whitesnake’s blatant Led Zep rip-off, ‘Still Of The Night’ and Harry Styles’ anthem to positivity, ‘Treat People With Kindness’.

Most recently, Gary has penned the fascinating story behind George Orwell’s dystopian novel ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ and written an article about Fake News.

All these can be found here on Medium, along with his reviews of gigs and events and chats with musicians including the likes of Brighton rockers Royal Blood, Californian sister act, HAIM, guitar virtuoso, Joe Satriani, Fee Waybill of The Tubes and Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell.