As I was sitting in the theater waiting for Song Sung Blue to start, I was dreading hearing one song in the movie, which was released this week as one of the final movies on the 2025 movie schedule. The movie is a different kind of music biopic, named for a Neil Diamond song, and is about a husband and wife duet called Lightning and Thunder, who were a popular Neil Diamond tribute act in the ‘90s in Milwaukee. I knew that “Sweet Caroline” was coming, and I knew I was going to cringe when it did. It did, and I did. But that's only half the story.
I Don’t Like Sweet Caroline
With all due respect to Mr. Diamond, who I think has some great songs in his repertoire, “Sweet Caroline” sucks. I hate it with the power of 1000 burning suns. Whatever gene that people have that makes them explode with joy and sing at the top of their lungs whenever that song gets played, I have the opposite gene. I immediately recoil and look to get out of whatever situation I am in. I don’t like the song. I don’t like the sing-along that inevitably comes with it. I don’t like the Red Sox.
Okay, that last one isn’t rational in terms of the song, but neither really is my visceral negative reaction to “Sweet Caroline.” I shouldn’t hate the song; it’s fine, I guess, but I’ve never liked it. Even before it became all about drunk people screaming the lyrics and the “bah bah bah” part, I didn’t like it. I like other Neil Diamond songs. “Song Sung Blue” is great. “Forever in Blue Jeans” is as catchy as a pop song can be. “Cracklin’ Rosie” is a classic. The first concert I ever saw was Neil Diamond on the 4th of July in about 1983, and when he sang “America,” it was inspiring. But please god, no more “Sweet Caroline”!
Mike ‘Lightning’ Sardina Loves Neil Diamond But…
Early on in the movie, Mike “Lightning” Sardinia, played by Hugh Jackman, gets some advice from a Patsy Cline impersonator named Claire (Kate Hudson, who has been nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance) that he should do a Neil Diamond tribute. He initially bristles at the idea because the singer means so much to him as a musician. She scoffs and tells him to sing “Sweet Caroline,” which he again bristles at, explaining that there is so much more to Diamond than just that song.
It becomes a recurring thing throughout the movie. People want nothing by “Sweet Caroline,” and again and again, Mike explains that while it’s a great song, there are so many more great songs in his catalog. It’s almost like he’d rather not ever play that one, and I’m right there with him. Maybe it’s the contrarian in me, but I think a Neil Diamond tribute act that refused to play his biggest hit would be aces. Radiohead supposedly hates playing “Creep”; why should Lightning and Thunder love playing “Sweet Caroline”?
That became my favorite thing about Mike in the movie, and in the end, one of my favorite things about the movie, which surprised me in every way. It’s a great movie, and hating “Sweet Caroline” didn’t ruin it for me at all.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
