Why is Sweet Caroline Sung at Fenway Park?

“Good times never seemed so good.”

Over the years there has been a lot of good-natured controversy and speculation about WHY Neil Diamond’s 1969 hit (peaked at #4) “Sweet Caroline” is raucously sung by the Fenway Faithful in the 8th inning of each Boston Red Sox home game.

But it’s not because Neil’s last name is “Diamond” and he didn’t write it for JFK’s daughter Caroline. Those are myths.

“The lyrics have nothing to do with baseball. The composer has no connection to the Red Sox. The song hit the charts more than 30 years ago…”

The Boston Globe set the record straight:

“[Amy] Tobey began working for the Red Sox through her job at BCN Productions, a film and video communications company, having interned for the Boston Bruins.

Her assignment was to decide what music would be played at the park from 1998 to 2004.

She had noticed “Sweet Caroline” was used at other sporting events, and she decided to send the sweetness over the Fenway speakers.

The song was picked up by fans, and the more it caught on, the more superstitious Tobey became about playing it.

Tobey would play the song somewhere between the seventh and ninth innings if the team was ahead, depending on whether she felt the team was going to win.

She didn’t go by any specific margin of runs, but rather who the opponent was, and her gut instincts…

In 2002, when new management took over at the park, they requested that Tobey play the song during the eighth inning of every game…

Though Tobey says she was nervous the change would be bad luck for the team, its appeal to fans ultimately ruled…

It was even included in the [Hollywood] film Fever Pitch starring Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore, that appropriates scenes from 2004’s [World Series] winning season…. “

Sweet Caroline Lyrics (In case you want to sing along…)
(Words and Music by Neil Diamond)

Where it began
I can’t begin to knowin’
But then I know it’s growin’ strong

Was in the spring
And spring became the summer
Who’d have believed you’d come along

Hands, touchin’ hands
Reachin’ out
Touchin’ me
Touchin’ you

Sweet Caroline (Whoa whoa whoa!)
Good times never seemed so good (so good, so good, so good!)
I’ve been inclined
To believe they never would

But now I look at the night
And it don’t seem so lonely
We fill it up with only two
And when I hurt
Hurtin’ runs off my shoulders
How can I hurt when I’m with you

Warm, touchin’ warm
Reachin’ out
Touchin’ me
Touchin’ you

Sweet Caroline (Whoa whoa whoa!)
Good times never seemed so good
I’ve been inclined
To believe they never would
Oh, no, no

Sweet Caroline (Whoa whoa whoa!)
Good times never seemed so good (so good, so good, so good!)
I’ve been inclined
I believed they never could
Sweet Caroline