How did Sweet Caroline become the worlds favourite sporting anthem?
In the years since, its taken off around the world. The Sydney Swans AFL team play it. Castleford Tigers, the rugby league side, play it. The England cricket team celebrated their World Cup win in 2019 with champagne and a few rousing choruses of Diamonds tune, while prosecco-drenched spectators have been known to give it a go at Lords. Arsenal blared the tune in 2017 to mark their FA Cup semi-final victory at Wembley (and had to issue a response after fans questioned why it had been played to mark their success for two games in a row). Aston Villa began singing it at a match against Stoke City in 2019. After that draw, they went on a 12-game unbeaten run. The song became a charm, and now England football fans think its doing the same. Not bad for a simple love song written from the perspective of somebody who cant believe just how their life has improved since meeting somebody. For years, legend had it that Diamond wrote the song in 1969 as an ode to Caroline Kennedy, the only surviving daughter of Jackie and John F Kennedy, who was nine at the time. It wasnt quite true. I was writing a song in Memphis, Tennessee, for a session. I needed a three-syllable name, Diamond explained on an appearance on Today in 2014. The song was about my wife at the time. Her name was Marciaa, and I couldnt get a Marciaa rhyme.  Stuck on that particular conundrum in a hotel room, Diamond saw a picture of Caroline Kennedy in a magazine. It was a little girl dressed to the nines in her riding gear, next to her pony. It was such an innocent, wonderful picture, he once said. Caroline worked, so Caroline Marcia became. 13 years ago, Diamond performed the song for Kennedy at her 50th birthday, as a thank you for inspiring his biggest hit. Sweet Caroline was successful  number four in the US, number eight in the UK, certified gold within months  but it was its singalong simplicity that made it such a crowd favourite. Diamonds fans would sing it whilst waiting for other songs and well-oiled karaoke singers would know they had a banker when they selected it.