Sweet Caroline-Boston In Our Thoughts

By Big Bad Benny

Our Deep End show was going to be a non themed show and I think we were planning on getting back to the roots of are show and digging up some hard to find, not so over played, classical rock tunes. As I was going through my collection of possible selections I could not help but reflect on the recent events of what was happening in Boston.
 As much as I was thinking maybe we needed a break from the theme style of our show that we did on the last two shows. I thought our show should acknowledge what was going on in Boston as people all over the world were greatly being affected by it. I threw the idea of making a dedication show to the people of Boston and playing some love songs to kinda of change the mood of the events.
  When we got into the studio we were still deciding the lineup. Scott Warren Miller a musician from the Loud Family had died suddenly on April 15, 2013. J Neo Marvin knew the music well and knew of Scott Miller and we all decided we wanted to also dedicate the show in Scott's memory.
Our show was a dual dedication for the late musician Scott Miller, and the Boston Marathon bombings.It just seemed like it was the right thing to do. Indeed it was a week that we all wanted to turn out differently when we walked into the studio Friday eve.
Regardless of the events the show must go on, and in this great nation the music is never silent.In fact people and organizations came together and before our show was out the remaining Boston Marathon bombing suspect had been captured. We played songs that had fun with our mood and had an undertone message of love.We were not going to the let horrible acts of others and the unfortunate events of the week distract from our core and predominately melody of love songs and fun songs on our show.
 J Neo Marvin played an incredible song called "All around you". We closed the show with Shine a Light, for me a song of hope, by the Rolling Stones to kinda transition smoothly into the next show. I think if we knew now what we did not know Friday Eve we may have choose to close with Sweet Caroline.  J Neo Marvin and myself were question why Jeff Burns selected Neil Diamonds "Sweet Caroline" as one of his songs. What was the connection we asked as we both were consumed in our own worlds and projects and not big sports fans.
Jeff educated us on the fact that the song is a Bostonian favorite and is sung at ball games at Boston's Fenway Park. In looking into this further, and feel so fortunate to be surrounded by such great and diverse talent on our show, the ball park started to play the song in 1997. The song has been played continuously during the eighth inning of every ball game at Fenway Park since 2002.
Neil Diamond wrote and released the song in 1969 as a single. According to wiki, Neil Diamond's inspiration for the song "Caroline" was inspired by the daughter of John F. Kennedy. Caroline Kennedy, was 11 at the time when the song was written and recorded.
After the Boston bombings Boston's rival, the The New York Yankees played the song in solidarity to remember the victims and observe a moment of silence. This gesture caught on and the song was played at ball games across the country. The next day after our show Neil Diamond himself sang the song at Fenway Park. I can only image the powerful song echoing through Fenway Park and across America being sung for hope and good times to follow.
And now you know the Deep End of the song.