Neil Diamond Donating "Sweet Caroline" Royalties to Boston Charity in Wake of Bombings

Singer-songwriter hopes sales of his iconic ditty will provide some much needed assistance after last week's attack

By Josh Grossberg Apr 25, 2013 8:07 PMTags
Neil DiamondJim Dyson/Getty Images

Neil Diamond is sending some sweet aid to Boston's bombing victims.

After helping boost Bostonians' spirits by singing "Sweet Caroline" at the Red Sox home game last weekend, the music legend announced on Twitter that he's donating all proceeds from the sales of his 1969 hit this week to Boston's One Fund.

"Donating these royalties to #OneFund," Diamond tweeted along with retweeting a Nielsen Entertainment report showing sales of "Sweet Caroline" up a whopping 597 percent.

"Sweet Caroline" has sold 19,000 copies in the wake of last week's terrorist attack and subsequent manhunt, which temporarily shut down the city.  

While the soft-rock anthem doesn't mention Beantown in the lyrics, it was inspired by one of Massachusetts's favorite residents, Caroline Kennedy, and has become a tradition at Fenway Park going on 13 years now, usually played during the eighth inning. Since the bombings, other pro-sports teams including the Red Sox's arch-rivals the New York Yankees have played "Sweet Caroline" during games in solidarity with Boston's citizens.

All money raised by the One Fund will go towards helping those people most affected by the tragedy. You can make your donation here.