Why Do Fans Sing ‘Sweet Caroline’ For England? Why The Tune’s A Football Anthem
Sweet Caroline #SweetCaroline
21 November 2022, 15:39
Neil Diamond classic ‘Sweet Caroline’ has become a football anthem, but why?
‘Sweet Caroline’ has become a football anthem and we’ve been hearing it a lot lately thanks to the England women’s win at the 2022 EUROs and also England’s men’s team’s success at the EUROs 2020 last year.
As England play in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, ‘Sweet Caroline’ is being blared out once again as the likes of Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford lead the team’s success.
With every win a medley of songs is played, including Gala’s ‘Freed From Desire’, ‘Three Lions on a Shirt’ by David Baddiel and Lightning Seeds and Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’, and tbh we’ve been enjoying every minute.
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Baddiel and Lightning Seeds changed the lyrics for ‘Three Lions on a Shirt’ ahead of the women’s EUROs, to include the lyrics: “Now is the time for Lionesses to shine.”
The reason football fans sing ‘Sweet Caroline’ in particular stems from the song becoming a victory anthem for a Boston baseball team who played it during a match in the 1990s for a colleague who had named her baby Caroline.
It became their good luck tune which they played every week and teams across the pond began to adopt the ritual too.
‘Sweet Caroline’ was first linked to football teams over here when Arsenal played it after their 2017 FA Cup semi-final win.
The song’s also been adopted by Aston Villa, the England cricket team and even Tyson Fury.
Neil Diamond originally wrote the song in 1969 for his wife Marcia, but her name didn’t fit the tune.
He changed it to ‘Caroline’ after recalling seeing a photo of Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of US President John F Kennedy, in a magazine.
Where it began, I can’t begin to knowing
But then I know it’s growing strong
Was in the spring
And spring became the summer
Who’d have believed you’d come along
Hands, touching hands
Reaching out, touching me, touching you
Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed 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 filled it up with only two
And when I hurt
Hurting runs off my shoulders
How can I hurt when holding you
One, touching one
Reaching out, touching me, touching you
Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
I’ve been inclined
To believe they never would
Oh no, no
Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
Sweet Caroline
I believe they never could
Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
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