"Sweet Caroline" was written and performed by Neil Diamond, who composed both the music and the lyrics. It was released as a single on 28 May 1969, with "Dig In" on the B-side, and appeared on the album Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show. The recording was made at American Sound Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, with an arrangement by Charles Calello and production by Tommy Cogbill, Neil Diamond and Tom Catalano. Classified as soft rock, it drew praise from Cash Box, which called it "sensational", and from Billboard, which described it as a "hard hitting love ballad". It reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1969 and received an RIAA gold certification. In the UK it peaked at No. 8 in March 1971, and it re-entered the chart in July 2021 after England supporters used it during Euro 2020. The song is used at sporting events. Later versions include recordings by Andy Williams, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, the Glee Cast and DJ Ötzi.
