"Solitary Man" by Neil Diamond.

OK, boys and girls, back to the 60s: This melancholic autobiographic 1966 pop-rock classic was Neil Diamond's debut single as a recording artist (he was already a successful Brill Building songwriter). Inspired by the Beatles' "Michelle", it was his first composition in a minor key. He recorded two versions - with and without a pre-recorded background harmony track. It peaked at #55 in '66 but a re-release in '70 went to #21. From a 2005 Rolling Stone article: "There's not a wasted word or chord in this two-and-a-half minute anthem of heartbreak and self-affirmation, which introduced the melancholy loner persona that he's repeatedly returned to throughout his career." T.G. Sheppard's '76 cover went to #14 on the Country charts and Johnny Cash's 2000 version won him the Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. Chris Isaak does a killer rendition (as always!). Song? Answer: "Solitary Man" by Neil Diamond. Solid tune! There is a great movie by the same name starring Michael Douglas. We saw Neil Diamond on stage in Ames years ago - one of the best concerts I've ever attended! We recently saw "A Beautiful Noise - The Neil Diamond Musical" in Des Moines starring 2015 American Idol winner Nick Fradiani. We thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend it if you're a Neil Diamond fan! Unfortunately, Neil has been suffering from Parkinson's disease since 2018, forcing him to retire. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLilTP5WAU0&list=RDyLilTP5WAU0&start_radio=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5SNm-9-tjQ&list=RDe5SNm-9-tjQ&start_radio=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GjLZyT7ZmM&list=RD-GjLZyT7ZmM&start_radio=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBV3topsAVg&list=RDNBV3topsAVg&start_radio=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWzYvoSuiTY&list=RDVWzYvoSuiTY&start_radio=1

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