"Longfellow Serenade"
Single by Neil Diamond
from the album Serenade
B-side"Rosemary's Wine"
Released1974 (US)
GenreRock
Length3:22
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Neil Diamond
Producer(s)Tom Catalano
Neil Diamond singles chronology
"Skybird"
(1974) 		"Longfellow Serenade"
(1974) 		"I've Been This Way Before"
(1975)

"Longfellow Serenade" is the title of a 1974 song by the American singer-songwriter Neil Diamond. It was written by Diamond, produced by Tom Catalano, and included on Diamond's album Serenade.

"Longfellow Serenade" spent two weeks at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in November 1974.[1] It was Diamond's second No. 1 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart, following his 1972 single, "Song Sung Blue".[2] The song reached No. 1 in Switzerland and No. 2 in Germany.

Diamond described "Longfellow Serenade" in the liner notes to his 1996 compilation album, In My Lifetime: "Occasionally I like using a particular lyrical style which, in this case, lent itself naturally to telling the story of a guy who woos his woman with poetry."[2] The title of the song is a reference to the 19th-century American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.[2] Diamond chose to reference Longfellow specifically after recalling an instance in which, while in his teens, Diamond had used one of the poet's works to successfully seduce a significantly older woman.[3]

Cash Box called it a "powerful up-tempo ballad", saying, "Neil handles the tune with his usual expertise and rich smooth vocal."[4] Record World said that Diamond "invokes a classic 19th century bard and turns in a true masterpiece of thought and performance perfection."[5]

Chart history

Cover versions

Petr Spálený – Velký Muž Serenád

See also

References

  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 177.
  2. ^ a b c Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications), page 150.
  3. ^ Jackson, Laura (2005). Neil Diamond: His Life, His Music, His Passion (ECW Press), page 112.
  4. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. October 5, 1974. p. 14. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  5. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. October 5, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  6. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. ^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. November 2, 1974. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  8. ^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. December 2, 1974. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  9. ^ "SA Charts 1965 – March 1989". Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  10. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 – ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  11. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, November 30, 1974". Archived from the original on December 26, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  12. ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1974". Kent Music Report. December 30, 1974. Retrieved January 15, 2022 – via Imgur.
  13. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (January 16, 2018). "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada.
  14. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
  15. ^ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1975". Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  16. ^ Swiss Year-End Charts, 1975
  17. ^ Top 50 Adult Contemporary Hits of 1975

External links

Neil Diamond
Authority control databases
Categories