"Crunchy Granola Suite" is a

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

song written and recorded in

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

Release

The song was released on the album ''

Stones In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's o ...

'' and included as a B-side on the single for the album's title track. The song appears on a number of Diamond's albums, including the live album ''

Hot August Night ''Hot August Night'' is a 1972 live double album by Neil Diamond. The album is a recording of a Diamond concert on August 24, 1972, one of ten sold-out concerts that Diamond performed that month at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. This also mar ...

'', which opens with a combination of the instrumental "The Prologue" and "Crunchy Granola Suite".

Lyrical interpretation

James Perone writes, "The song describes how a man who previously suffered through all sorts of hang-ups has found solace with his newfound adherence to the stereotypical California, macrobiotic, granola, health food lifestyle". The song was inspired by the healthy lifestyle Diamond was exposed to after moving to Los Angeles. In the liner notes to his 1996 compilation album ''In My Lifetime'' Diamond says he was "newly transported to California and was impressed by the health food consciousness there. I actually thought Crunchy Granola Suite might change people's eating habits!"

Critical reception and chart success

The single "Stones" (for which "Crunchy Granola Suite" was the B-side) charted at #16 on the Billboard Chart in the US and #14 on the Australian charts. The track "Prologue / Crunchy Granola Suite" was nominated for the 1973

Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by ...

(for conductor Lee Holdridge). Reviewing ''Hot August Night'' in 1973,

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

said "Crunchy Granola Suite"'s opening guitar riff made it "obvious this man is some sort of genius rock entertainer". David Wild in his book ''He Is-- I Say: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Neil Diamond'', said, "he managed to write the coolest song ever written about

granola Granola is a breakfast and snack food consisting of rolled oats, nuts, honey or other sweeteners such as brown sugar, and sometimes puffed rice, that is usually baked until crisp, toasted and golden brown. The mixture is stirred while baking ...

or any other breakfast food made of rolled oats, nuts and honey".

Cover versions

Easy listening artist

Percy Faith Percy Faith (April 7, 1908 – February 9, 1976) was a Canadian-American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of pop and Christmas standards. He is often credited with popularizing the "easy listenin ...

released a version in 1973 on his album ''Corazon'' which was released as a single reaching # 16 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart in the USA. The song was used in the Tony Award winning musical review ''

Dancin' ''Dancin'' is a musical revue created, directed, and choreographed by Bob Fosse and originally produced on Broadway in 1978. The plotless, dance-driven revue is a tribute to the art of dance, and the music is a collection of mostly American song ...

'', directed and choreographed by

Bob Fosse Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American actor, choreographer, dancer, and film and stage director. He directed and choreographed musical works on stage and screen, including the stage musicals ''The Pajam ...

References

External links

Youtube clip of live performance of song
1972 singles Songs written by Neil Diamond Neil Diamond songs Song recordings produced by Tom Catalano {{1970s-single-stub