"Cherry, Cherry" is a 1966 song written, composed, and recorded by American musician Neil Diamond.

Background

The song was recorded in February - March 1966, and was originally intended as a demo, arranged by Artie Butler and produced by

Jeff Barry Jeff Barry (born Joel Adelberg; April 3, 1938) is an American pop music songwriter, singer, and record producer. Among the most successful songs that he has co-written in his career are " Do Wah Diddy Diddy", " Da Doo Ron Ron", " Then He Kiss ...

and

Ellie Greenwich Eleanor Louise Greenwich (October 23, 1940 – August 26, 2009) was an American pop music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She wrote or co-wrote "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Be My Baby", "Maybe I Know", "Then He Kissed Me", "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", ...

. It was issued as a 45 single in 1966 where Greenwich came up with the chorus and can be heard as the prominent background voice, accompanied by Jeff Barry. Diamond has stated that the song was inspired by an early relationship with a significantly older woman.Jackson, Laura (2005). ''Neil Diamond: His Life, His Music, His Passion'' (ECW Press), page 112. Session guitarist

Al Gorgoni Al Gorgoni (born 1939) is an American guitarist, composer, arranger, and producer, known for his work as a studio musician during the 1960s and 1970s. Biography Growing up in Philadelphia, his family moved to The Bronx where he took up the guit ...

(who later played on " The Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel and " Brown Eyed Girl" by

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

) contributed to the song. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' would later label "Cherry, Cherry" as "one of the greatest three-chord songs of all time."

Reception

'' Billboard'' described the single as an "exciting production

hich Ij ( fa, ايج, also Romanized as Īj; also known as Hich and Īch) is a village in Golabar Rural District, in the Central District of Ijrud County, Zanjan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also ...

features bass piano backing and choral support of Diamond's vocal work." '' Cash Box'' said that it is a "lively, pulsating chorus-backed romancer with an infectious repeating riff" that is a "sure-fire blockbuster."

Chart performance

"Cherry, Cherry" was Diamond's first big hit, p. 88. reaching #6 on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, in October 1966, and the '' Cash Box'' chart. In 1973, a live recording of "Cherry, Cherry" was issued as a 45 single from Diamond's live album '' Hot August Night'' (1972). The live version hit #24 on the ''Cash Box'' chart and #31 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. '' Billboard'' said that "the live sound and the bouncing arrangement makes it almost a different song" from the original studio version. Two versions of "Cherry, Cherry" have been released. The version familiar to most listeners was recorded in late January 1966 and released by

Bang Records Bang Records was created by Bert Berns in 1965 together with his partners from Atlantic Records: Ahmet Ertegun, Nesuhi Ertegun and Jerry Wexler. The first letters of their names (Bert, Ahmet, Nesuhi, Gerald) formed the label's name. Forming the ...

in mid-1966, and was recorded as a demo, with Butler on keyboards, and Barry and Greenwich on backing vocals and hand-claps. The other version, with different lyrics and originally intended to be released as the single, was finally released by Diamond and

Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...

in 1996 on the compilation album ''In My Lifetime''.

Cover versions

* Dizzy Gillespie recorded a cover of this song for his 1966 LP, '' The Melody Lingers On'' (on

Limelight Records Limelight Records was a jazz record label and subsidiary of Mercury Records started in 1962. The catalogue included music by Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Earl Hines, Milt Jackson, Gerry Mulligan, and Oscar Peterson. Originally headed by Quincy ...

). *

The Music Machine The Music Machine was an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1966. Fronted by chief songwriter and lead vocalist Sean Bonniwell, the band cultivated a characteristically dark and rebellious image reflected in an untamed mus ...

recorded a cover of this song on their 1966 LP, '' (Turn On) The Music Machine'' (on

Original Sound Original Sound is a Los Angeles, California-based record label. It was founded in the early 1950s by KPOP deejay Art Laboe. It began as a small label that specialized in compiling and re-releasing "oldies" R&B and rock 'n' roll songs. History The ...

). *

Joe Dassin Joseph Ira Dassin (; 5 November 1938 – 20 August 1980) was an American–French singer-songwriter and actor. He was the son of film director Jules Dassin. Early life Dassin was born in New York City to American film director Jules Dassin (19 ...

recorded a cover of this song in French on his 1970 LP, '' Joe Dassin (La Fleur aux dents)'' (on

CBS Disques CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

). *

Jonathan King Jonathan King (born Kenneth George King; 6 December 1944) is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. He first came to prominence in 1965 when "Everyone's Gone to the Moon", a song that he wrote and sang while still an undergraduate, ...

recorded a cover of this song in 1970 and it became a hit all over Europe, especially in the Netherlands, Belgium and France. * Kramer recorded a Spanish cover of this song for his 2012 solo LP, '' The Brill Building'' (on

Tzadik Records Tzadik Records is a record label in New York City that specializes in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was established by composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1995. He is the executive producer of all Tzadik releases. Tzadik is a n ...

In popular culture

The song was used through the movie ''Saving Silverman'', used in ''

How to Make an American Quilt ''How to Make an American Quilt'' is a 1995 American drama film based on the 1991 novel of the same name by Whitney Otto. Directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse, the film features Winona Ryder, Anne Bancroft, Ellen Burstyn, Kate Nelligan and Alfre Wo ...

'' and in the introduction of the character Veronica Corningstone in ''Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy''.

References

1966 songs 1966 singles 1973 singles Neil Diamond songs Jonathan King songs Songs written by Neil Diamond Bang Records singles {{1970s-single-stub