"Love on the Rocks" is a song written by Neil Diamond and

Gilbert Bécaud Gilbert Bécaud (, 24 October 1927 – 18 December 2001) was a French singer, composer, pianist and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-known hits are " Nathalie" and "Et maintenant", a 1961 release ...

that appeared in the 1980 movie ''

The Jazz Singer ''The Jazz Singer'' is a 1927 American musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland. It is the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music score as well as lip-synchronous singing and speech (in several isolate ...

'' and was performed by Diamond on the soundtrack album to the film. It was also released as a single and reached #2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for three weeks in January 1981. The song also made it to #3 on Billboard's US

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

chart. ''Billboard'' rated it as the #26 pop single overall for 1981. It performed less well in the UK, reaching only #17.

Background and recording

"Love on the Rocks" was one of five collaborations between Diamond and Bécaud for ''The Jazz Singer''. It began as "a bit of a lark", a "reggae-tinged" number called "Scotch on the Rocks" for Bécaud's drink of choice. (A

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

recording of this version was released on Diamond's career retrospective '' In My Lifetime'' in 1997.) The writers saw its potential and it was rewritten as a more serious ballad. In ''The Jazz Singer'', English actor and singer

Paul Nicholas Paul Nicholas (born Paul Oscar Beuselinck; 3 December 1944) is an English actor and singer. He started out with a pop career, but soon changed to musical theatre, playing the lead role in ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' at the West End’s Palace T ...

, playing a loutish

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British-American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer o ...

-like singer, performs a punk/new wave version of the song to the chagrin of Diamond's character, Jess Rubin.

Reception

'' Billboard'' critic Vicki Pipkin called "Love on the Rocks" a "powerful ballad in true Diamond style." ''Billboard'' also called the song "one of Diamond's more powerful readings" and "a beautiful ballad featuring Diamond's patented smoky vocals. '' Record World'' said it has "enough drama and tension in each line to fill an entire album." Neil Diamond biographer Laura Jackson describes the lyrics as taking "a sometimes cynical look at a man who is trapped in a relationship and is disillusioned with life."

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

critic Johnny Loftus calls it a "lite FM favorite" and "classic, raw-throated Neil." Author T. Mike Childs rated it as a "terrific" ballad. ''

Pittsburgh Press ''The Pittsburgh Press'' (formerly ''The Pittsburg Press'' and originally ''The Evening Penny Press'') was a major afternoon daily newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1884 to 1992. At one time, the ''Press'' was the second larg ...

'' music editor Carl Apone claimed that Diamond was at his best in ''The Jazz Singer'' in the songs " Hello Again" and "Love on the Rocks."

Personnel

* Neil Diamond – guitar, lead vocals * Richard Bennett – acoustic and electric guitars * Reinie Press – bass * Dennis St. John – drums * King Errisson – percussion * Alan Lindgren – synthesizer, piano, orchestra arrangements and conductor * Tom Hensley – keyboards

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Later interpretations

Soon after the release of the Diamond recording, "Love on the Rocks" was covered by

Millie Jackson Mildred Virginia Jackson (born July 15, 1944) is an American R&B and soul recording artist. Beginning her career in the early 1960s, three of Jackson's albums have been certified gold by the RIAA for over 500,000 copies sold. Jackson's songs o ...

on her 1981 album ''Just a Lil' Bit Country'', and

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys K ...

performed the number on the '' Tom Jones'' show, a rendition released on the album ''Great Solo Performances by Guest Artists from the Tom Jones Show, Vol. 1'' in 1997. Co-writer Bécaud recorded the song in French as ''L'Amour est mort'' on his 1981 eponymous album. The Darkness paid tribute to Neil Diamond's "Love on the Rocks" with their own 2003 song "Love on the Rocks with No Ice."

References

{{Authority control Neil Diamond songs Songs written by Neil Diamond Song recordings produced by Bob Gaudio Number-one singles in South Africa 1980 singles Gladys Knight songs Paul Nicholas songs Capitol Records singles Songs with music by Gilbert Bécaud 1980 songs