Brian.Maucere's Profile

Childhood and Beer!

My first memory of this song is being a little kid and listening to my mom's LP's on this huge home stereo we had. I'd say it was sometime around 1983 or so and my mom used to always put Neil Diamond on when she was cleaning the house. I got to like the songs after a while and would frequently go sit in by the stereo and put these huge headphones on and listen. I remember not being tall enough to flip the record over to side B and having to go get my mom every six songs or so.

Years later as I attempted to stretch my college driniking years a few more by living in Orlando and partying, I became a regular at a local bar named Cricketeer's Arms. It was a traditional English Pub, and although smack in the middle of I-drive, the tourists largely stayed away. A local guy named Jeff Howell played there just about every weekend and was hugely popular on the local scene. He was half comedy, half musical act, could play the hell out of his guitar, and actually sang pretty good too (when he actually tried). One of his crowd favorites is this song. Every time he sings, "Sweet Caroline", the crowd roars back, "Jeff, you suck!" He has been playing the same show for years now, the crowd reacts the same way, and every time, he stops the song as if in shock. It can make for a really fun night. When I find myself back in Orlando, the first thing I do is check to see if Jeff is playing. Check out the attached video to see more.