From the 1960s to the 1980s, Diamond was one of the more successful pop music performers, scoring a number of hits. As critic William Ruhlmann writes, "as of 2001, he claimed worldwide record sales of 115 million copies, and as of 2002 he was ranked third, behind only Elton John and Barbra Streisand, on the list of the most successful adult contemporary artists in the history of the Billboard chart."[1] As of May 2005 he has sold 120 million records worldwide, including 48 million records in the U.S.[2]
Though his record sales declined somewhat after the 1980s, Diamond continues to tour successfully, and maintains a very loyal following. Diamond's songs have been recorded by a vast array of performers from many different musical genres.
Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984, and then in 2000 was given its Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the early part of 2011.
In 2008 Neil Diamond scored his first ever Billboard number one album with "Home Before Dark", the album also became his first studio album to get to number one in the UK.
Nothing but a Heartache
Neil Diamond Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the middle of a bad dream
Like I took on the whole world
And I never had a chance, girl
Was a one-way conversation
I never got the invitation
The sharpness of her words deceiving
And Lord, I tried to be forgiving
But getting by don't mean you're living
And on that highway going nowhere
Was an exit overdue
And all she had to give was heartache
So she broke my heart in two
Yes, she did
You found me drifting in a small boat
In the middle of an ocean
You were there on my horizon
And I didn't have a notion
Unprepared to comprehend it
Felt alone and unattended
Said my prayers and reached my hand out
And you appeared to me that day
Came and led me to a new shore
I had never been there before
Put me in the right direction
And you led me out of Hell
And if it wasn't for your good heart
I'd have never broke her spell
'Cause you promised me tomorrow
But I learned that lesson well
Yes, I did. Oh yes, I did
You're the sum of all my heartbeats
You're the only truth my heart needs
Showed me how to make the journey
I can't let you walk away, no, not today
'Cause I've already slept with heartache
Time to chase the night away
Just the two of us together
And does forever sound okay?
Say, "Yes, it does"
Say, "Yes, it does"
Oh, yes it does
The first verse of the song talks about the pain and heartache experienced by the singer in his relationship. He says it was like a bad dream and he felt powerless against the whole world. He mentions a one-way conversation and the sharpness of her words, which deceived him and left him bleeding. The singer acknowledges that he tried to be forgiving, but it was not enough. He feels that he is just getting by and not really living the way he wants, and that he needs to make a change. The second verse is about how the singer found love again after the heartache he experienced in the first verse. He compares his situation to being lost at sea, but then he found the love of his life. He was unprepared to comprehend or deal with love, but he prayed for help and was led out of his despair by the woman who became his partner. He acknowledges that he has learned a lesson and that he would not be where he is today without her. The chorus is a declaration of love and a plea not to let go of the relationship. The singer acknowledges that he has already experienced heartache but wants to move beyond it with his partner by his side.
Line by Line Meaning
It wasn't nothing but a heartache
It wasn't just a small pain, it was a big heartache
In the middle of a bad dream
It felt like a dream, a nightmare in the middle of the unhappiness
Like I took on the whole world
Felt like taking on the weight of the whole world by myself
And I never had a chance, girl
I felt like I could never win, girl
Was a one-way conversation
It was a conversation where only one side spoke
I never got the invitation
I was never given the chance to be invited
The sharpness of her words deceiving
The power of her words was deceiving and made me believe something different
And I couldn't stop the bleeding
Couldn't stop the emotional pain and sadness
And Lord, I tried to be forgiving
I tried to be forgiving and understanding, Lord
But getting by don't mean you're living
Just surviving doesn't mean you are really living
And on that highway going nowhere
I was on a path leading nowhere
Was an exit overdue
An exit was clearly needed and long overdue
And all she had to give was heartache
All she could give was emotional pain and heartache
So she broke my heart in two
She shattered my heart into pieces
You found me drifting in a small boat
I was lost and alone
In the middle of an ocean
In the middle of nowhere surrounded by uncertainty
You were there on my horizon
I saw you coming towards me from afar
And I didn't have a notion
I had no idea or clue what to do
Unprepared to comprehend it
I wasn't ready to understand or deal with it
Felt alone and unattended
Felt like I was alone and nobody cared
Said my prayers and reached my hand out
Prayed for help and reached out for assistance
And you appeared to me that day
You came to me and helped me on that day
Came and led me to a new shore
Guided me to a new and better place
I had never been there before
I had never experienced such happiness or peace before
Put me in the right direction
Pointed me in the right path
And you led me out of Hell
You helped me escape from a horrible situation
And if it wasn't for your good heart
If you weren't kind and willing to help
I'd have never broke her spell
I could have never moved away from the pain
'Cause you promised me tomorrow
You gave me hope and promised a better future
But I learned that lesson well
I learned the lesson of how to avoid heartache
You're the sum of all my heartbeats
You mean everything to me
You're the only truth my heart needs
You are the only thing I believe in
Showed me how to make the journey
Taught me how to make the right decisions
I can't let you walk away, no, not today
Can't let you leave me even for a moment
'Cause I've already slept with heartache
I've already experienced the pain of heartbreak
Time to chase the night away
Time to leave the sadness behind
Just the two of us together
Just us, nobody else
And does forever sound okay?
Will you stay with me forever?
Say, "Yes, it does"
Say that you will stay with me forever
Oh, yes it does
Yes, I will stay with you forever
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NEIL DIAMOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Velcro
He is just the best human being ever. Thank you Neil. Talk about "getting it". Massive love from London and this is coming from a 39 year old. I remember seeing you in the O2 two years back. I was so pleased to see how many young people are into your music. It just shows you how brilliant you are. One of the most important musicians that ever lived.
ohwhatelse
you forget, he is a PERFORMER! which tells us zero, zilch, naa abt who/what he really is! the "best human being ever" wouldn't sling mud & blame his wife in public!!! he is flawed like the rest of us. (we do not know him!!!)
Jimmy Helsen
Man, i can’t express how grateful i feel to have ever seen this living legend live on stage. Even though i am 40 years younger than Neil, i realize all too well how this artist should be considered as one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time. He has an unbelievable talent of touching all the right heartstrings.
Thank you, Neil, for all of these unforgettable songs and moments.
Faith Fawcett
I love him and his music. Who would want to break his ♥
Anne Fischer
You are so right!
Angelika Stolle
Du sprichst mir aus der Seele
Miló Hazeldine
Listening to Neil, is like a drug (I suppose)! You want more and more! He is so addictive! Every song is a triumph! You cannot leave him alone!
Nanci Townsend
Exactly!!!
Nanci Townsend
Saw him twice in concert
Don t remember many years ago but feeling admiration
Still fresh and will always be there
💚Luiza de Oliveira🌺
👏👏🥰