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.
White Christmas
Neil Diamond Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The orange and palm trees sway
There's never seen such a day in Beverly Hills, L.A.
But it's December the 24th, and I'm longing to be up north
Yeah, I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the tree tops glisten and children listen
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white, come on, mow
Yes, I'm dreaming of that white Christmas
There's nothing like that newly fallen snow
The treetops glisten, children all listen
To hear some sleigh bells in the snow, you know it's so
And I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be
May every Christmas Day be
May all your Christmases be any color you like
Oh, yeah, yeah
Where the treetops glisten and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow
Come on, sing it now with me everybody
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry, merry and bright, yeah
And may all your Christmases be
May all your Christmases be
May all your Christmases be white
(And may all your Christmases be white)
The lyrics to Neil Diamond's song White Christmas express a longing for the snow and wintry traditions of Christmases past. Diamond sings about the sunny weather and palm trees of Beverly Hills on December 24th, but despite this, he dreams of a white Christmas "just like the ones I used to know." He goes on to describe the glistening treetops and the sound of sleigh bells in the snow that he wishes to experience again. The lyrics convey a sense of nostalgia and the desire to recapture the magic of past Christmases.
The song is not only about a longing for snow, but also about the universal desire for a happy and bright holiday season. Diamond wishes for his listeners to have "merry and bright" days and for all their Christmases to be white or any color they desire. This message of spreading joy and warmth is a hallmark of many holiday songs.
Overall, White Christmas is a nostalgic and uplifting song that celebrates the magic of the holiday season. It speaks to the desire for traditions and familiar experiences that bring comfort and joy during the holiday season.
Line by Line Meaning
The sun is shining and the grass is green
It's a beautiful day in Beverly Hills, LA.
The orange and palm trees sway
The palm trees and orange trees are moving in the wind.
There's never seen such a day in Beverly Hills, LA
This kind of warm and sunny day is unusual for LA.
But it's December the 24th, and I'm longing to be up north
Even though it's warm and sunny in LA, he wants to experience a snowy white Christmas somewhere up north.
Yeah, I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
He wants to have a Christmas with snow.
Just like the ones I used to know
He remembers having white Christmases in the past.
Where the tree tops glisten and children listen
He wants to see the tree branches shining in the sunlight and listen to the children playing in the snow.
To hear sleigh bells in the snow
He wants to hear the sound of sleigh bells ringing in the snow.
With every Christmas card I write
He writes Christmas cards every year.
May your days be merry and bright
He wishes that everyone has a happy and bright Christmas celebration.
And may all your Christmases be white, come on, mow
He wishes that everyone has a white Christmas.
Yes, I'm dreaming of that white Christmas
He still dreams of having a white Christmas.
There's nothing like that newly fallen snow
He loves the feeling of fresh snow fallen on the ground.
The treetops glisten, children all listen
He wants to see the trees shining in the sunlight and hear the children playing in the snow.
To hear some sleigh bells in the snow, you know it's so
He knows that sleigh bells are a part of the classic white Christmas experience.
May every Christmas day be
He wishes that every Christmas day is special.
May all your Christmases be any color you like
He's just expressing that the color of Christmas doesn't matter as long as it's enjoyable.
Where the treetops glisten and children listen
He still wants to see the trees shining in the sunlight and hear the children playing in the snow.
To hear sleigh bells in the snow
He still wants to hear the sound of sleigh bells ringing in the snow.
May your days be merry, merry and bright, yeah
He hopes that everyone has a happy and bright Christmas celebration.
May all your Christmases be white
He wishes that everyone has a white Christmas.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Irving Berlin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alycia Henry
NEIL DIAMOND TONIGHT I HAD TO CALL MY MOM TO SEE IF I COULD DO A OVERNIGHT AT HER HOUSE BECAUSE TONIGHT WHEN I HAD TO CALL MY MOM I HAD TO ASK IF IT'S THIS THURSDAY THAT SHE HAS TO BRING HER CAR TO THE DEALER SHIP TO HAVE THE OIL CHANGED AND HER YELLOW LIGHT BULB PUT IN BECAUSE THE YELLOW LIGHT BULB WAS ALMOST OUT AND SO THAT IS WHAT I HAD TO ASK MY MOM AND SHE TOLD ME THAT IT IS THIS THURSDAY SHE HAS TO DO THAT NEIL DIAMOND AND SO THAT IS WHAT I HAD TO ASK MY MOM BECAUSE THIS FRIDAY I AM GOING TO BE WITH MY MOM AND SO THAT IS WHAT I'M DOING THIS WEEKEND NEIL DIAMOND AND SO THAT IS WHY I JUST WANT TO TELL YOU THAT NEIL DIAMOND BECAUSE I LOVE YOU A LOT AND THAT I ALSO THINK THAT YOU ARE A VERY WONDERFUL SINGER WHEN YOU PLAY YOUR GUITAR AND SING SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN BECAUSE I JUST WANT TO ASK IF YOU WROTE THAT SING NEIL DIAMOND BECAUSE I LOVE YOU SINGING THAT SONG BECAUSE I REALLY DO LOVE THAT SONG NEIL DIAMOND AND SO THAT IS WHY I THINK YOU ARE A WONDERFUL TERRIFIC EXCELLENT TALENTED AND ALSO GREAT WHEN YOU SING I THINK THAT YOU SOUND WONDERFUL WHEN YOU SING THAT SONG BECAUSE THAT IS MY FAVORITE SONG THAT I LOVE TO COPY WHEN YOU SING IT NEIL DIAMOND AND SO THAT'S WHY YOU SOUND WONDERFUL WHEN YOU SING AND PLAY YOUR GUITAR AND SO NEIL DIAMOND I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I THINK THAT YOU ARE A WONDERFUL SINGER WHEN YOU SING NEIL DIAMOND SO THAT IS WHAT I JUST WANTED TO SAY TO YOU NEIL DIAMOND MY WONDERFUL SINGER I LOVE YOU NEIL DIAMOND
Titan52berg
Jeez! All that and a barrel of crackers!
Mizz Mead
God has blessed us with Neil Diamond and all his music and talents and I thank you Jason for posting this incredible post. He has blessed you too!
Karen McDunn
How FUN!! Why NOT have fun with a classic? And why bother doing it straight when NO ONE could ever touch Bing Crosby's masterpiece! I applaud Neil for going for it (and looking darn sharp in that white jacket!!!) 💖
Hernán Antonio Núñez
Sencillamente exquisito!
Heather Johnson
Neil could sing a telephone book and I would still love it!
Marie-Claire Beckx
I ♥️ Neil's interpretation!
Vera Lucinda Mathias
Neil, maravilhoso sempre
Joy Janderchick
Love Neil's version💖🎄
Marilyn Velicaria
I love it!!! I am so tired of the old Bing Crosby style. Every one does it. This is so updated to the 21st century.