Song Sung Blue
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| "Song Sung Blue" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Neil Diamond | ||||
| from the album Moods | ||||
| B-side | "Gitchy Goomy" | |||
| Released | May 1972 | |||
| Genre | Pop[1] | |||
| Length | 3:15 | |||
| Label | Uni | |||
| Songwriter | Neil Diamond | |||
| Producer | Tom Catalano | |||
| Neil Diamond singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Background singers: Sally Stevens, Susie Stevens, Alison Freebairn-Smith and Jennifer Hicklin | ||||
"Song Sung Blue" is a song written and recorded by Neil Diamond, inspired by the second movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto #21. It was released as a single in 1972 from Diamond's album Moods, and later appeared on many of Diamond's live and compilation albums. The song was a No. 1 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week, in the week of July 1, and it spent twelve weeks in the top 40. It also reached No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart.[2]
"Song Sung Blue" was Diamond's second No. 1 hit in the U.S., after 1970's "Cracklin' Rosie", and to date his last solo No. 1 song (he had a No. 1 duet with Barbra Streisand in 1978, with "You Don't Bring Me Flowers").[3] In addition, "Song Sung Blue" spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[4] The song has become one of Diamond's standards, and he often performs it during concerts.
"Song Sung Blue" was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1973, for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.[4] Both awards that year were won by Roberta Flack's rendition of Ewan MacColl's song, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face".
Cash Box said of it that "the song gives the phrase 'Everybody, sing!' new meaning."[5] Record World said that it has "simply some of the best and most commercial soft sounds on the contemporary scene."[6]
Diamond described "Song Sung Blue" in the liner notes to his 1996 compilation album, In My Lifetime, as a "very basic message, unadorned. I didn't even write a bridge to it. I never expected anyone to react to "Song Sung Blue" the way they did. I just like it, the message and the way a few words said so many things."[4]
Later uses
The song inspired the title of a 2008 documentary about a Neil Diamond tribute performer who was married to a Patsy Cline tribute performer. The documentary was in turn adapted into a 2025 feature film of the same name, directed by Craig Brewer and starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson.[7]
Chart history
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[27] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[28] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
