Iconic Musician Neil Diamond Gives Outstanding Live Rendition of 'America'

Jun 24, 2020

Dedicated to his grandmother who made the journey from Kiev, Ukraine nearly 100 years ago, Neil performed America live at the Greek Theatre in July 2018.

Neil Diamond is one of the biggest names in music. For years he's not only been singing for huge crowds around the world. He's also been writing and producing music. In his songs, Neil Diamond has shown that no matter what he accomplishes or how rich he becomes, he has never lost his touch when it comes to the common person. Diamond knows how to touch people's hearts.

One of the songs where this is most evident is in America. Released in 1980, this song celebrates the immigrant experience. It starts off talking about people who have nothing.

They're lost without a home. But then they arrive in the United States. There, they find that there is a place where they belong. It's a triumphant song about an accepting place where people from around the world can build a life.

America is always one of the most emotional songs in Neil Diamond's set. That's true for both the audience and the singer. Diamond loves this country, and he's not afraid to say that. When he performs it live, many people in the audience are so moved they start to cry.

This is especially true for the immigrants in the crowd. They're listening to someone celebrate their own story, after all. When Neil Diamond sings America, it's clear that he means it. He knows what the great promise of this country is, and he wants to promote it to everyone around the world.

The story of this legendary song is very interesting. We only have this song thanks to Diamond's short-lived career as an actor. This song comes courtesy of the soundtrack to The Jazz Singer. This remake of Al Jolson's first talkie didn't exactly become a legend of the silver screen.

Diamond gracefully stepped away from acting after it didn't really work. Apart from a small cameo here and there, he never appears in movies anymore. But while The Jazz Singer failed as a film, it had a truly marvelous soundtrack. It gave us one of the greatest and most patriotic, positive songs ever. Maybe that's all that it really needed to do.

What is your favorite Neil Diamond song? Let us know in the comments and be sure to pass this along to your loved ones.