Neil Diamond – Cherry Cherry

Great guitar riff that has been recycled into many songs, catchy chorus, and Neils unique voice. A nice mid-sixties rocker.

This started out with a guitar lick Diamond came up with that caught Jeff Barry’s ear. He and Greenwich loved it and encouraged Neil to finish the song. Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich produced the song.

The song peaked at #6 in the Billboard 100 in 1966.

In an interview with Melody Maker, Jeff Barry said that this song was originally “Money, Money,” but that he and Bang records owner Bert Berns convinced Diamond to make it lighter and more teen-friendly.

Neil Diamon has had 3 number 1 hits,  13 top ten hits, and  53 songs in the Billboard 100. 

From Songfacts

Neil Diamond is the only credited songwriter on this track, but he got some help from Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, who worked with him after he signed with Bang Records and produced the song. Barry and Greenwich were part of the Brill Building songwriting community, and had written many major hits, including “Be My Baby” and “Chapel Of Love.” They mentored Diamond early in his career and helped him create this Pop nugget, which helped make him a star.

Ever notice that there are no drums in this song? That’s because the version you hear was intended as a demo, with hand claps providing the drum beat. Diamond recorded the demo with Barry and Greenwich on backing vocals and Artie Butler on piano and Hammond organ. When they recorded the song in an official session complete with horns and drums, they couldn’t capture the exuberance of the demo. The drum and horn version was included on Diamond’s 1996 anthology In My Lifetime.

When this became a hit, Diamond’s songs were in demand. This led to The Monkees recording of Diamond’s “I’m A Believer,” which was the biggest hit of 1967.

Ellie Greenwich was not just a premier league songwriter, she was a fine backing singer as well; she and Jeff Barry often did the backing vocals for the songs they wrote. Neil Diamond recalled to Rolling Stone her contribution to this song: “Ellie was the best background singer ever. She did all the background parts on my early Bang records, ‘Cherry Cherry,’ ‘She Got the Way to Move Me,’ ‘Kentucky Woman’ – all of those records were Jeff and Ellie. They just had this great knack of singing all kinds of background parts and they were great at it. She invented the background parts to ‘Cherry Cherry.'”

Diamond made his TV debut performing this song on American Bandstand in 1966. Said Diamond, “American Bandstand was the holy grail of television shows for any Rock and Roll artist at that time.”

Cherry Cherry

Baby loves me
Yes, yes she does
Ah, the girl’s outta sight, yeah
Says she loves me

Yes, yes she does
Gonna show me tonight, yeah

She got the way to move me, Cherry
She got the way to groove me
She got the way to move me
She got the way to groove me

Tell your mamma, girl, I can’t stay long
We got things we gotta catch up on
Mmmm, you know
You know what I’m sayin’

Can’t stand still while the music is playin’
why’ain’t got no right
No, no you don’t
Ah, to be so exciting

Won’t need bright lights
No, no we won’t
Gonna make our own lighting

She got the way to move me, Cherry
She got the way to groove me
She got the way to move me
She got the way to groove me

No, we won’t tell a soul where we gone to
Girl, we do whatever we want to
Ah, I love the way that you do me
Cherry, babe, you really get to me

She got the way to move me, Cherry
She got the way to groove me
She got the way to move me
She got the way to groove me

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

31 thoughts on “Neil Diamond – Cherry Cherry”

      1. I had to look that up. That just reinforces what I read years ago.

        I can’t find it now because the Internet is being scrubbed of all links to elite pedos. Some years ago, I was reading about women in the music industry recalling his behavior. He liked ’em young. I don’t recall reading about him raping anyone but, the list of women that came forward said he liked to put his hands on them, uninvited. It may have been excerpts from Brice Taylor’s book. IDK. It’s stuff I read over a decade ago.

        Marcia Murphey got a LOT of money out of him during their divorce. I guarantee it was hush money. It’s in the top ten most expensive celebrity divorces on record.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Wow I never heard that before…I would never have thought that about him. I just learned about Caroline

        Like

      3. Well, also, he is a Hellyweird Jew like Streisand. They are a protected class. Anything anti-jew is also being scrubbed from the Internet.

        He’s just another elite freak…in a very long line of freaks.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. I never liked Steisand…Miss “no eye contact”…I have read more than one person say unless you are known…you are not in the conversation…even if you are there…you will not get a look

        Like

      9. It’s nice to be rotten! He is a good blogger…He is taking on a big task…every #1 in the UK.

        Oh yea. With all the time I put into it…it would be hard to hide lol. She was surprised knowing how much I hate social media but when she saw it….she got it.

        Like

      10. It IS nice to be rotten! Heh. LOL!

        I understand the big task. At least he has access to his data. I have to fight for mine. Billboard has gotten so stingy that, now, it has wiped ALL the history data out…and I mean to the point of deleting SOURCE data from the pages. This page still exists:
        https://www.billboard.com/archive/charts
        But, choose anything? You get a blank page…even their 50s stuff. Choose something and the link is active but, if you select Ctrl + U, no source code. DAMN. What assholes.

        So, Jen likes your stuff?

        Liked by 1 person

      11. Yea the only Billboard I use is this… https://www.billboard.com/music/the-band
        Of course it depends on the band…It’s a wonder they haven’t shut this out.

        She likes what she reads…she doesn’t read it all of the time. During the week nights we talk and spend some time together but we give each other space…

        Like

      12. I noticed, before they took down all the history charts, that when you clicked on a musician, their history was spotty. That site has broken links all over it. One would THINK that there would be butt loads of info on all musicians. My GOD…they are Billboard for f**** sake. They’ve been tracking music for YEARS. The Weekly Top 40 radio show is based on their data. They can’t put forth history? Sell your damn magazines on the NEW stuff. I repeat…assholes.

        Reading your words about you & Jen…and Bailey…makes me smile. You have joy coming thru your words.

        Which leads me to, I’m surprised there haven’t been more doggie posts…😁🐶

        Liked by 1 person

      13. To not share that info is ridiculous by Billboard. Like I said I can’t believe the stuff I need is still up.
        I didn’t want to slam people with Martha lol… We are going through the house breaking phase…geez. She just can’t control her bladder right now. She picks me to show that. Last night she was on the couch with Bailey and I and it was an hour or so…which her staying still that long is incredible…I should have known. She walks over to my lap for a while…then I felt the warmth dripping….uhgggggg

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      15. No we ended up losing out on it. Someone got him first. I’m still going to look though… when she is housebroken… many moons from now probably lol … but he or she will be 2-4 years old and…. house broken!

        Liked by 1 person

  9. This song has always been a special part of my life, I was about 15 when it came out so it has followed me through my life. I played it at all my teenage parties (and later ones!) and danced to it a lot. Come to that, I still do! 🙂

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    1. I like this one by Diamond…some of his seventies stuff goes by me but his 60s music I really like.

      btw…I have the email almost finished…everytime I try to finish it I get interrupted.

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