Neil Diamond’s Most Personal Song Faced Brutal Mockery—Here’s the True Story

Coming up the story of a classic song from one of our most precious singer-songwriters who has a debilitating disease and won’t be with us much longer… the great Neil Diamond. We hope for a miracle, but for the time being, we can celebrate his genius as one of the most beloved icons of the 60s 70s and 80s. Today we honor his classic song "I am... I Said," that was inspired by the experience of a failed screen test for a film about one of the most controversial comedians of the 20th century. It was the most personally challenging song of his illustrious career. And it took him 4 long months to write. It was a daily battle to put the song on paper, and it truly drained him emotionally. But when it was finished, it turned out to be one of the most fulfilling songs he had ever written. In fact, it came from therapy sessions he was having at the time. However, one lyric about a chair inspired a famous journalist to write a scathing book about Bad Songs, wherein he ripped this 70s classic to Shreds… However, the fans struck back with bags and bags of hate mail, and it was so insurmountable the journalist had to write a public apology, and he very nearly retired! The story of the most ridiculed song of it’s time and a tribute to a beloved icon next on Professor of Rock. Look for the new movie about Neil Diamond's music "Song Sung Blue" with Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson.

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