Having gained recognition for his songwriting skills in the late sixties, most notably writing the song I’m A Believer that launched the career of The Monkees, Neil Diamond had to wait until 1970 and the release of Cracklin’ Rosie for his own US number one single.
The song taken from the album Tap Root Manuscript also presented Diamond with his personal breakthrough in the UK, where the single peaked at number three in the charts and set the rumours going about what the song was actually about.
The line ‘Cracklin’ Rosie you’re store bought woman’ had many believing that somehow this song was referring to a particular lady of the night or prostitute, but Diamond later enlightened fans with the truth behind the song.
It turned out to be a song about a Rosé wine, but of course no ordinary Rosé, Cracklin’ Rosie was a homemade alcoholic brew made and drunk by a native Canadian tribe.
As usual there are various stories about how Diamond came to write about the homemade brew, some say that the singer actually visited the tribe and the song is about his personal experience, but the story told in the book Neil Diamond: The Solitary Star says that Diamond heard the story from a reporter before writing the song.
Either way the story is that there is a native tribe in Canada whose men outnumber their women. Those single men that were unlucky enough not to have a date at the weekend would gather around the fire drinking Cracklin’ Rosé, which Diamond changed to Cracklin’ Rosie.
Enough of that! Here is Neil Diamond performing Cracklin’ Rosie live in 1970.
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