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Neil Diamond writes song inspired by Boston Marathon bombings – Metro US

Neil Diamond writes song inspired by Boston Marathon bombings

Singer Neil Diamond is writing a song inspired by the Boston Marathon bombings.  (Credit: Reuters) Singer Neil Diamond has written a song inspired by the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings.
Credit: Reuters

“Sweet Caroline” singer Neil Diamond has written a song inspired by the bombings at this year’s Boston Marathon.

‘‘The Freedom Song (They’ll Never Take Us Down),’’ will be released through iTunes and Amazon on July 2, Diamond told the Associated Press. All proceeds from the song will go to benefit the Boston One Fund and The Wounded Warriors Project.

Soon after the bombings, Neil said he was “writing about it just to express myself.” But it wasn’t just the attacks at the marathon that gave Diamond his inspiration.

“It’s like an infestation, and I’m writing about the general situation, not just about this bombing in Boston, but what we’re going through with all of these tragedies, shootings and so on and so forth,” he said on his personal website.

“I spent the whole day recording it and I will spend tomorrow recording it. With a little bit of help from the man upstairs, I’ll have it finished by the weekend,” Neil said in April.

He will perform the song live for the first time on July 4 in Washington, D.C., at a Washington Nationals-Milwaukee Brewers baseball game and during PBS’ ‘‘A Capitol Fourth,’’ broadcast from the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol, according to the Associated Press.

Just days after attacks at the marathon, Neil appeared at Boston’s Fenway Park to sing “Sweet Caroline” during a Red Sox game. He told the Los Angeles Times that he hoped his work could help people heal.

“What resonates for me tonight is the way music can offer comfort to people in times of joy or sorrow,” he said. “With a tragedy like this, there are no words, but if people can find healing in music, this is the reason I’ve been doing this for the last 50 years. It goes beyond what I ever imagined.”

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