<P> The song reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week ending August 16, 1969, and was certified gold by the RIAA on August 18, 1969, for sales of one million singles . "Sweet Caroline" was also the first of fifty - eight entries on the US Easy Listening chart, peaking at #3 . </P> <P> In the autumn of 1969, Diamond performed "Sweet Caroline" on several television shows . It later reached No. 8 on the UK singles chart in 1971 . </P> <P> In a 2007 interview, Diamond stated the inspiration for his song was John F. Kennedy's daughter, Caroline, who was eleven years old at the time it was released . Diamond sang the song to her at her 50th birthday celebration in 2007 . On December 21, 2011, in an interview on CBS's The Early Show, Diamond said that a magazine cover photo of Caroline Kennedy as a young child on a horse with her parents in the background created an image in his mind, and the rest of the song came together about five years after seeing the picture . However, in 2014 Diamond said the song was about his then - wife Marcia, but he needed a three - syllable name to fit the melody . </P> <P> The song has proven to be enduringly popular and, as of November 2014, has sold over two million digital downloads in the United States . </P>

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