"Shilo" is a song written and recorded by Neil Diamond. It was originally recorded in 1967 for

Bang Records Bang Records was created by Bert Berns in 1965 together with his partners from Atlantic Records: Ahmet Ertegun, Nesuhi Ertegun and Jerry Wexler. The first letters of their names (Bert, Ahmet, Nesuhi, Gerald) formed the label's name. Forming the ...

. Though not one of Diamond's biggest hits, "Shilo" has become one of his best-known songs, and was a staple of his concert appearances. It was included on Diamond's 1972 '' Hot August Night'' live album as well as almost all of his compilation albums.

Background

Neil Diamond and Bang founder

Bert Berns Bertrand Russell Berns (November 8, 1929 – December 30, 1967), also known as Bert Russell and (occasionally) Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s. His songwriting credits include " Twist and Shout", " Piec ...

disagreed over Diamond's career path. The singer wanted to move away from his early teen-oriented pop type of recordings that Berns favored, which led to Berns' refusal to release the more introspective "Shilo" as a single, even though Diamond felt it was part of his development as an artist. "Shilo" was instead relegated to an album track on 1967's '' Just for You''. Shortly after what was said to be a "tense" confrontation with Berns, Diamond departed Bang for

Uni Records Uni Records (short for the label's legal name Universal City Records and rendered as UNI) was a record label owned by MCA Inc. The brand, which long featured a distinctive UNi logo, was established in 1966 in music, 1966 by MCA executive Ned Tanen ...

in 1968. Diamond went into a commercial slump, without hits, but by January 1970, his career had rebounded with " Sweet Caroline" and "

Holly Holy "Holly Holy" is a song written and recorded by Neil Diamond with instrumental backing provided by the American Sound Studio house band in Memphis. Released as a single on October 13, 1969, it was a successful follow-on to " Sweet Caroline", reach ...

" on Uni/

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...

. Bang Records finally released "Shilo" as a single, albeit with a new backing track recorded to make it sound fresher and more like Diamond's current style. Following this, Diamond reissued his 1968 debut album with Uni, '' Velvet Gloves and Spit'', in October 1970, to incorporate a completely new recording of "Shilo". "Shilo" is about a childhood

imaginary friend Imaginary friends (also known as pretend friends, invisible friends or made-up friends) are a psychological and social phenomenon where a friendship or other interpersonal relationship takes place in the imagination rather than physical reality. ...

: p. 50. :Shilo, when I was young — :I used to call your name :When no one else would come, :Shilo, you always came :And we'd play ... The song was Diamond's most autobiographical to date, making reference to his lonely childhood amid turmoil. Diamond's emotional investment in the song contributed to his and Berns's coming into intense conflict. Decades later, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' would compare the song's posture to the emo style. '' Cash Box'' called it a "hitting rhythm number with lover’s lyric."

Chart performance

"Shilo" reached #24 on the U.S. pop singles chart in spring 1970, p. 88. inspiring Bang to release a new Neil Diamond compilation album that year titled '' Shilo''. It reached #8 on the

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...

chart, and peaked at #10 in South Africa.

Uses in popular culture

*It appears in the

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

film '' Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.'' *Shilo Dortmund, the protagonist in

Andre Norton Andre Alice Norton (born Alice Mary Norton, February 17, 1912 – March 17, 2005) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, who also wrote works of historical and contemporary fiction. She wrote primarily under the pen name ...

and Jean Rabe's fantasy novel '' Dragon Mage'', was named after the song by her Neil Diamond-fan parents. *The song is used in the

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

series '' The Mysterious Benedict Society'' in the episode "The Art of Conveyance and Round-Trippery", during a rather ironic moment when the character of Constance does the complete opposite of what the character Kate asked her to do, only for her to discover something vital. *Shilo is the name of the protagonist of ''

Repo! The Genetic Opera ''Repo! The Genetic Opera'' is a 2008 American rock opera horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. Based on the 2002 musical of the same name, written and composed by Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich, the film stars Alexa Vega, Paul Sorvino ...

'' and her name is a likely reference to the song.

References

{{Neil Diamond singles 1967 songs 1970 singles Neil Diamond songs Songs written by Neil Diamond Bang Records singles