"Hello Again" is a song written by

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling musicians of all time. He has written and ...

and Alan Lindgren that appeared in the 1980 movie ''

The Jazz Singer ''The Jazz Singer'' is a 1927 American part-talkie musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland and produced by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music and lip-synchronous ...

'', and was performed by Diamond on the

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( ...

to the film. It was also released as a single and reached No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 3 on ''Billboard''s

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

chart. ''Billboard'' also ranked as the 70th top pop single for 1981. In the UK, the song peaked at No. 51. The song also peaked at No. 18 in Ireland.

Background

"Hello Again" was described by Neil Diamond biographer Laura Jackson as a "slow tender ballad."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

critic Johnny Loftus considers it Diamond's "signature late-career ballad." Author T. Mike Childs rated it as a "terrific" ballad. Film reviewer Joe Peacock described "Hello Again" as being "keenly affecting to the emotions." ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' critic Vicki Pipkin wrote that Diamond's performance of the song in ''The Jazz Singer'' is "poignant." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' said that "Diamond's deep tenor resonates to maximum dramatic intensity, with a monumental string/piano arrangement backdrop." ''

Pittsburgh Press ''The Pittsburgh Press'', formerly ''The Pittsburg Press'' and originally ''The Evening Penny Press'', was a major afternoon daily newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for over a century, from 1884 to 1992. At the height of its popul ...

'' music editor Carl Apone said that Diamond was at his best in ''The Jazz Singer'' in the songs "Hello Again" and " Love on the Rocks."

Other uses

The song was used in the film ''

Saving Silverman ''Saving Silverman'' (internationally titled ''Evil Woman'') is a 2001 American romantic comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and starring Jason Biggs, Steve Zahn, Jack Black, and Amanda Peet. Neil Diamond has a cameo role playing himself. In th ...

''. It has been covered by several artists and orchestras, including Celtic Thunder,

Donny Osmond Donald Clark Osmond (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, dancer, actor, television host and former teen idol. He gained fame performing with four of his elder brothers as the Osmonds, earning several top ten hits and gold albums. In the ...

Regine Velasquez Regina Encarnacion "Regine" Ansong Velasquez-Alcasid ( ; born April 22, 1970) is a Filipino singer and actress. She is considered one of the most influential figures in Philippine popular culture and is known for her vocal range and beltin ...

and Steve Cherelle.

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1980 songs 1981 singles Neil Diamond songs Songs written by Neil Diamond Song recordings produced by Bob Gaudio Capitol Records singles The Jazz Singer (play)