"Longfellow Serenade" is the title of a 1974 song by the American singer-songwriter

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 ...

. It was written by Diamond, produced by Tom Catalano, and included on Diamond's album ''

Serenade In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honour of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term comes from the Ital ...

''. "Longfellow Serenade" spent two weeks at No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in November 1974. Whitburn, Joel (2004). ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits'', 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 177. It was Diamond's second No. 1 on the ''Billboard''

Easy Listening chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary music, adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on ...

, following his 1972 single, " Song Sung Blue".Hyatt, Wesley (1999). ''The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits'' (Billboard Publications), page 150. The song reached No. 1 in Switzerland and No. 2 in Germany. Diamond described "Longfellow Serenade" in the liner notes to his 1996 compilation album, ''In My Lifetime'': "Occasionally I like using a particular lyrical style which, in this case, lent itself naturally to telling the story of a guy who woos his woman with poetry." The title of the song is a reference to the 19th-century American poet

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include the poems " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and '' Evangeline''. He was the first American to comp ...

. Diamond chose to reference Longfellow specifically after recalling an instance in which, while in his teens, Diamond had used one of the poet's works to successfully seduce a significantly older woman.Jackson, Laura (2005). ''Neil Diamond: His Life, His Music, His Passion'' (ECW Press), page 112. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' called it a "powerful up-tempo ballad", saying, "Neil handles the tune with his usual expertise and rich smooth vocal." ''

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 "invokes a classic 19th century bard and turns in a true masterpiece of thought and performance perfection."

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

Petr Spálený – Velký Muž Serenád

References

External links