How did a song written in America, in 1969, end up at an English soccer tournament? And why did they choose to play this song instead of their usual anthem, “Three Lions?”
It all started in Euro 2020, when Frank Skinner, the co-writer of “Three Lions” decided to play “Sweet Caroline” after a game. He even said that, “I thought ‘Sweet Caroline’ went slightly better than ‘Three Lions’ in the post-match sing-song.” The DJ for that year, Tony Parry, said “I went with my gut. Even the German fans were belting it out in the end. It’s a song that all fans can enjoy.”
Paul Carr is a professor in the study of pop music, and works at the University of South Wales. He wrote in a report that “The big thing is simplicity of the melody, and there’s something in the lyrics.” This refers to the chorus that everyone remembers: “Sweet Caroline! Ba, ba, baa!”
What is the real meaning of this song?
The creator of “Sweet Caroline,” Neil Simon, claimed he wrote the song for his wife at the time, Marcia. He later changed the name to Caroline, because Marcia didn’t work well for the melody. He chose it because he saw a magazine featuring John F. Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline.
He was exceptionally “thrilled” to find out that England used his song for their victory tune. He was even more delighted when Euro 2020 fans sang along.
A young fan’s delight at England’s victory over Sweden
A young 8-year-old girl who jumped up and down, singing “Sweet Caroline,” stood out to viewers of this year’s tournament. Because of her enthusiasm about England’s victory, she was put on camera. Her mother was getting texts from people reading, “Tess is on telly (TV)!”
According to Tess, “When I’m older I want to be a [soccer player], so I was looking at how they were celebrating and thinking of how I was going to celebrate.”
It all started in Euro 2020, when Frank Skinner, the co-writer of “Three Lions” decided to play “Sweet Caroline” after a game. He even said that, “I thought ‘Sweet Caroline’ went slightly better than ‘Three Lions’ in the post-match sing-song.” The DJ for that year, Tony Parry, said “I went with my gut. Even the German fans were belting it out in the end. It’s a song that all fans can enjoy.”
Paul Carr is a professor in the study of pop music, and works at the University of South Wales. He wrote in a report that “The big thing is simplicity of the melody, and there’s something in the lyrics.” This refers to the chorus that everyone remembers: “Sweet Caroline! Ba, ba, baa!”
What is the real meaning of this song?
The creator of “Sweet Caroline,” Neil Simon, claimed he wrote the song for his wife at the time, Marcia. He later changed the name to Caroline, because Marcia didn’t work well for the melody. He chose it because he saw a magazine featuring John F. Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline.
He was exceptionally “thrilled” to find out that England used his song for their victory tune. He was even more delighted when Euro 2020 fans sang along.
A young fan’s delight at England’s victory over Sweden
A young 8-year-old girl who jumped up and down, singing “Sweet Caroline,” stood out to viewers of this year’s tournament. Because of her enthusiasm about England’s victory, she was put on camera. Her mother was getting texts from people reading, “Tess is on telly (TV)!”
According to Tess, “When I’m older I want to be a [soccer player], so I was looking at how they were celebrating and thinking of how I was going to celebrate.”
