Ausborn46, you re taking it ot of context. Les Mis had one of the biggest launches in history. They had different artists perform the songs worldwide as a way to promote the show. THis was sanctioned by Les Mis, and part of history. The only reason this survived a bit longer, is that he released it on Hot August Nights II...
Have been a fan of Neil's own work for 40 years but this doesn't cut it. It has been taken out of context and reduced to just another song. Anyone who has enjoyed Les Mis' on stage will never forget how heart rending and pivotal to the plot it is. Some songs are like children, they shouldn't be intterfered with.
Great talent!! ... There are some amazing artists, still unknown, just waiting to be discovered. Please visit my channel to discover one of these... an artist I really believe in and who I feel desreves a break.
Neil Diamond has a truly great voice and will always be one of my favorites; but the lyrics of this song are specifically written for a woman and just don't work for a man.
@tmag5309 If you think the lyrics of this song "just don't work for a man" then you obviously have never heard the rendition sung by Sammy Davis Jr on the Jerry Lewis telethon in Sept 1989 the year before Sammy passed away during May 1990. It was quite powerful foretelling things to come.
@alpaca10001 I haven't heard that version, and I think Sammy Davis Jr is also a phenomenal talent. I just feel there are some songs, whether by composition, lyric or common usage are gender oriented. "I Dreamed A Dream" was specifically composed for Fantine at a critical point in the play and, I think is just one of those pieces. Just a simple matter of opinion, I guess.
@tmag5309 Hope you listened to SD's version. I agree with why it was composed, just don't think dreams are gender bound.In1989 SD was terminally ill.I believe he sang this song as it pertained to him,not all lines - some e.g"There was no ransom to be paid(his death),There are dreams that cannot be(life cut short) Storms we cannot weather(throat cancer), She slept a summer by my side(she he was leaving behind). That's what I heard him sing. I may have a diffent view, I'm a bit older, class of 33
@alpaca10001 I respect your opinion and I will listen to SD's version. I sensed a great loss when we lost SD and I'm class of '78. Here's to loving great music and great talent!
Each to his own,,,think its a good rendition (concidering its supposed to be sang by a woman)..i would just love to get hold of "this"version for karaoke singing,..anyone know if its available on cdg/karaoke ??..please post if you do know..thanks...
Neil Diamond n'a plus rien à prouver après 60 ans de carrière. Bon, cette version n'est pas la meilleure d'accord. Mais qui fera encore un tel parcours ?
Sans doute pas la meilleure version de cette magnifique chanson ! Mais Neil Diamond n'a plus rien à prouver à personne (+ de 60 ans de carrière et des chefs-d'oeuvre à son actif). Il avait 15 ans quand il a choisi ce métier... Les vedettes actuelles et EPHEMERES n'ont qu'à en prendre de la graine ! MERCI Neil Diamond !
Neil Diamond, thank you very much for all you´ve given me. You have played the soundtrack of my life. With your songs I dreamed, loved, cried, and even felt closer to God. Thank you for being a part of my life. God bless you!
Fantastic, dont get me wrong neil is one of the best, i sing all his songs but Susan has stollen this song and made it her own. thanks for the upload its in my fav's
Being that the last line was changed, puts the message at the end in a positive light that you will fightf for what you want in life and what you dream! Nice change! Thanks for sharing! :)
I can't thank you enough tor bringing Neil's version of this song back into my life. I had "forgotten" about it till today. Then it hit me...my daughter Veronica Diamond, yes named after Neil, sang a solo of I Dreamed a Dream in a school production.
And, yes, his change of lyrics IS SO Neil and very fitting for me How's that for Neil always having a part in my life. LOVE IT!
I truly enjoy Neil and have paid to seeany times But the tenth anniversary of the play cast could not have dome it better. Sorry Neil nut the song story of my life makes up for it leave that song for ms hershal
is life worth living when your best companion jilts you coz you lost job and are no useless.When another wealth man steps in with all the trappings?Your dream then is turned to shame.Man's best friend is and will always his dog
where can a get a copy of the orchestration of this version... i am a good singer and i would like to have a copy of the musical background used in this song of neil diamond.
I love this song and I love the way Neil Diamond makes it his own... and I for one particularly like the change at the end that gives the song hope rather than total dispair (though the orginal with its dispair is perfect for the show it was written for).
Wonderful rendition which I much prefer. Neil has a way of having an understated yet powerful way of conveying sentiment. As bucsbunny said, which I wholeheartedly concur.............OMG he is AWESOME! Although bucs didn't capitalise awesome :-) That man can make any song he sings vibrate with emotion be it a ballad or an uptempo. This world has been so blessed to have his talent exposed to us lesser mortals.
I love ND but i do not like this IDAD rendition in the slightest. It is a tremendous song but does not at all match his voice at all. I have heard some men do it well, but the best are strong belting females. This is not good for ND.
Does any one else feel like scrubbing themselves skinless and proceeding to rock to and fro in the fetus position, muttering rainmain-like jibberish in the absence of comprension as to what the fuck you've just heard? Neil Diamond singing I dreamed a dream? Schonberg's I dreamed a dream? WHAT DUGS ARE YOU PEOPLE ON? I need to hear the original this instant to get the violently fowl stank out of my mouth.
I've loved Neil Diamond's singing and every one of his songs since "SWEET CAROLINE", "CRACKLING ROSIE" & etc, etc, etc! BUT, and please don't hate me for this, I feel this song just isn't they same when a man sings it. I guess after hearing Ruthie Henshall sing this, in her absolute perfection, everyone, EVEN Neil Diamond, pales in comparison!
Beautiful...Neil Diamond is in a class all his own! I remember listening to him as a child and loving his music when my mother played his albums...now my own kids love him too. He is a classic that spans generations.
OMG He's awesome. He had already foersaw this song as meaningful before our beloved Subo even ventured onto the stage in BGT. They are totally different aspects of the lyrics of the song. Neil still tells the story we can relate to so well (as he always so excellently does) but leaves that open ended hope. I don't care about what the lyrics were written about or for. The truth about an artist is his/her ability to make the song "his/her own" which Neil and now SuBo have done.
Um...yeah, from a mizzie's piont of view...this was odd...considering its its a song about a woman who loses her job because she's got an illegimate child, so everyone thinks she's a whore, and then she becomes a whore...and dies 15 minutes later (in the musical, in the book, its like 200 pages later) So a guy singing it and is like "but i still gots hope" is odd
Kay I'm done with my Grantiare drunken rant.
But otherwise I like the folky-pop version if i wans't a mizzie. ("i gots me a bukkit")
I heard this lovely version as sung by Diamond on the radio early in 1988 and enjoyed it so much ... but never knew it was from the musical Les Misrabeles .... until the first night I attended the musical - and the opening notes from the orchestra pit brought shivers down my spine as I immediately recognised what was to follow ... needless to say I was in awe during the entire performance that night. Thanks for the timely introduction, Mr Diamond.
There is a studio version of this by Neil - somewhere! I can't find it, but I've heard it on the radio. Just a tad slower and quite lovely. Thanks for posting this - it's terrific!
Thanks for posting this, I love this version, and Neil Diamond is a great favorite. Wish I could see him in a concert with SuBo, they both have voices that could melt icebergs.
No offense to Neil Diamond, but I don't really like this version. It just annoys me in general when men sing this song. It also annoys me that he doesn't hold out the notes. I find it less impacting when the notes aren't held out, rather just whispered like a nightclub singer. I also don't like the instrumental arrangement, but Neil IS a pop singer, and they did the same thing in Ruthie Henshall's other version of this in the Sound of Musicals.
Awe-fucking-some!! The only version I had heard all these years was Neil's..and its still the best..not one doubt,not half a doubt! This is a combo of a powerful beautiful voice..and nobody can last the notes as Neil does! Put it simply...Ya don't got the BEST,ya don't want the REST!! PERIOD!
Changing three words is so awesome, that just made my day! I love this song! It's a pity how Susan sang "now life has killed the dream I dreamed" and became a self-fulfilling prophecy T-T
When I saw the whole Susan Boyle BGT furore it reminded me of just how much I loved Les Mes. When I was a kid we'd go to my Uncles house. All my Dad would play would be old Beatles albums and Neil Diamond or Sinatra. I got to know Hot August Night II before I even knew what type of music I liked. And this is a wonderful take on a timeless classic before it even found its timeless status, but it's also a memory of humming along in the back of the car on warm summer trips as a kid. Thanks :)
In the original version of Les Miserables, a woman sings this song about a man leaving her. Here she is left without him, without her job, and without her child.
greenpotatoparodie. youre theory on the orifinal is correct, bit when i read neil's autobiography. he slightly changed the words as it reminded him of his childhood. still a tear jerker and iam a straight guy. just a special song to me
Ruthie Henshall sings the song pretty well, but for me a litte too smoothly if I may say so. I prefer Neil's version. Would have been a nice song for Elvis....
Neil is very good technically, as many other singers are here but Susan makes them sound somewhat emotionally limited in comparison.
If you can appreciate HONEST human vulnerabilities you would see/feel that Susan's version draws powerfully and directly from her raw feelings and a vibrational resonance occurs that is truly remarkable and transformative and goes far beyond technical ability.
She shares a profound inspiration for those whose hearts are open to receiving it.
Maybe he liked the song, as we all do However, he seems to talk it, not sing. Maybe he wanted to do it because it is so beautiful. yet he felt awkward. Just guessing.
Neil did a good job, but as much as I would prefer the end to be of hope I just don't see it that way. I apply these lyrics to finding, sharing and eventually losing love and it's beautiful intimacy. I can remember the dream and the reality of what once was, but I am still saddened by the present. Great song!
neils last line is preferable in a way...to now life has killed the dream i dreamed....but a matter of opinion i guess.....or...now winterwood has killed the dream we dreamed?
My brother bought this LP so many years ago... But I haven't enjoyed this song until today. The change at the end of the lyrics make it more optimist. The original one is so sad...
Truly a beautiful song from a fantastic show. I agree with your interpretation of the lyrics alteration, but I wonder if Neil sings the last word as "dream" rather than "dreamed", giving a meaning of the dream being ongoing? On the subject of lyrics, I've wondered about the line "She took my childhood in her stride, but she was gone when Autumn came"... the word "childhood" may be a mis-heard lyric, as in the context I find the word "chiding" a better fit... something to ponder!
I think you may be right about just "dream" at the end which, as you say, is even better. The original lyric is "he took my childhood in his stride" sung by Cosette. As a child, she was abused and beaten by the Thénardiers and forced into child labor. So the interpretation is fairly easy with her character. As for Neil, I think of the lyric as a woman putting up with a man's sometimes childlike behavior. LOL! Thanks for your thoughtful comments. Excellent!
The song is really sung by the character Fantine NOT Cosette. Fantine met a young man and spent the summer with him when she was in her "childhood". He told her to meet him one day at the end of summer but he never showed up and she never saw him again. Hence but he was gone when Autumn came. He left her pregnant with Cosette. So, he took her childhood in his stride when he left her pregnant at a young age.
thank you for this I was checking my e-mails.What a great song.Great voice .I have seen him 3 times in Scotland lOVE mags24155 Born on same date as Neil. Meweardesign thanks xxxxxx
Ausborn46, you re taking it ot of context. Les Mis had one of the biggest launches in history. They had different artists perform the songs worldwide as a way to promote the show. THis was sanctioned by Les Mis, and part of history. The only reason this survived a bit longer, is that he released it on Hot August Nights II...
Petsmack 1 month ago
Have been a fan of Neil's own work for 40 years but this doesn't cut it. It has been taken out of context and reduced to just another song. Anyone who has enjoyed Les Mis' on stage will never forget how heart rending and pivotal to the plot it is. Some songs are like children, they shouldn't be intterfered with.
Ausborn46 2 months ago
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Great talent!! ... There are some amazing artists, still unknown, just waiting to be discovered. Please visit my channel to discover one of these... an artist I really believe in and who I feel desreves a break.
talentlover 2 months ago
I love the voice of Neil Diamond as wel the polishing and enhancing the lyrics of the song.......
crystalpristine 2 months ago
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Please visit my channel to find a very talented artist with a really amazing voice!
talentlover 3 months ago
No, no, no the tigers don't come at night for you young man.
sherriffnoldie 4 months ago
Neil Diamond has a truly great voice and will always be one of my favorites; but the lyrics of this song are specifically written for a woman and just don't work for a man.
tmag5309 5 months ago 2
@tmag5309 If you think the lyrics of this song "just don't work for a man" then you obviously have never heard the rendition sung by Sammy Davis Jr on the Jerry Lewis telethon in Sept 1989 the year before Sammy passed away during May 1990. It was quite powerful foretelling things to come.
alpaca10001 4 months ago
@alpaca10001 I haven't heard that version, and I think Sammy Davis Jr is also a phenomenal talent. I just feel there are some songs, whether by composition, lyric or common usage are gender oriented. "I Dreamed A Dream" was specifically composed for Fantine at a critical point in the play and, I think is just one of those pieces. Just a simple matter of opinion, I guess.
tmag5309 4 months ago
@tmag5309 Hope you listened to SD's version. I agree with why it was composed, just don't think dreams are gender bound.In1989 SD was terminally ill.I believe he sang this song as it pertained to him,not all lines - some e.g"There was no ransom to be paid(his death),There are dreams that cannot be(life cut short) Storms we cannot weather(throat cancer), She slept a summer by my side(she he was leaving behind). That's what I heard him sing. I may have a diffent view, I'm a bit older, class of 33
alpaca10001 3 months ago
@alpaca10001 I respect your opinion and I will listen to SD's version. I sensed a great loss when we lost SD and I'm class of '78. Here's to loving great music and great talent!
tmag5309 3 months ago
Spectacular, i have seen the Broadway play, and this version puts the play version to shame.
arnyyt 5 months ago
Grande, splendida condivisione che amo!
Grazie :)
SalMessina1 5 months ago
I love this song. Loved the Neil's interpretartion and ADORED the changing on the lyrics. clap, clap, clap...
tferrarabr1 5 months ago
are Susan and Neil an item?
wwwonderful 5 months ago
great version:)
edge18 6 months ago
ughhhhh....
irish89055 6 months ago
If you are a Neil fan then this one has to be one of your favorites.
8070jack 7 months ago
Sound like what the libs have done to the American dream, they killed it.
HereinLasVegas 7 months ago
Each to his own,,,think its a good rendition (concidering its supposed to be sang by a woman)..i would just love to get hold of "this"version for karaoke singing,..anyone know if its available on cdg/karaoke ??..please post if you do know..thanks...
tarticu5 7 months ago
As much as I like Neil Diamond, this didn't do anything for me. This song should be sung and the only singing he did was "shame."
Namuhana 7 months ago
Neil Diamond n'a plus rien à prouver après 60 ans de carrière. Bon, cette version n'est pas la meilleure d'accord. Mais qui fera encore un tel parcours ?
zoravega1 8 months ago
Sans doute pas la meilleure version de cette magnifique chanson ! Mais Neil Diamond n'a plus rien à prouver à personne (+ de 60 ans de carrière et des chefs-d'oeuvre à son actif). Il avait 15 ans quand il a choisi ce métier... Les vedettes actuelles et EPHEMERES n'ont qu'à en prendre de la graine ! MERCI Neil Diamond !
zoravega1 8 months ago
Thats Neil Diamond, Hope!!!
DivingHawk1 8 months ago
ik,hou,niet,van,idols,old,wife,suisan,boyle,sorry,nu,naar,buiten,haar,drogen,ok,nice,song,straks,meer,maybe,hy,komt,om,1,eerde,is,hy,weg,my,dear
mollysangelique 8 months ago
This is the worst rendition of this song I have ever heard, lol sorry.
icickel 9 months ago
Lol I love how you're so proud of the explanation, I was expecting some like lyrical analysis... its pretty self explanatory...
Anisizzle 10 months ago
Fantastic,beautiful song.Many thanks for this.Nice explanation of the change of lyrics too.
thewsca 10 months ago
There are dreams that cannot be,and there are storms we cannot weather. Such true words! Beautiful version!
hanafri8 10 months ago 2
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What a schlockmeister!
LonWheels 11 months ago
What a schlockmeister!
LonWheels 11 months ago
I love Neil Diamond, but this is probably the worst rendition of the song I've ever heard.
atyler7353 11 months ago
douze points
slowianka100 11 months ago
OMG, my ears are bleeding.
richieinca 11 months ago
jist awesome Neil, Simply Awesome.
guruclock 1 year ago
Lovely. So beautiful.
KarinPage 1 year ago
The best Neil Diamond I have heard ever, and I've heard a lot
MrMonroman 1 year ago
I want to dedicate this to Danyelle ---one summer one magical season.God bless you honey wherever you are.
pappy15445 1 year ago 2
"But there are dreams that cannot be,
and there are storms we cannot weather..."
Neil Diamond, thank you very much for all you´ve given me. You have played the soundtrack of my life. With your songs I dreamed, loved, cried, and even felt closer to God. Thank you for being a part of my life. God bless you!
estrellasobreelmar 1 year ago
Very nice...this song was well-suited for his smoky warm baritone.
whatanightmare1 1 year ago 10
@whatanightmare1 "smoky warm baritone" -- a good description of his voice! Thanks!
jnfan2011 6 months ago
famtastic music, nice!
MSkarol97 1 year ago
I love this song. I didn't realized Neil Introduced it. Wonderful. viewpoints3
viewpoints3 1 year ago
fantastic the best
MrFlash3333 1 year ago 2
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@MrFlash3333 fantastic music, nice!
MSkarol97 1 year ago
Forget all the other singers, Neil Diamond is the best you will hear.
brianmccorkell 1 year ago 12
@brianmccorkell ...I SHURELY AGREES...:)
mariaelivand 7 months ago
Fantastic, dont get me wrong neil is one of the best, i sing all his songs but Susan has stollen this song and made it her own. thanks for the upload its in my fav's
derbypub 1 year ago
Fantastic, dont get me wrong neil is one of the best, i sing all his songs but Susan has stollen this song and made it her own.
derbypub 1 year ago
Beautiful rendition of this song. The man could sing the phone book and it would be fabulous
sueintexas 1 year ago 3
Fantastic just Fantastic nobody sings as well as Diamond
brianmccorkell 1 year ago
Being that the last line was changed, puts the message at the end in a positive light that you will fightf for what you want in life and what you dream! Nice change! Thanks for sharing! :)
bellabecka2You 1 year ago 2
I can't thank you enough tor bringing Neil's version of this song back into my life. I had "forgotten" about it till today. Then it hit me...my daughter Veronica Diamond, yes named after Neil, sang a solo of I Dreamed a Dream in a school production.
And, yes, his change of lyrics IS SO Neil and very fitting for me How's that for Neil always having a part in my life. LOVE IT!
cracklinrosieb 1 year ago 2
I truly enjoy Neil and have paid to seeany times But the tenth anniversary of the play cast could not have dome it better. Sorry Neil nut the song story of my life makes up for it leave that song for ms hershal
LtsSng1 1 year ago
is life worth living when your best companion jilts you coz you lost job and are no useless.When another wealth man steps in with all the trappings?Your dream then is turned to shame.Man's best friend is and will always his dog
skatershitbird 1 year ago
heard neil sing this song many times on a cd but never noticed the change in words at the end thanks
theboveun8er 1 year ago
where can a get a copy of the orchestration of this version... i am a good singer and i would like to have a copy of the musical background used in this song of neil diamond.
bongnaed 1 year ago
Just one word WOAH!!!!!!!!
kenavo2103 1 year ago
brilliant!!
dstuart82 1 year ago
I love this song and I love the way Neil Diamond makes it his own... and I for one particularly like the change at the end that gives the song hope rather than total dispair (though the orginal with its dispair is perfect for the show it was written for).
earthshinemusic4u 1 year ago
Wonderful rendition which I much prefer. Neil has a way of having an understated yet powerful way of conveying sentiment. As bucsbunny said, which I wholeheartedly concur.............OMG he is AWESOME! Although bucs didn't capitalise awesome :-) That man can make any song he sings vibrate with emotion be it a ballad or an uptempo. This world has been so blessed to have his talent exposed to us lesser mortals.
TheIcewitch54 1 year ago
I love ND but i do not like this IDAD rendition in the slightest. It is a tremendous song but does not at all match his voice at all. I have heard some men do it well, but the best are strong belting females. This is not good for ND.
iloveemusic145 1 year ago
hat eit hate it
madz1152 1 year ago
you would have thought that neil himself,wrote this. just a wonderfull performance
bishopaz 1 year ago
As always Neil made the song a masterpiece!
rikjames55 1 year ago
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i love how he made the message hopeful by changing the lyric at the end! thanks for putting that note in there! neil is great!
maestro22121 1 year ago
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maestro22121 1 year ago
une emotion indefinissable je ne me lasserai jamais de l'ecouter je suis scotchee mille merci
coolgirl13400 1 year ago
I heard other versions of this song, but Neil dose so much better.
brianmccorkell 1 year ago
I never tire of hearing Neil perform this song. I've heard many versions, and his is my favorite.
depptown 1 year ago
Actually there was a day when Neil's charisma on stage made him extremely sexy.....he could hold an audience in the palm of his hand.
I like the change of the last lyrics to one of hope......it's rather "I Did It My Way" ish somehow IMO.
grammy70 1 year ago
Great version from the least sexy man in the history of pop music.
lafcomike 1 year ago
Better than I expected. Sounds kind of funny though...
peteraucs 1 year ago
No body sings this better! What a champion! The Power and the emotion!
eddied111 2 years ago
Dear Diamond fans,
I truely mean no fowl.
But...
Does any one else feel like scrubbing themselves skinless and proceeding to rock to and fro in the fetus position, muttering rainmain-like jibberish in the absence of comprension as to what the fuck you've just heard? Neil Diamond singing I dreamed a dream? Schonberg's I dreamed a dream? WHAT DUGS ARE YOU PEOPLE ON? I need to hear the original this instant to get the violently fowl stank out of my mouth.
lachlunn 2 years ago
Only Neil Diamond can sing this song so well...Susan Boyle eat your heart out..the king rules..
RJB23100 2 years ago
I agree, RJB23100. No one can sing this like Neil.
janieusa 1 year ago
What a great singer and a songwriter! Awesome 10**********
Thank you.
'Life is sweet, life is harsh but it's nice to live and dream'
Brando0307 2 years ago 2
Might aswell sing about a boy "not a girl" when u sing so gay!...
neil diamondt.. this is a song made for woman to sing TBH.
Raking a good song..
ceesay89 2 years ago
My theme.....
PugManMike 2 years ago
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Susan Boyle kicks his ass... Who is he again??? Neil Diamond never heard of him... lol jk
But I like Susans version more...
hartman8883 2 years ago
Maryellen: You can't take away the dream that we will be together again someday. I love you Maryellen.
KMAKiLLeR 2 years ago
i like it.
but i felt it was less dramatic and desperate.
but it's really good.
he has a different genre.
rentmaniac6 2 years ago
Neil's version is better than the original that was staged in Les Miz.
Brodrigue 2 years ago
I've loved Neil Diamond's singing and every one of his songs since "SWEET CAROLINE", "CRACKLING ROSIE" & etc, etc, etc! BUT, and please don't hate me for this, I feel this song just isn't they same when a man sings it. I guess after hearing Ruthie Henshall sing this, in her absolute perfection, everyone, EVEN Neil Diamond, pales in comparison!
robroiboi 2 years ago
I love Niel anyway !! I saw him last yesr in concert !!! he is great !!and has a style of his own ...what a man great singer !!!
Love you Niel >>..xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
gaskell68 2 years ago 2
Beautiful...Neil Diamond is in a class all his own! I remember listening to him as a child and loving his music when my mother played his albums...now my own kids love him too. He is a classic that spans generations.
dansangel42 2 years ago
OMG He's awesome. He had already foersaw this song as meaningful before our beloved Subo even ventured onto the stage in BGT. They are totally different aspects of the lyrics of the song. Neil still tells the story we can relate to so well (as he always so excellently does) but leaves that open ended hope. I don't care about what the lyrics were written about or for. The truth about an artist is his/her ability to make the song "his/her own" which Neil and now SuBo have done.
bucsbunny 2 years ago 3
Um...yeah, from a mizzie's piont of view...this was odd...considering its its a song about a woman who loses her job because she's got an illegimate child, so everyone thinks she's a whore, and then she becomes a whore...and dies 15 minutes later (in the musical, in the book, its like 200 pages later) So a guy singing it and is like "but i still gots hope" is odd
Kay I'm done with my Grantiare drunken rant.
But otherwise I like the folky-pop version if i wans't a mizzie. ("i gots me a bukkit")
songbird71795 2 years ago
Playing this for my dad today! He would have been 65.. and this was one of his favourites and havent played it for 17 years.. since he died! :'o(
walterlisa4 2 years ago
I heard this lovely version as sung by Diamond on the radio early in 1988 and enjoyed it so much ... but never knew it was from the musical Les Misrabeles .... until the first night I attended the musical - and the opening notes from the orchestra pit brought shivers down my spine as I immediately recognised what was to follow ... needless to say I was in awe during the entire performance that night. Thanks for the timely introduction, Mr Diamond.
johancape 2 years ago
Neil, love from Neal. perfection.....I have the casette her next to the computer......yes casette......I am that old..
nealbrice 2 years ago
love it!
dstuart82 2 years ago
i have done this song in my shows before and it got good responses.....love this version
pcrissfan3 2 years ago
I didn't enjoy it.
bondosho 2 years ago
Maybe you're not a Neil fan. As Bill Murray said in WHAT ABOUT BOB? you either are or you aren't. lol!
I like it, but I'm not crazy about the opening lines. They seem a little monotone.
FigurinItOut 2 years ago
Thanks for the song and the explanation!
The hopelessness is appropriate within the context of the musical, the optimism is nice when the song is sung on its own.
Nice job, Neil!
FigurinItOut 2 years ago 2
great version- Ruby Paul
Watchrubypaul 2 years ago
excellent
SOULMUSICFX 2 years ago
super really super.
JohnLuke777 2 years ago
y do u use susans name to bring this up??????????????BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
hepette 2 years ago
I like Neil Diamond's version of this song for men, and the twist in the final lyric. Beautiful!
gajano 2 years ago
Brings a tear to a glass eye !
Reminds me of when i was a kid and got heartbroken by a M I L F. great song by a living legend !!
19apriltwin71 2 years ago
As Strei would say........PERFECTION!
nealbrice 2 years ago
Gimme Susie anyday! haha!
strumtstrummer 2 years ago
There is a studio version of this by Neil - somewhere! I can't find it, but I've heard it on the radio. Just a tad slower and quite lovely. Thanks for posting this - it's terrific!
seriesbookman1 2 years ago
Doesn't work for me with his staccato delivery.
uniquosity 2 years ago
defo agree, although if you check out the elaine paige live at drury lane version on here she pulls it off quite nicely;-)
NAVRATNA11 2 years ago
I don't care if it doesn't work for you. This is Neil Diamond singing discussion over.
mtlsixshooter 2 years ago 3
Thanks for posting this, I love this version, and Neil Diamond is a great favorite. Wish I could see him in a concert with SuBo, they both have voices that could melt icebergs.
2alljoy 2 years ago
I've always loved Neil Diamond and his version of this song
mofa34 2 years ago
Bravo!!!
Pettyswoman 2 years ago
Neil Diamond The Best
pi0586 2 years ago 2
Was prepared not to like this version, but it is really good thank you for sharing it.
LinKov08 2 years ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
terrible, sorry, i am not impressed by his "talent", he absolutely butchered this very highly emotional piece.
tnyankeesfankpt 2 years ago
I had completely forgotten about this. Fantastic.
sffilk 2 years ago
No offense to Neil Diamond, but I don't really like this version. It just annoys me in general when men sing this song. It also annoys me that he doesn't hold out the notes. I find it less impacting when the notes aren't held out, rather just whispered like a nightclub singer. I also don't like the instrumental arrangement, but Neil IS a pop singer, and they did the same thing in Ruthie Henshall's other version of this in the Sound of Musicals.
Please don't hate, this is all just IMO.
msnikhita 2 years ago
tsc tsc tsc
clkunde 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
rather sad...his voice is just no match for this song....only die hard fans would like this version.
ruralrant 2 years ago
As always Neil Diamond is great. WHAT A SONG!
LeyvaRudy 2 years ago
fabulous
doyle1971a 2 years ago 14
This is great! Thanks for posting this! I only have this album on vinyl, and no record player to play it! Thanks again!
billfennell2 2 years ago 8
Awe-fucking-some!! The only version I had heard all these years was Neil's..and its still the best..not one doubt,not half a doubt! This is a combo of a powerful beautiful voice..and nobody can last the notes as Neil does! Put it simply...Ya don't got the BEST,ya don't want the REST!! PERIOD!
rogerbhatia 2 years ago 2
fantastic i love it i actually wouldnt have picked up on the lyric change
norka12345 2 years ago 2
Memory always belongs to Barbara Streisand, love Elaine, but the top notes belong to Barb.
ReDeV7 2 years ago
Just great *****!
daanemartina 2 years ago
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bigtownguy 2 years ago
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bigtownguy 2 years ago
Changing three words is so awesome, that just made my day! I love this song! It's a pity how Susan sang "now life has killed the dream I dreamed" and became a self-fulfilling prophecy T-T
sanpit 2 years ago
When I saw the whole Susan Boyle BGT furore it reminded me of just how much I loved Les Mes. When I was a kid we'd go to my Uncles house. All my Dad would play would be old Beatles albums and Neil Diamond or Sinatra. I got to know Hot August Night II before I even knew what type of music I liked. And this is a wonderful take on a timeless classic before it even found its timeless status, but it's also a memory of humming along in the back of the car on warm summer trips as a kid. Thanks :)
dojosage 2 years ago
Wonderful. Just love it! Thanks for posting.
rboneh 2 years ago
mewear, you thought rightly. Thanx for sharing.
lauralei91 2 years ago
hear, hear! I was first introduced to this song by Diamond (and later, Aretha's version). Yes, Meweardesign, thanks for sharing!
wK
scubakid51 2 years ago
Exactly how it is. beautiful story about the young guy losing his virginity to an older girl and getting heartbroken, happens to most of us !
19apriltwin71 2 years ago
In the original version of Les Miserables, a woman sings this song about a man leaving her. Here she is left without him, without her job, and without her child.
greenpotatoparodies 2 years ago
greenpotatoparodie. youre theory on the orifinal is correct, bit when i read neil's autobiography. he slightly changed the words as it reminded him of his childhood. still a tear jerker and iam a straight guy. just a special song to me
19apriltwin71 2 years ago
he is actually just simply fantastic lol
celtagas 2 years ago
he does a good job, but Lea Salonga does it the best!
MeatballsMarlowe 2 years ago
I don't think nobody can top Ruthie Henshall. It's like Memory always belong to Elaine.
minhiub 2 years ago 2
I think Ruthie Henshall's version is better.
minhiub 2 years ago
Ruthie Henshall sings the song pretty well, but for me a litte too smoothly if I may say so. I prefer Neil's version. Would have been a nice song for Elvis....
VolkersJohan 2 years ago
By the way you spelled exciting wrong. But good video.
petersangel22 2 years ago
It looks like this group of commentators
hasn't listened to Randy Graff sing this song on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson...a 'wow' performance.
(1987) - available on YouTube.
geldagirl 2 years ago
Neil is very good technically, as many other singers are here but Susan makes them sound somewhat emotionally limited in comparison.
If you can appreciate HONEST human vulnerabilities you would see/feel that Susan's version draws powerfully and directly from her raw feelings and a vibrational resonance occurs that is truly remarkable and transformative and goes far beyond technical ability.
She shares a profound inspiration for those whose hearts are open to receiving it.
God Bless Susan!
allanji 2 years ago
I think the Neil Diamond version really captures the mood of the song expresses the deep feelings of the words.
awonson 2 years ago
Listen to this guy all day!
When the others are lost in the past, this man will remain as a super talented singer whatever the song!
BAGSWAGS 2 years ago
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Coprocephalous 2 years ago
Maybe he liked the song, as we all do However, he seems to talk it, not sing. Maybe he wanted to do it because it is so beautiful. yet he felt awkward. Just guessing.
mdryden02 2 years ago
I don't think there is a song that he sings that I don't love!!! I'm glad you sent me here, thanks!
whatabarb 2 years ago
Neil did a good job, but as much as I would prefer the end to be of hope I just don't see it that way. I apply these lyrics to finding, sharing and eventually losing love and it's beautiful intimacy. I can remember the dream and the reality of what once was, but I am still saddened by the present. Great song!
Frankiarmz 2 years ago
sorry,don't really like this version.
if axle rose sung it,then it would be a very different story!
falkirkbairn2009 2 years ago
This version is the bomb! Way better than Susan Boyle's version!
facistleader 2 years ago
I like Neil and this is a nice rendition but doesn't match Susan Boyle. Sorry!!
ingramjri 2 years ago
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rogerbhatia 2 years ago
Awesome
Downtamun 2 years ago
Thank you for sending me here.
777golda 2 years ago
Very good, though I am afraid I prefer our Susan's version!
Rosenaharley 2 years ago
ya!!
imgoingtohelp 2 years ago
neils last line is preferable in a way...to now life has killed the dream i dreamed....but a matter of opinion i guess.....or...now winterwood has killed the dream we dreamed?
12majik 2 years ago
i love this......neil is just fabulous
12majik 2 years ago
He says it how it is, a sad song
but a very great one. he is a legend !!
19apriltwin71 2 years ago
dshelton47 says it all...like it's his own song....beautiful noise indeed.
jfcjake 2 years ago
first time i heard the song was when i got this cd in waht?87?
pappy15445 2 years ago
Yes, it was the Hot August Night 2 album released in 1987. The CD was not released until Oct. 1990! Pretty good memory!
Pass this video on to all your friends who also might enjoy it. Thanks!
Meweardesign 2 years ago
wonderful- i'd never heard neil do this tune before
acherrysherry 2 years ago
WOW......Thank you....I have been looking for this for a while. I can not find my cassett. Yes cassett. Thanks
nealbrice 2 years ago
I realize that the original lyrics fit the context of the musical.
Neil sings this so well, as if it were his own.
Thank you for posting this. It's a great mixture of my favorite singer singing my new favorite song.
dshelton47 2 years ago
My brother bought this LP so many years ago... But I haven't enjoyed this song until today. The change at the end of the lyrics make it more optimist. The original one is so sad...
I must thank Susan and you for this opportunity!
mabeatriz2 2 years ago
gotta love Neil. His was the first version I heard years ago and I loved it then and still do today.
But what Susan Doyle has done with it is just amazing.
salvatoreveritas 2 years ago
That lyric change is just "so Neil." It's one of the things I love most about him. Reminds me of "I'm Alive."
wisconsingem 2 years ago
Truly a beautiful song from a fantastic show. I agree with your interpretation of the lyrics alteration, but I wonder if Neil sings the last word as "dream" rather than "dreamed", giving a meaning of the dream being ongoing? On the subject of lyrics, I've wondered about the line "She took my childhood in her stride, but she was gone when Autumn came"... the word "childhood" may be a mis-heard lyric, as in the context I find the word "chiding" a better fit... something to ponder!
dimundu 2 years ago
I think you may be right about just "dream" at the end which, as you say, is even better. The original lyric is "he took my childhood in his stride" sung by Cosette. As a child, she was abused and beaten by the Thénardiers and forced into child labor. So the interpretation is fairly easy with her character. As for Neil, I think of the lyric as a woman putting up with a man's sometimes childlike behavior. LOL! Thanks for your thoughtful comments. Excellent!
Meweardesign 2 years ago
The song is really sung by the character Fantine NOT Cosette. Fantine met a young man and spent the summer with him when she was in her "childhood". He told her to meet him one day at the end of summer but he never showed up and she never saw him again. Hence but he was gone when Autumn came. He left her pregnant with Cosette. So, he took her childhood in his stride when he left her pregnant at a young age.
gamerboy255 2 years ago
Thanks for that clarification. Appreciate it!
Meweardesign 2 years ago
Gracias por esta version maravillosa, por favor ver la version de Ruthie Henshall, es un angel cantando...
mosra69 2 years ago
Ustedes son siempre bienvenidos. Feliz que haya disfrutado de ella. Voy a buscar Ruthie. Saludos cordiales!
Steven Folks
Orlando
Meweardesign 2 years ago
thank you for this I was checking my e-mails.What a great song.Great voice .I have seen him 3 times in Scotland lOVE mags24155 Born on same date as Neil. Meweardesign thanks xxxxxx
MAGS24155 2 years ago
You are most welcome. If you are on Facebook send me a friend request. I am of Scottish descent!
Steven M. Folks, Orlando
Meweardesign 2 years ago
Wonderful!!! Priceless gem!!!
Thank you !!!
Copacabaner 2 years ago
You are most welcome. Happy to know you enjoyed it. If you are on Facebook send me a friend request.
Steven M. Folks, Orlando
Meweardesign