Paul Simon Inducts Neil Diamond: A Tribute to a Timeless Voice
It was a night to remember at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — a gathering of legends, a celebration of history. And as the lights dimmed and the music began, there was only one man who could fittingly induct Neil Diamond: fellow Hall of Famer and lyrical poet, Paul Simon.
With his signature warmth and wit, Simon took the stage to honor one of music’s most enduring icons — Neil Leslie Diamond, whose career has spanned more than four decades, captivating audiences with a voice as rich as velvet and songs that have become timeless.
“What Took So Long?”
Paul Simon didn’t shy away from the obvious: Neil had been eligible for Hall of Fame induction since 1991 — a full 25 years after his breakout hit “Cherry Cherry” — and yet he only received the honor in 2011, two decades later. “My question is,” Simon mused with a grin, “what took so long?”
It was a fair question. After all, Diamond had one of the most successful runs in popular music history. From “Solitary Man” to “Sweet Caroline”, from “Red Red Wine” to “I Am… I Said,” his catalog was overflowing with songs that defined generations.
An Unexpected Encounter in Soweto
Simon shared a humorous and touching personal story — one Neil himself had never heard. While recording Graceland in South Africa during the ’80s, Paul visited Soweto secretly with South African pop star Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse. There, inside a home deep in the township, Simon was introduced to Mabuse’s grandmother — only to find her watching a Neil Diamond TV special.
As Paul stood awkwardly in front of the television, she looked at the screen, looked at him, then back at the screen, and exclaimed: “That’s you!” It was a moment of mistaken identity — and shared admiration. Neil Diamond’s music had reached even the most unexpected corners of the world.
“The Jewish Elvis”
With a sparkle in his eye, Simon recalled how Neil Diamond had once been dubbed “the Jewish Elvis” — a title that, Paul joked, was certainly better than being “the Jewish Fabian.” In synagogues across America, he quipped, Elvis was considered a bogus Neil. The audience roared with laughter, but beneath the humor was a truth: Neil Diamond was that influential.
A Legacy of Hits — and Heart
Paul Simon walked through Neil’s illustrious songbook: “Solitary Man,” “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon,” “Song Sung Blue,” and of course “Sweet Caroline” — now a beloved Fenway Park anthem. Then there was “I’m a Believer,” which Simon described as “probably the best song the Monkees ever recorded.”
His melodies were infectious, his lyrics relatable. “Almost everyone in this room has sung ‘Song Sung Blue,’” Simon smiled, “well… maybe not Tom Waits.” The crowd laughed again, but the point was clear — Neil Diamond’s music had become part of the cultural fabric.
A Theory on the Delay
So why wasn’t Neil inducted sooner? Paul had a theory: “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” — the haunting duet Neil recorded with Barbra Streisand. A beautiful, emotional love song — but perhaps, Paul suggested, “if it’s Barbra, it’s not rock and roll.”
“If he’d done it with Elton John,” he joked, “it would’ve been a rock classic.” The audience chuckled, but behind the humor was a critique of how genre purity often blinds institutions to greatness.
“Let Us Celebrate Neil Diamond”
Paul Simon closed by calling on the audience to celebrate Neil Diamond — not just as a hitmaker, but as a man whose music brought joy, healing, and connection to millions. A man whose voice, both tender and powerful, told stories we still hum decades later.
And so, at long last, Neil Diamond was welcomed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Not because the charts demanded it. Not because the industry owed him. But because his songs have never left us — and never will.