A strange and eerie trend is stirring whispers in New York City and beyond: could one of the most beloved songs in American pop history be cursed?
Just now, a flurry of social media posts and tabloid reports have drawn connections between Neil Diamond’s iconic anthem “Sweet Caroline” and a bizarre string of mishaps involving modern artists who recently covered the hit. Though dismissed by some as coincidence, others aren’t so sure.
In just the past year, three separate musicians — all of whom released public covers or live renditions of “Sweet Caroline” — have experienced unusual and unexplained setbacks within weeks of performing the song.
Pop singer Jake Marlowe, who debuted a slowed-down version of the song in a televised charity event, collapsed on stage mid-performance and was later hospitalized for a sudden and unexplained seizure.
Indie artist Mila Grey, who covered the song in a viral acoustic video, was involved in a minor car crash days later — her car swerved suddenly, though no cause could be determined by investigators.
Most recently, rising country star Ty Carter released a modern twang-infused version of “Sweet Caroline.” Within two weeks, he canceled his tour, citing an “overwhelming sense of dread and personal misfortune” that he refused to explain further.
Online communities have begun compiling these cases under the tag #SweetCarolineCurse, pointing to the eerie consistency and proximity of these incidents. Some theorists even claim that Diamond himself warned against unauthorized reinterpretations of the track during a 2008 interview, in which he cryptically said:
“It came from somewhere deeper than I understood at the time. It doesn’t belong to me anymore — it never really did.”
Though Sweet Caroline is known today as a feel-good stadium anthem — sung in sports arenas, wedding halls, and karaoke bars worldwide — its origins have always been slightly mysterious. While Diamond once famously said it was inspired by Caroline Kennedy, later interviews contradicted that, adding a layer of ambiguity to the song’s creation.
The melody, hauntingly familiar. The lyrics, deceptively simple. But now, some are asking: what energy was truly captured when the song was written?
As reports pile up, musicologists, skeptics, and superstitious fans are clashing online. Is it all random? Is it the dangerous power of mass suggestion? Or is there something about Sweet Caroline — its chord progression, its emotion, its origin — that carries a hidden weight?
Neil Diamond, now 84 and retired from live performance, has made no public comment on the matter. His representatives declined to respond to inquiries, further fueling speculation.
For now, one thing is clear: the song that brought generations together with cheerful “ba-ba-ba” sing-alongs is being reexamined through a darker, more curious lens.
And the truth — behind the curse, the accidents, the silence — is currently being investigated… note by note.