# What did Neil Diamond mean by calling Cracklin Rosie that? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 14, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-diamond-mean-by-calling-cracklin-rosie-that/746127 "2016-02-14T16:16:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-diamond-mean-by-calling-cracklin-rosie-that/746127/1 "2016-02-14T16:16:24Z")
And what did he mean by "cracklin’? Beng a "store-bought woman’ sounds pretty insulting. Is he calling her a prostitute? High maintenance? How high maintenance can she be, being a poor man’s woman? When I was young, the title made me think of when the science guys on TV would dip a flower in dry ice and then smash it. Why am I thinking of this song now? Because of Time/Life, that’s why. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-diamond-mean-by-calling-cracklin-rosie-that/746127/2 "2016-02-14T16:19:26Z")
I think it refers to a type of cheap wine. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-diamond-mean-by-calling-cracklin-rosie-that/746127/3 "2016-02-14T16:24:05Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > I think it refers to a type of cheap wine. You mean he’s singing about going on a bender with some Wild Irish and not doing The Humpty Dance with a chap floozy? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-diamond-mean-by-calling-cracklin-rosie-that/746127/4 "2016-02-14T16:27:41Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > You mean he’s singing about going on a bender with some Wild Irish and not doing The Humpty Dance with a chap floozy? Here’s the explanation from [Wiki.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracklin'_Rosie) > [@](#): > > But in actuality, Cracklin’ Rosie is a type of wine. Diamond heard a story about a native Canadian tribe while doing an interview in Toronto, Canada – the tribe had more men than women, so the lonely men of the tribe would sit around the fire and drink their wine together – which inspired him to write the song ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-diamond-mean-by-calling-cracklin-rosie-that/746127/5 "2016-02-14T16:38:28Z")
Wikipedia says that it’s about drinking wine: > **[Cracklin' Rosie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracklin%27_Rosie)** > > "Cracklin' Rosie" is a song written and recorded by Neil Diamond in 1970, with instrumental backing by Los Angeles session musicians from the Wrecking Crew, including Hal Blaine on drums, Larry Knechtel on keyboards, Joe Osborn on bass, Al Casey on guitar and Gene Estes on percussion – arranged by Don Randi. The song was included on Diamond's album Tap Root Manuscript. In October 1970 the song became Diamond's first American No. 1 hit within the Billboard Hot 100, and his third to sell a mi The s... Here are the lyrics: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YhumCu3fzMI/hqdefault.jpg "Neil Diamond - Cracklin' Rosie") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhumCu3fzMI) ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-diamond-mean-by-calling-cracklin-rosie-that/746127/6 "2016-02-14T17:47:09Z")
I may or may not have this song on one of my running playlists. Hey, it’s got a good RPM! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-diamond-mean-by-calling-cracklin-rosie-that/746127/7 "2016-02-14T18:29:30Z")
When the song came out, everybody knew what he was referring to. Cracklin’ Rose’ was a popular cheap pink wine for all us poor folk. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-diamond-mean-by-calling-cracklin-rosie-that/746127/8 "2016-02-14T18:50:02Z")
Glad that the collective wisdom has cleared this up. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2016, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-diamond-mean-by-calling-cracklin-rosie-that/746127/9 "2016-02-14T21:18:05Z")
If he’s singing about a drink, why is he asking it to _“Hang on to me, girl”_? How is a bottle of booze going to let go of somebody? A woman can leave you but a bottle can’t. And what does it mean when he sings _“Girl, if it lasts for an hour, that’s all right. We got all night”_? If you’ve got all night ahead of you, it would not be all right if whatever solace you had only lasted for an hour. This is the kind of thing that makes me suspect even Neil Diamond doesn’t listen to Neil Diamond songs. ---
**Author:** ![NeonMadman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@NeonMadman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeonMadman)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-diamond-mean-by-calling-cracklin-rosie-that/746127/10 "2016-02-15T16:44:00Z")
I think it’s called poetic license. He’s using the metaphor of a fling with a woman to represent the fact that he’s planning on a wine bender. The story doesn’t have to conform to perfect logic, since the narrator is probably already half-drunk (within the context of the lyrics). And, besides, it’s poetry, not academic writing. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-diamond-mean-by-calling-cracklin-rosie-that/746127/11 "2016-02-15T17:14:20Z")
Remember, this is from a man who says “Sweet Caroline” was about Caroline Kennedy. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2016, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-neil-diamond-mean-by-calling-cracklin-rosie-that/746127/12 "2016-02-15T18:50:33Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Remember, this is from a man who says “Sweet Caroline” was about Caroline Kennedy. Ah, yes, the song the opened with the lyrics _“Where it began, I can’t begin to knowing”_. You know, Neil, there’s a reason that chair didn’t want to hear you.