Crunchy Granola Suite

"Crunchy Granola Suite" is a pop rock song written and recorded in 1971 by Neil Diamond.

"Crunchy Granola Suite"
Single by Neil Diamond
from the album Stones, Hot August Night
A-side"Stones"
B-side"Crunchy Granola Suite"
Released1971
GenrePop rock
Length3:15
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)Neil Diamond
Producer(s)Tom Catalano

Release

The song was released on the album, Stones and also released as a B-side on the single also called "Stones".[1]

The song appears on a number of Diamond's albums, including the live album Hot August Night which opens with a combination of the instrumental "The Prologue" and "Crunchy Granola Suite."

Meaning of lyrics

James Perone writes, "The song describes how a man who previously suffered through all sorts of hang-ups has found solace with his newfound adherence to the stereotypical California, macrobiotic, granola, health food lifestyle"[2]

The song was inspired by the healthy lifestyle Diamond was exposed to after moving to Los Angeles. In the liner notes to his 1996 compilation album In My Lifetime Diamond says he was "newly transported to California and was impressed by the health food consciousness there. I actually thought Crunchy Granola Suite might change people's eating habits!" [1]

Critical reception and chart success

The single "Stones" (for which "Crunchy Granola Suite" was the B-side) charted at #16 on the Billboard Chart in the US[3] and #14 on the Australian charts.[4]

The track "Prologue / Crunchy Granola Suite" was nominated for the 1973 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement (for conductor Lee Holdridge).[5][6]

Reviewing Hot August Night in 1973, Robert Christgau said "Crunchy Granola Suite"'s opening guitar riff made it "obvious this man is some sort of genius rock entertainer".[7] David Wild in his book He Is-- I Say: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Neil Diamond, said, "he managed to write the coolest song ever written about granola or any other breakfast food made of rolled oats, nuts and honey".[1]

Cover versions

Easy listening artist Percy Faith released a version in 1973 [8] on his album Corazon which was released as a single reaching # 16 in the USA.

The song was used in the Tony Award winning musical review Dancin', directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse.

References
  1. Wild, David (October 21, 2008). He Is-- I Say: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Neil Diamond. Da Capo Press. ISBN 9780786726929.
  2. Perone, James E (17 Oct 2012), The Album: A Guide to Pop Music's Most Provocative, Influential, and Important Creations, ISBN 9780313379079, retrieved 2015-07-19
  3. Caufield, Keith (9 December 2006), "Neil Diamond's Top Singles", Billboard Magazine, retrieved 2015-01-09
  4. "australian-charts.com". ARIA Charts 1971. Retrieved 2015-01-09.
  5. "Grammy Awards 1974". Retrieved 2014-10-06.
  6. "Discogs Crunchy Granola Suite". Retrieved 2014-10-10.
  7. Christgau, Robert (March 1973). "The Christgau Consumer Guide". Creem. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  8. "Percy Faith cover of Neil Diamond's Crunchy Granola Suite". Who Sampled. Retrieved 2015-01-09.
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