Cracklin' Rosie

My favourite Neil Diamond song! I always liked the tune, but when I heard Neil give his explanation for the lyrics...well it just tugged on my heart strings. Now I almost cry when I hear it over the radio (as I crank up the volume!). You see, Neil Diamond said he was once travelling though a small hick town (forgotten where) which was on the outskirts of a Native American Reserve. The Natives were addicted to alcohol, but didn't have enough money to afford real drink. So they purchased an aftershave lotion from the local drugstore. Neil remembered it was pink in colour, and THIS WAS THE REASON the Natives called it "Cracklin Rosie"... as though it was some fancy sparkling wine or something.

And Neil was there when they sat around drinking this stuff in order to get drunk and forget all of their troubles... If you have EVER had to help get a loved one though the agony of alcohol addiction (like I have)... YOU'LL UNDERSTAND just how lovely... and how SAD, this song really is.

Cracklin' Rosie is a bottle of wine. The narrator is a hobo.

Cracklin Rose is the name given to a cheap american rose wine Believe me i once knew her well

My daddy liked to sing this to me when he would rough house with me and my sister Lynn when were really little. :) Great memories,the few that I have. Thank you Neil Diamond. :)

This is the most awesome song! Especially when he sings that really low bridge! Definately a masterpeice! except i always thought he was singing about a rose untill today! lol

Well, I read in an article (presumably by Neil) that he thought to write the song after visiting an Indian reservation one night. He said the men had nothing to do but sit around and drink cheap wine which I believe was called "Cranklin Rosie". Store-bought woman that knows how to make them happy. Kinda sad, but a fun song to listen to.

And to all the music lovers out there:

"Don't need to say 'Please' to no man for a happy tune!"

I agree with Kyle, Bikerbob, & Ultravixen. I think he' s talkin' about a cheap, cracklin', blowup doll with rosey red cheeks. "Store bought-woman", " have me a time with a poor man's lady", " a dream that don't ask no questions". Sound's like a doll more than a drink to me.

Ok, pinback, Rayman and sing em, you've all got parts of the idea. I heard Neil once describe the origins of the song, it was about an Indian reservation where the women greatly outnumber the men. For the guys who miss out, a bottle of wine becomes their woman for the night. The title Cracklin Rosie is a play on rose wine. I think the bits about aftershave lotion and blow up dolls are the product of over fertile imaginations though.

Oops ... I screwed up on that one ... should read "the men greatly outnumber the women"