For street musicians Leire and Atticus Blue, it was just another day at the office. Performing on the busy streets of London, there were many people passing by but few seemed to be paying any attention to their performance or noticing what they were singing. This all changed, however, when the musicians started to perform a song that no one thought would sound good coming from a pair of buskers.
The song in question was ‘Sweet Caroline’. Written by Neil Diamond and originally released in 1969, it’s a song that divides listeners; people either love to sing along with it or can’t stand hearing that insanely catchy chorus. With their gentle arrangement and beautiful vocals, however, Leire and Atticus managed to perform a version of the song that even haters are admitting sounds amazing!
In particular, viewers love the soulful element that the two musicians brought to their cover, swapping the anthemic nature of the original for a deeply emotive delivery that matches the lyrics. “Goose-bumps, tears, a heart-stopping duet,” said one fan, while many others said that they were sure Neil Diamond himself would approve of the cover.
Life partners as well as musical partners, Music Man readers will not be surprised to learn that this is not the first time Leire and Atticus have performed together in public. One video on Leire’s channel that has proved particularly popular is their joint cover of Stay, originally by Rihanna and Mikky Ekko. With over a million views on YouTube alone, this is one that fans of the original will not want to miss.
With around 70 thousand views on YouTube currently, Leire and Atticus Blue’s cover of Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’ is not the most popular video they have ever uploaded to YouTube. It is, however, in my opinion, one of their best, and we can only hope to hear them transform other iconic songs like this in the not-too-distant future!
Leire and Atticus Blue’s soulful take on “Sweet Caroline” proves great music can come from anywhere. If you’d like to watch the performance, hear more covers, or follow the duo’s work, there are useful links to discover more below this paragraph.