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You all know the story by now. At the beginning of the season the club gave fans the chance to vote for a new club anthem. A similar attempt back in 2005 was such a success that the winning song, 500 Miles by The Proclaimers, stopped being played barely a month after being chosen.
At least this time Ashes was still being played into the new year. It didn't work though. Whatever you think of Embrace and their song, it is clearly not a football anthem. Neither, despite its name, is The Royals Anthem, though that should always be played before games at, to quote the song, "2:45 [when] the place [is] alive!"
So the club have gone back to Neil Diamond's classic Sweet Caroline after Reading fans witnessed Bradford's impressive Midland Road anthem and decided they'd quite like their own song. At least Sweet Caroline has a genuine link to the club: our most successful team's karaoke anthem!
Following the Boston Red Sox
The Royals are not the first sports team to adopt Sweet Caroline though. The Boston Red Sox have played Diamond's song at Fenway Park since 1997. As part of their tradition their fans shout "so good" three times after the line "good times never seemed so good".
If you listen to the video below of Diamond performing his song before a Red Sox game it sounds quite impressive. I'd love to hear Reading fans doing the same at the Madejski Stadium but maybe we'll find our own way to make it our song.
However we sing it, the more who join in the better it will sound. So watch the video below (the lyrics Diamond sings are slightly different from the official ones below) and get practising! Hands, touchin' hands...
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Where it began,
I can't begin to knowin'
But then I know it's growing strong
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Was in the spring
And spring became the summer
Who'd have believed you'd come along.
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Hands, touchin' hands
Reachin' out, touchin' me, touchin' you
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SWEET CAROLINE
OH OH OH
Good times never seemed so good
I've been inclined
OH OH OH
To believe they never would
But now I...
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...look at the night
And it don't seem so lonely
We fill it up with only two.
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And when I hurt,
Hurtin' runs off my shoulders
How can I hurt when holding you?
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Warm, touchin' warm
Reachin' out, touchin' me, touchin' you
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SWEET CAROLINE
OH OH OH
Good times never seemed so good
I've been inclined,
OH OH OH
To believe they never would
Oh, no, no
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SWEET CAROLINE
OH OH OH
Good times never seemed so good
SWEET CAROLINE
OH OH OH
I believe they never could
SWEET CAROLINE
OH OH OH
Good times never seemed so good
Sweet Caroline...
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