Devoted to publishing, publishers and to those who craft the written word

I just have to ask the question, because no one else will.

Singer-songwriter Neil Diamond revealed yesterday that the inspiration for his romantic springtime love song "Sweet Caroline" was really an ode to President Kennedy's daughter. A little girl!

Whenever you hear this song, you must now think of this image of a child, and not your first hot and heavy summertime lover.

Read it and weep:

"Diamond was a 'young, broke songwriter' when a photo of the president's daughter in a news magazine caught his eye.'It was a picture of a little girl dressed to the nines in her riding gear, next to her pony,' Diamond recalled. 'It was such an innocent, wonderful picture, I immediately felt there was a song in there.'"

While I am always fascinated to find out what inspired my literary heroes (and Neil Diamond's sappy writing has inspired me, as I wrote in this essay), but this makes me feel a little dirty. Will there be backlash?

Here's my songwriting tip for you: If you are writing one of the best romantic songs of your generation, don't ever tell anybody who really inspired you. It kills the magic...