NEIL DIAMOND - DIAMOND CREDITS SICK GIRLFRIEND FOR ALBUM SUCCESS

DIAMOND CREDITS SICK GIRLFRIEND FOR ALBUM SUCCESS

NEIL DIAMOND's sick Australian girlfriend inspired much of the singer's hit new album HOME BEFORE DARK - because she was undergoing agonising back surgery as he was writing tunes.
The singer/songwriter reveals partner Rae Farley was struggling with a damaged disc in her vertebra as he was penning tracks for what would be his first U.S. and U.K. charttopper.
And her pain leaked into some of the tunes.
Diamond tells WENN, "My girl was going through a very difficult time after surgery, and when the album was being written, she was in real trouble.
"I had a lot of conflicted feelings about trying to write music and create beautiful things while someone that I loved was going through such a difficult time. It was a low for me. It was a challenge, but somehow, through somebody else's graces, I was able to get through it."
Farley's agony brought back painful memories for Diamond, who underwent back surgery in 1979 to remove a benign tumour on his spinal column, which was slowly paralysing him: "I have dealt with that for 30 years and it has limited my ability to be physical."