About the song

Neil Diamond’s “If You Know What I Mean” is a powerful ballad featured on his 1976 album, Beautiful Noise.

Background:

The song is a tender and nostalgic recollection of a youthful romance that Diamond experienced in his teenage years. It tells the story of a brief but intense encounter with a significantly older woman, capturing the excitement, vulnerability, and bittersweet longing of first love. Diamond has described it as a “tender recollection” of a formative experience.

Themes:

  • Innocence and Experience: The song explores the transition from youthful innocence to adult experience. The protagonist, a young Neil Diamond, is drawn into a passionate encounter with an older woman who introduces him to the complexities of love and desire.

  • Fleeting Passion: The relationship depicted in the song is brief and intense, leaving a lasting impression on the protagonist. The lyrics evoke a sense of longing and nostalgia for a moment in time that has passed but remains etched in memory.

  • Love and Loss: The song touches upon the bittersweet nature of love and the pain of separation. The protagonist cherishes the memories of the encounter while acknowledging that it was destined to be fleeting.

  • Self-Discovery: Through the experience, the protagonist gains a deeper understanding of himself and his desires. The encounter serves as a catalyst for personal growth and self-awareness.

“If You Know What I Mean” is a beautifully crafted ballad that resonates with listeners of all ages. Its universal themes of love, loss, and self-discovery continue to captivate audiences, making it one of Neil Diamond’s most enduring and beloved songs.

Video

Lyrics

When the night returns just like a friendWhen the evening comes to set me freeWhen the quiet house that wait beyond the dayMake peaceful sounds in meTook a drag from my last cigaretteTook a drink from a glass of old wineClosed my eyes, and I could make it realAnd feel it one more time
Can you hear it, babeCan you hear it, babeFrom another timeFrom another placeDo you remember it, babe
And the radio played like a carnival tuneAs we lay in our bed in the other roomWhen we gave it away for the sake of a dreamIn a penny arcade, if you know what I meanIf you know what I mean babe
And here’s to the songs we used to singAnd here’s to the times we used to knowIt’s hard to hold them in our arms againBut hard to let them go
Do you hear it, babeDo you hear it, babeIt was another timeIt was another placeDo you remember it, babe
And the radio played like a carnival tuneAs we lay in our bed in the other roomWhen we gave it away for the sake of a dreamIn a penny arcade, if you know what I mean
If you know what I meanIf you know what I meanIf you know what I meanIf you know what I mean babeIf you know what I mean babe