SWEET CAROLINE removed from PENN STATE football game playlist

Touching me - touching you

STATE COLLEGE -- Neil Diamond’s "Sweet Caroline," a popular crowd participation song at sporting events nationwide, no longer will get air time at football games in Happy Valley.

Penn State University officials on Monday announced their decision to drop the song from its play list at Beaver Stadium.

Immediate speculation on Twitter, other Internet message boards and news sites centered on whether the lyrics "touching me, touching you" had anything to do with the decision, given the Jerry Sandusky child-sex scandal and continuing accusations of a cover-up by top school officials.

Penn State denied those claims.

"Absolutely no song changes were made based on lyrics," Penn State spokesman David LaTorre said. "This song has come up on the list in recent years because it happens to be played in so many other professional and collegiate venues and has no real origination here at Penn State.

"So while wholesale changes to what happens on game day are not in store, some ’updating’ is going to occur, including the music play list. As we considered those changes, ’Sweet Caroline’ was one of the songs we decided to switch out."

From the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader