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Well, there's the classic fairy tale of the Frog Prince
. That's what comes to my mind here.
The way I picture the narrative unfolding as described in the song goes like this: Neil Diamond (or his in-song stand-in), having achieved a great deal of success in his chosen field of endeavor, is ensconced in his burgundy-and-avocado-color upholstered bungalow, sitting up drinking Crown Royal by the pint late into the night. He is alone, and growing increasingly despondent. It is circa 1970. Around 3 A.M., Neil removes his rhinestone-encrusted pirate shirt and pours another drink. Staring deep into his own hypnotic eyeballs in the bathroom mirror, he experiences one of those moments of loneliness and angst that many people meet with after embarking on a solitary drinking spree in the dead of night in a city that is not really "home". He is feeling a bit of nostalgia, some pangs of regret, and no doubt a modicum of homesickness. However, his despair (and his moderate to severe intoxication) precludes him from articulating these feelings in an eloquent fashion, thus, he continues to spray incomplete sentences at the dinette set- "I am...I AM...I'm...". He also wonders aloud, in boozy blast of rhetorical query, "Did ya ever read about a frog who dreamed of being a king?...then became one" and you can almost hear him give a weak little sigh and sink his head into his shoulders at this point. When he mentions the frog, Neil is facetiously alluding to the fairytale we're all familiar with, and also making an empty sort of boast about his own ascent to the throne of the Adult-Contemporary-Soft-Rock Singer/Songwriter Kingdom, whilst simultaneously lamenting that the success he has found cannot assuage his weepy, benighted heart on this particular sultry morning in L.A. So in essence, the song is about a guy reflecting on his life during a vulnerable emotional moment, and likening himself to a frog (an impoverished street performer living in a tenement in New York? I dunno) who achieved his one true desire of becoming the monarch (a multi-platinum Grammy winner with a harem of bra-less groupies)and yet still found happiness to be elusive. *sigh*
Edited by surlyslur

Medium Literature/Music