Neil Diamond‘s “Sweet Caroline” has long been associated with baseball, but now his unmistakable voice will be part of Sunday’s Super Bowl — courtesy of an ad for Volkswagen.
A two-minute extended cut of a 60-second ad that’s going to run during the third quarter of the game on February 11 has just been released. Called “An American Love Story,” it’s soundtracked by Diamond’s 1971 top five hit “I Am … I Said.”
The commercial traces the journey of the Volkswagen brand in America, from its arrival in the U.S. in 1949 to the present day, and shows how the brand has become a part of the fabric of American culture over the years.
We also see some of the brand’s iconic appearances in movies and TV shows, including the 1968 movie The Love Bug and a clip of Bart and Lisa Simpson playing “punch buggy” during a car trip.
In addition to being available on YouTube, the two-minute version of the spot debuted on February 9 at the 2024 Chicago Auto Show Media Preview and to current owners via the Volkswagen myVW app.
“I Am … I Said,” from Diamond’s album Stones, is a highlight of the current Neil Diamond Broadway musical, A Beautiful Noise.
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