Editing Neil Diamond (section)

===1980s===
A planned film version of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" to star Diamond and Streisand fell through when Diamond instead starred in a 1980 remake of the Al Jolson classic ''The Jazz Singer'' alongside [[Laurence Olivier]] and [[Lucie Arnaz]]. Though the movie received poor reviews, the soundtrack spawned three top-10 singles, "Love on the Rocks", "Hello Again", and "[[America (Neil Diamond song)|America]]", the last of which has emotional significance for Diamond. "'America' was the story of my grandparents," he told an interviewer. "It's my gift to them, and it's very real for me ... In a way, it speaks to the immigrant in all of us."<ref name=Bream/>{{rp|89}} The song was performed in full by Diamond during the film's finale.<ref>{{cite AV media |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc-v8CFJzu4 |title = Neil Diamond - America - Original Video - DTS Sound |via =  [[YouTube]] }}</ref> An abbreviated version played over the film's opening titles.

The song was also the one he was most proud of, partly because of when it was later used: national news shows played it when the hostages were shown returning home after the [[Iran hostage crisis]] ended; it was played on the air during the 100th anniversary of the [[Statue of Liberty]];<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_7gcu1dmGk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/g_7gcu1dmGk| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Neil Diamond "America" Live 1986 New York City (Full version with reprise)|date=June 22, 2016|access-date=August 18, 2018|via=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and at a tribute to slain civil rights leader [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], as well as the Vietnam Vets Welcome Home concert, he was asked to perform it live. At the time, a national poll found the song to be the number-one most recognized song about America, more than "God Bless America".<ref name=RS88/> It also became the anthem of his world tour two weeks after the attacks on America on September 11, 2001, when he changed the lyric at the end from; "They're coming to America", to "Stand up for America!" Earlier that year he performed it after a request from former heavyweight champion [[Muhammad Ali]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7UuesqOD0g |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/C7UuesqOD0g| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Neil Diamond takes live song request from Muhammad Ali|date=June 4, 2016|access-date=August 18, 2018|via=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The film's failure was due in part to Diamond never having acted professionally before. "I didn't think I could handle it," he said later, seeing himself as "a fish out of water".<ref name=Bream/>{{rp|85}} For his performance, Diamond became the first-ever winner of a Worst Actor [[Razzie Award]], even though he was nominated for a [[Golden Globe Award]] for the same role. Critic [[David Wild]] noted that the film showed that Diamond was open about his religion: "Who else but this Jewish Elvis could go multi-platinum with an album that featured a version of '[[Kol Nidre|the Kol Nidre]]?'"<ref name=RS88/><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IEDLZayfdU  |title = Neil Diamond - The Jazz Singer - Kol Nidrei |date = October 6, 2011 |via = [[YouTube]] }}</ref> Diamond later told the ''Los Angeles Times'', "For me, this was the ultimate [[bar mitzvah]]."<ref name=Bream/>{{rp|85}}

Another Top 10 selection, "[[Heartlight (song)|Heartlight]]", was inspired by the blockbuster 1982 movie ''[[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial]]''. Though the film's title character is never mentioned in the lyrics, Universal Pictures, which had released ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' and was the parent company of the Uni Records label (by then called MCA Records), for which Diamond had recorded for years, briefly threatened legal action against both Diamond and Columbia Records.

Diamond's record sales slumped somewhat in the 1980s and 1990s, his last single to make the ''Billboard'' Pop Singles chart coming in 1986, but his concert tours continued to be big draws. ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine ranked Diamond as the most profitable solo performer of 1986.<ref>Music Choice Television – on screen facts</ref> He released his 17th studio album in 1986, ''[[Headed for the Future]]'', which reached number 20 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]. Three weeks later he starred in ''Hello Again'', his first television special in nine years, performing comedy sketches and a duo medley with [[Carol Burnett]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7RKnZMd2pA&t=72s| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225051122/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7RKnZMd2pA&gl=US&hl=en| archive-date=February 25, 2019 | url-status=dead|title=YouTube|via=[[YouTube]]|access-date=August 18, 2018}}</ref>

In January 1987, Diamond sang the national anthem at the [[Super Bowl XXI|Super Bowl]]. His "America" became the theme song for the [[Michael Dukakis]] 1988 presidential campaign. That same year, British band [[UB40]]'s reggae interpretation of Diamond's ballad "Red Red Wine" topped the ''Billboard'' Pop Singles chart and like the Monkees' version of "I'm a Believer", became better known than Diamond's original version.