The Diary (song)

"The Diary" is a song written and composed by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. It was released in late 1958 as Sedaka’s first hit single.^[3]

"The Diary"
Italian release picture sleeve
Single by Neil Sedaka
from the album Rock with Sedaka
B-side	"No Vacancy (I’m Walkin’ ‘Round)"
Released	November 1958
Recorded	October 30, 1958[1]
Studio	RCA Victor Studio A, New York City[2]
Genre	Pop
Length	2:14
Label	RCA Victor
Songwriter(s)	Neil Sedaka Howard Greenfield
Producer(s)	Al Nevins[2]
Neil Sedaka singles chronology
"The Diary" (1958) "I Go Ape" (1959)

Background

This song's writers, Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, were inspired to write the song after asking for (and being refused) access to their client Connie Francis's diary in hopes of mining it for lyrical material.^[4]

They originally wrote this song for Little Anthony & The Imperials. (It had a very similar sound to that group's first hit, "Tears on My Pillow".) The pair took the song to George Goldner, The Imperials' producer, over at End Records, who, although having the group record and release the song as an End Records single, felt that it wasn't quite done the way they felt it should have been done. As a result, the song did not chart.

At around the same time, Sedaka auditioned at RCA Victor with the song.^[4] After he became aware of the situation surrounding the song’s failure to chart, Sedaka decided that he should record it himself.^[5]

Reception

Sedaka's version became his very first hit. In early 1959, the single reached No. 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 pop chart,^[6][7] and No. 15 in Canada.^[8] It sold about 600,000 copies.^[4]

Looking back at the record’s success years later, in 2020, Sedaka marveled that it was "a thrill [and] a dream come true" and that he couldn’t imagine how excited he was when he scored his first hit.^[4]

"The Diary" later appeared on Sedaka’s debut studio album Rock with Sedaka. It would also appear in Neil Sedaka Sings Little Devil and His Other Hits (1961) and Neil Sedaka Sings His Greatest Hits (1962), as well as many other compilation albums of his.