How many times at gigs have we sang along to Diamond Smiles “Everybody tries – It’s Dale Carnegie Gone Wild”??? So, who was Dale Carnegie and what has he got to do with the song?
Now, it’s very possible that what I’m about to ‘reveal’ has been blindingly obvious to all of you for years – there’s a very real risk that this is just me playing catchup. But….
…..when I started to research Dale Carnegie, I was struck by how appropriate Bob’s reference to him in Diamond Smiles actually is. His name has not been thrown into the lyrics just as filler or because it had the right number of syllables to fit the way the song scanned – he’s perhaps the most relevant person EVER to get a name check in a song about a fragile socialite attending some big society event.
Before we go any further, let’s remind ourselves what the song is about:
Diamond is on her way to an important social gathering. Amid all the small talk about the weather and the traffic in the opening lines, she’s rehearsing her (fake?) ‘cocktail smile’, wondering if her make-up is OK and whether she’ll continue to look good throughout the night. Clearly tonight’s party is a major feature of her social calendar and with other things on her mind, she’s worried about how things are going to turn out.
But what does the line “Everybody tries, It’s Dale Carnegie gone wild” have to do with the things that are troubling our heroine?
Well, take another look at the photo of Carnegie above – he’s reading a book and what’s the book called? “How to win friends and influence people”. Now, we’ll all have heard this phrase – but until I sat down to write this post, I had no idea it was the actual title of a real book!!
In the context of Diamond Smiles, this phrase – this often-abused book title – precisely captures the angst and tension that Geldof’s trying to build into the song. And who wrote the book – look again at the photo – Dale Carnegie!
In this seemingly simple line “Everybody tries – It’s Dale Carnegie Gone Wild”, Bob has identified the single issue that’s screwing with Diamond’s mind – she’s worried that she’s up against all the other people at the party who are trying to climb the greasy socialite pole ahead of her. It’s possibly the importance of succeeding at this evening soiree, that ultimately drives poor Diamond to commit suicide.
“Everybody tries – It’s Dale Carnegie Gone Wild” - if ever there was proof of Geldof’s song writing genius, this literary reference is it!!
I’m officially blown away!
Oh, and if anyone is still interested 🤣 Dale Carnegie was an American writer who developed theories of self-improvement and interpersonal skills. He was born in 1936 into a poor Missouri farming family and also wrote “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living” and numerous other books. So now you know!!!
Wow! I didn't know that - thanks for posting!