Diamonds On the Inside (song)

"Diamonds On the Inside"
Single by Ben Harper
from the album Diamonds On the Inside
Released	April 28, 2003 (2003-4-28)
Length	4:26
Label	Virgin
Songwriter(s)	Ben Harper
Producer(s)	Ben Harper
Ben Harper singles chronology
"With My Own Two Hands" (2002) "Diamonds On the Inside" (2003) "Better Way" (2006)

"Diamonds On the Inside" is a song by American artist Ben Harper. It was released in April 2003 as the second single from his album, Diamonds On the Inside .

Lyrical content

The verse "A candle throws its light into the darkness In a nasty world so shines a good deed" demonstrates the importance of Shakespeare in Harper's references; it comes from the famous play The Merchant of Venice : "How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world." ^[1]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2003)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA) [2]	68
France (SNEP) [3]	85
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [4]	13
US Adult Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [5]	31
US Adult Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) [6]	2

Year-end charts

Chart (2003)	Position
US Triple-A (Billboard) [7]	14

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
Australia	April 28, 2003	CD	Virgin	[8]
United States	July 28, 2003	Triple A radio		[9]

References

1. "No Fear Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice: Act 5, Scene 1, Page 5". Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
2. "Issue 689" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
3. "Ben Harper – Diamonds on the Inside" (in French). Les classement single.
4. "Ben Harper – Diamonds on the Inside". Top 40 Singles.
5. "Ben Harper Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
6. "Ben Harper Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
7. "The Year in Charts 2003: Most-Played Triple-A Songs". Airplay Monitor . Vol. 11, no. 51. December 19, 2003. p. 47.
8. "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 28th April 2003" (PDF). ARIA. April 28, 2003. p. 27. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 6, 2003. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
9. "Going for Adds". Radio & Records . No. 1514. July 25, 2003. p. 22.