There are certain songs that conjure an era, and if you were a child of the 70's this week's tune is a reminder of the early seventies when the last vestiges of what the sixties sprang to rock and roll had not yet been corrupted by corporate rock. Plus, the song was ubiquitous--especially, though not surprisingly, in the summer....
Seals and Crofts (Jim Seals and Dash Crofts) were both born in Texas and took a pretty convoluted path to music stardom. They met and began playing together in various incarnations in their native Texas before moving to Los Angeles to try their hand at music in Southern California. The bounced around from band to band (at one point Crofts returned to Texas), before settling in as a duo in 1969. They released two albums with little success before landing a contract with Warner Brothers, after which their fourth album was a great commercial and critical success. They had a number of hits in the seventies, but by 1980 their career had run its course and they parted. They reunited in 1991 for a concert tour, and again in 2004 when they released their last album. Seals was the brother of Dan Seals of England Dan and John Ford Coley and a successful solo country career, and the brothers performed together in their later years. Crofts released a solo record. For their career, Seals and Crofts released twelve studio albums (with two reaching the top ten), and sixteen singles (three of which hit the top ten). The duo were devoted practitioners of the Bahai Faith, and would preach its message at their concerts and through their songwriting. Sadly, Jim Seals passed away in 2022 after an extended illness.
Fun Fact: All three of their songs that reached the top ten on the Billboard 100 peaked at number six. Which as a religious pair had to be a bit odd, as their top ten single positions were 666, the number of the beast....
"Summer Breeze" was the lead single from their aptly entitled 1972 album, Summer Breeze. The single reached--you guessed it--#6 (with a bullet!), while the album would hit #7 on the Billboard 200. "Summer Breeze" was ranked #13 on Rolling Stone's list of the all-time best summer songs.
"Summer Breeze" opens with a nice slice of acoustic guitar before the pair begins singing, and the song's infectious melody just wraps itself around you and fills you with the soul of summer. Their harmonies are luscious, the break is a jolt to the senses, and the chorus is as catchy as all hell. As you listen, you'll notice a tiny tinkle...which happens to be the sound of a children's toy piano. But the creme de la creme of the song, is that even fifty years down the road, every time I see or hear the word jasmine (be it the Disney Princess or scent or food related) the chorus of the song pops immediately into my head. Which, in addition to being a tad bizarre, also tells you all you need to know about the enduring nature of this timeless tune.
Lyric Sheet: "Summer breeze makes me feel fine/Blowing through the jasmine in my mind..."
Enjoy:
Republicans = Nazis
Peace,
emaycee
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