Summer Breeze

Jim Seals and Dash Crofts were from Texas. They belonged to the group The Champs in the late '50s and early '60s (The Champs had a hit "Tequila" in 1958). When the group dissolved in 1965, they worked with several other artists including Gene Vincent. In 1969 they released their first album as a duo. "Summer Breeze" was the first hit single, appearing on their fourth album in fall 1972.

"Blowing through the jasmine in my mind"? Long before it was a Disney princess, jasmine was a kind of flower that blooms in the summer. Also good for tea, Seals & Crofts use it to bring about feelings of contentment and harmony in this song, which is a feel-good classic about enjoying some simple pleasures in life with the ones you love. Jim Seals explained in 1972: "We operate on a different level, we try to create images, impressions and trains of thought in the minds of our listeners."

Seals & Crofts were devoted to the Baha'i faith, and believed that by writing about life itself, many meanings would emerge for the listener. In 1975, Seals told Melody Maker that "Summer Breeze" was "A very simple song about a man coming home from work and hearing the dog barking and things like that, and to a lot of people the song's about looking for security. Our meaning goes further than that, for a prison can be the prison of self and a person can become insecure and paranoid if he doesn't have a direction in his personal life."

Jim Seals is the brother of Dan Seals, who was "England Dan" in the duo England Dan and John Ford Coley. They had several hit songs in the '70s.

In 1974 a cover by the Isley Brothers, featuring much more prominent electric guitar courtesy of Ernie Isley, peaked at #16 in the UK. Some of the other artists to cover it include The Main Ingredient and Jason Mraz.