About The Song
We mostly associate yacht rock with the late 1970s and the early, pre-MTV ’80s. But there are a few classics of this unique genre that captured the public’s imagination a bit earlier than that. “Summer Breeze” by Seals & Crofts, which was released in 1972, is one of the eldest releases to be a yacht rock staple.
The song was created by two rock veterans who changed their outlook and style after a religious conversion. Here’s a look back at the story behind the creation of “Summer Breeze,” along with an exploration of its lyrics.
Not only were Jim Seals and Dash Crofts a bit early to the yacht rock party, they were also coming from a different location than the typical soft-rocker. Both hailed from Texas, although their experience in the world of rock and roll throughout the ’60s took them to many different locations.
They had worked, both separately and together, with artists including Glen Campbell, Eddie Cochran, and even The Champs (yes, of “Tequila” fame). Eventually, all the various groups with whom they had performed fell away, and the pair found themselves in Southern California together, planning their next career move.
Their new religion provided the path forward. Toward the end of the decade, both men became adherents of the Baha’i faith, a religion which stressed unity among all faiths under a single, overarching deity. Suddenly, they decided that harder-edged rock and roll didn’t suit them as well as soft, acoustic music.
Seals, who wrote all the duo’s lyrics and shared the musical composition with Crofts, began writing “Summer Breeze” in 1970, basing the idea on memories of his neighborhood during his youth. They tried on several occasions to record the song over the next couple of years, but they could never quite capture the right feel.
In 1972, they tried it again for their fourth album, which came on the heels of three underperforming records. This time, they brought in session bassist Harvey Brooks, who helped the duo find a tempo and rhythm that suited the song’s laid-back vibes.
Even then, “Summer Breeze” did little on radio when the song was first released. While on the road, the duo took the initiative to hand-deliver the track to one of the most popular DJs in Boston. The song was soon in heavy rotation at the station. It then spread to other Northeast cities, and before long, made it to No. 6 in the U.S. charts.
Video
Lyric
See the curtains hangin’ in the window
In the evenin’ on a Friday night
A little light a-shinin’ through the window
Lets me know everything’s alrightSummer breeze, makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mindSee the paper layin’ on the sidewalk
A little music from the house next door
So I walked on up to the doorstep
Through the screen and across the floorSummer breeze, makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mindSweet days of summer, the jasmine’s in bloom
July is dressed up and playing her tune
And I come home from a hard day’s work
And you’re waiting there, not a care in the worldSee the smile a-waitin’ in the kitchen
Food cookin’ and the plates for two
Feel the arms that reach out to hold me
In the evening when the day is throughSummer breeze, makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind