Peak
6
Weeks
18
Score
2,622
Chart Year
1972
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Jim Seals and Dash Crofts were from Texas. They were members of The Champs (of "Tequila" fame) in the late '50s and early '60s. 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 their first hit single, appearing on their fourth album in the fall of 1972. Their next single, "Hummingbird," also evoked nature and was a solid hit. They later scored with "Diamond Girl" and "Get Closer." "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 Johnny Mathis, The Main Ingredient and Jason Mraz. Type O Negative released a very foreboding cover of "Summer Breeze" in 1993 that was used in the 1997 movie I Know What You Did Last Summer. Other movies to use the song include: Rock Odyssey (1987) King of California (2007) Land of the Lost (2009) Vacation Friends (2021) It also appears in these TV shows: Freaks and Geeks ("Dead Dogs and Gym Teachers" - 2000) How I Met Your Mother ("Matchmaker" - 2005) Girls ("The Return" - 2012) Family Guy ("Yacht Rocky" - 2019) The Blacklist ("The Protean (No. 36)" - 2021) Crofts told Inside Musicast he made an impromptu decision to use a toy piano on the melody line because he happened to spot one in the studio. He couldn't get a hold of anybody to give him permission to use the instrument, but it was already in tune and ready to go, so he couldn't resist borrowing it anyway.
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 alright Summer 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 See 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 floor Summer 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 Sweet 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 world See 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 through Summer 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
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 9, 1972 | 88 | 38 |
| 2 | Sep 16, 1972 | 85 | 41 |
| 3 | Sep 23, 1972 | 71 | 55 |
| 4 | Sep 30, 1972 | 70 | 56 |
| 5 | Oct 7, 1972 | 59 | 67 |
| 6 | Oct 14, 1972 | 50 | 76 |
| 7 | Oct 21, 1972 | 34 | 92 |
| 8 | Oct 28, 1972 | 28 | 98 |
| 9 | Nov 4, 1972 | 21 | 105 |
| 10 | Nov 11, 1972 | 16 | 110 |
| 11 | Nov 18, 1972 | 10 | 116 |
| 12 | Nov 25, 1972 | 6 | 120 |
| 13 | Dec 2, 1972 | 6 | 120 |
| 14 | Dec 9, 1972 | 11 | 115 |
| 15 | Dec 16, 1972 | 19 | 107 |
| 16 | Dec 23, 1972 | 24 | 102 |
| 17 | Dec 30, 1972 | 29 | 97 |
| 18 | Jan 6, 1973 | 44 | 82 |