John's Track of the Week: "Summer Breeze"

Song: Summer Breeze

Artist: Seals & Crofts

Album: Summer Breeze

Year: 1972

We're going farther back than we've gone in awhile. "Summer Breeze," the most recognizable hit from 70s soft rock successes Seals & Crofts, has probably been stuck in my head since the third grade. Back then, we had this keyboarding (yup, keyboarding... we've come a long way in a little more than a decade) teacher who was a baseball and soft rock fanatic. Everyday, as she recounted what happened to the New York Yankees the night before, she'd turn on a fairly stable rotation of ten tracks, one of which was this one. The other selections were various songs from Simon & Garfunkel, and about baseball, but for some reason, this one stood out above the rest to me, even then.

The funny thing is, I didn't actually acquire the track for myself until last week. Though I still knew the song, I guess I'd just forgotten how relaxing-- and good-- it was. The remarkable simplicity of it all, discussing the positive effects of a summer breeze on one's psyche, was, and is something to appreciate. Yet, in today's world, it feels like we forget some of these simpler things, in leu of more complicated, materialistic concerns. Not to get all philosophical on the readership, but occasionally, putting things into simpler terms can help appreciate what you've got more. If you're in the mood for a bit of nostalgia, check it out below (in video form, since I can't find a stand-alone player for it).