From a very music oriented family, his older brother Jim Seals sang with a 1950s musical group called The Champs who had a 1958 hit single with the song "Tequila", and who then teamed up with Dash Crofts in the mid-1960's to perform as Seals & Crofts. Dan's other brother is country musician Eddie Seals. He is a cousin of singers Johnny Duncan, Troy Seals, Chuck Seals and Brady Seals (of Little Texas and Hot Apple Pie fame).
Taught by his father to play the upright bass, in high school, Dan joined with piano-playing friend John Ford Coley to perform first as part of Dallas pop/psych group "Southwest F.O.B." (Freight On Board) whose material has been re-released on CD by the Sundazed label. When the group disbanded, he continued performing with Coley as England Dan & John Ford Coley. The two would eventually have several hits performing singing pop rock harmonies such as I'd Really Love To See You Tonight. After 7 albums, they disbanded in 1980 and since then Dan has been performing as a solo artist.
Between 1985 and 1990, Seals scored 10 #1 hits, 7 of them consecutively, on the country charts. His first #1 was "Meet Me in Montana", a 1985 duet with Marie Osmond. His first #1 as a solo artist, "Bop", won the Country Music Association Award for best single in 1986 and had some crossover success as well; the song reached #10 on the adult contemporary charts and #42 in the Billboard Hot 100. Seals and Osmond also won a CMA award as Vocal Duo of the Year in 1986.
Dan, his brother Jim, and Dash Crofts are members of the Bahá'í Faith and say that they derive a lot of their inspiration from the faith's teachings.
Although Dan was a touring artist for the rest of the 1990s, he did release a few more albums on smaller labels throughout the decade, such as Fired Up in 1994, his final album for Warner Bros. He signed to Intersound and released In a Quiet Room, comprising acoustic versions of his earlier hits in 1995. He then switched to TDC and released In a Quiet Room II in 1998, followed by Make It Home in 2002.[7]
In 2008, Seals completed radiation treatments for mantle cell lymphoma at Vanderbilt in Nashville and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and received a stem cell transplant in December of that year at NIH in Maryland. Seals died at the age of 61, on March 25, 2009, at his daughter's home following those treatments.[8]
BOP
Dan Seals Lyrics
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Roll up your old blue jeans
There's a band playin' down at the armory
Know's what rock and roll really means
I want to ride in your '55 T-Bird
Drive through some old memories
I ain't after your body baby
I just want you to dance with me
I want to bop with you baby, all night long
I want to bop the night away
I want to make it a night like it used to be
When our hearts were young and our souls were free
I want to bop with you baby, all night long
I want to be-bop with you baby till the break of dawn
I want to bop with you baby all night long
I got an old photograph in my pocket
We were still in our teens
Lord knows I feel a lot older now
But you still look the same to me
Honey, you don't ever laugh like you used to
And I don't want to see you blue
If you ain't busy tonight and you think it's alright
This is what I want to do
I want to bop with you baby, all night long
I want to bop the night away
I want to make it a night like it used to be
Home and our hearts were young and free
I want to bop with you baby, all night long (bop, baby, all night long)
I want to be-bop with you baby till the break of dawn (be-bop, baby, to the break of dawn)
I want to bop with you baby all night long
Let's twist and shout
Oh, just like in the good old days
Baby, watch out
You know I just can't stand it when you look at me that way
I want to bop with you baby, all night long (bop, baby, all night long)
I want to be-bop with you baby till the break of dawn (be-bop, baby, to the break of dawn)
I want to bop with you baby all night (bop, baby, all night)
I want to bop with you baby all night long (bop, baby, all night long)
I want to be-bop with you baby till the break of dawn (be-bop, baby, to the break of dawn)
I want to make it a night like it used to be (bop, with me baby) (bop, with me baby)
When our hearts were young and our souls were free (bop, all night)
I want to bop with you baby all night long (bop, baby, all night long)
I want to be-bop with you baby till the break of dawn (be-bop, baby, to the break of dawn)
I want to make it night like it used to be (bop, with me baby) (bop, with me baby)
When our hearts were young and free (bop, all night)
(Bop, baby, all night long)
(Be-bop, baby, to the break of dawn)
(Bop, with me baby) (bop, with me baby)
(Bop, all night)
The lyrics of Dan Seals's song "Bop" speak of nostalgia and longing for the good old days spent with a special someone. The song is about inviting someone to dance and relive those memories together. It tells the story of an old friend that the singer has not seen in a long time. He wants to relive the happy times they shared together and asks her to dance with him all night long. He reminisces about their teenage years and the 1955 T-Bird that they used to ride around in. He implores her to forget her worries and dance with him like they used to. The playful nature of the lyrics and the catchy rhythm makes it a fun song to dance to.
Overall, the song speaks to the human experience of wanting to feel young again and relive good memories with someone special. It celebrates the joy of dancing and the pleasure of being in the company of someone you care about.
Line by Line Meaning
Put on your Bobbi-sox baby
Get ready for a fun night out
Roll up your old blue jeans
Wear your casual and comfortable clothes
There's a band playin' down at the armory
There's live music happening nearby
Know's what rock and roll really means
The band understands the essence of rock and roll
I want to ride in your '55 T-Bird
I want to go on a nostalgic ride with you
Drive through some old memories
We'll revisit our shared past
I ain't after your body baby
I'm not seeking physical intimacy
I just want you to dance with me
I want to spend the evening dancing together
I got an old photograph in my pocket
I carry a cherished memory with me
We were still in our teens
We were young and carefree when this memory was made
Lord knows I feel a lot older now
Time has passed and we've grown older
But you still look the same to me
You still hold the same beauty and charm
Honey, you don't ever laugh like you used to
You seem less joyful than you used to
And I don't want to see you blue
I want to bring happiness to your life
Let's twist and shout
Let's dance and have fun
Oh, just like in the good old days
Let's relive the golden days of our youth
Baby, watch out
You have a captivating effect on me
You know I just can't stand it when you look at me that way
Your endearing gaze makes me feel weak in the knees
I want to bop with you baby, all night long
I want to dance energetically with you throughout the night
I want to bop the night away
I want to keep dancing joyfully without any break
I want to make it a night like it used to be
I want to recreate the magical moments of our past
When our hearts were young and our souls were free
When we were young and carefree and our hearts full of life and love
I want to be-bop with you baby till the break of dawn
I want to dance with you non-stop till morning breaks
Bop, baby, all night long
Dance energetically with me all night
Be-bop, baby, to the break of dawn
Dance with me till sunrise
Bop, with me baby
Dance closely with me
Bop, all night
Keep dancing with me all night long
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jennifer Kimball, Paul Davis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind