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]
Lonestar
Dan Seals Lyrics
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Standing there waiting for something to say
But she's so impatient she might not see him
The chance of a lifetime could be slipping away
[Chorus]
Standing alone, he wears his freedom
He's seen it before, the sun going down in her eyes
As true as the wind and the deep purple sky
Now lonestar is grieving, but she doesn't notice
She's laughing and dancing with some Romeo
But out of the bright lights there's one lonely cowboy
With nothing to hold him, and nowhere to go
[Chorus]
Now lonestar is fading into the shadows
He turns for the last time and slips out the door.
The song Lonestar by Dan Seals is a melancholic ballad that talks about a lone cowboy who is left unnoticed and stands in the shadows waiting for his chance. The chorus of the song highlights the cowboy's sense of independence and freedom, which is symbolized by the vast open sky's color. The song opens with Lonestar fading into the shadows while waiting for his chance to speak up. The girl he likes is standing nearby, but her impatience makes her oblivious to his affection. He will miss his opportunity to tell her how he feels if he doesn't act fast.
In the Chorus, the cowboy is described as standing alone, wearing his freedom. He has experienced the beauty of the sunset, but the love he seeks is elusive. He is resolved to be true to himself and follow his own path, free as the wind and the deep purple sky. The last verse sees Lonestar grieving as he looks at the girl he loves laughing and dancing with some guy. He now realizes the futility of his hopes and sees himself as a trapped cowboy with nothing to hold him and nowhere to go. Finally, Lonestar fades back into the shadows and turns for the last time as he walks out the door.
Line by Line Meaning
Lonestar is fading into the shadows
Lonestar is slowly disappearing into the background
Standing there waiting for something to say
He is standing still, waiting for someone to initiate conversation
But she's so impatient she might not see him
He fears that she may not notice him due to her impatience
The chance of a lifetime could be slipping away
He realizes that the opportunity of a lifetime may be slipping away
Standing alone, he wears his freedom
He stands alone, enjoying his freedom
He's seen it before, the sun going down in her eyes
He has witnessed the sun set in her eyes before
His heart is his own, a lonely companion
He is alone and his heart is his only companion
As true as the wind and the deep purple sky
His feelings are genuine and as real as the wind and the sky
Now lonestar is grieving, but she doesn't notice
Lonestar is in a state of distress, but she is unaware of his distress
She's laughing and dancing with some Romeo
She is enjoying herself with another man named Romeo
But out of the bright lights there's one lonely cowboy
In the background, there is a single, lonely cowboy
With nothing to hold him, and nowhere to go
He is aimless, with nothing to hold onto and no direction
Now lonestar is fading into the shadows
Lonestar is disappearing into the shadows once again
He turns for the last time and slips out the door.
He takes one final look and leaves through the door, with no intention of returning
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, GET SONGS DIRECT
Written by: DANNY WAYLAND SEALS, JOHN SOUTHER, JOHN DAVID SOUTHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind