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 BahĂĄ'Ă 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]
My Old Yellow Car
Dan Seals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She was missing a window on her passenger side
The floorboard was patched up with paper and tar
But I really was something in my old yellow car
An American boy with his hands on the wheel
Of a dream that was made of American steel
Though the seats had the smell of a nickel cigar
Somewhere in a pile of rubber and steel
Thee's a rusty old shell of an automobile
And if engines could run on desire alone
That old yellow car would be driving me home
There's the seat where poor Billy threw up in his date
And where Larry and Sally could no longer wait
There was no road too winding and nowhere too far
With two bucks of gas and my old yellow car
Somewhere in a pile of rubber and steel
Thee's a rusty old shell of an automobile
And if engines could run on desire alone
That old yellow car would be driving me home
Take a look at me now throwing money around
I'm paying somebody to drive me downtown
Got a Mercedes Benz with a TV and bar
And God I wish I was driving my old yellow car
God I wish I was driving my old yellow car
Dan Seals's song "My Old Yellow Car" is an ode to the memories and nostalgia associated with his first car - a beat-up, rusty old yellow car that wasn't much to look at or ride. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a young American boy with his hands on the wheel of his dream, driving down winding roads with his friends and making memories that he would cherish forever. Despite its flaws and imperfections, the old yellow car was a source of pride for the young man, who felt like he was something special whenever he was behind its wheel.
As the song progresses, Seals acknowledges that his life has changed since those carefree days of driving around in his old yellow car. He now has a Mercedes-Benz with a TV and bar, and can afford to hire someone else to drive him around. But despite his newfound wealth and success, he can't help but feel a tinge of sadness and longing for the old days when he was driving his first car. He wishes he was once again driving his old yellow car, the car that symbolized his youth, his freedom, and his dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
She weren't much to look at, she weren't much to ride
My car wasn't much to look at or ride in, it had its share of problems.
She was missing a window on her passenger side
There was a window on the passenger side that was missing.
The floorboard was patched up with paper and tar
I had to fix the floorboard with paper and tar because it was damaged.
But I really was something in my old yellow car
Despite its flaws, my yellow car made me feel like something special.
An American boy with his hands on the wheel
As an American boy, I had my hands on the wheel of my car, which represented freedom and independence.
Of a dream that was made of American steel
My dream of driving represented by the American steel that built the car.
Though the seats had the smell of a nickel cigar
The seats smelled like cheap cigars, but I didn't care because I was proud of my car.
Somewhere in a pile of rubber and steel
My old car is now just a pile of scrap metal.
Thee's a rusty old shell of an automobile
The car is now rusty and no longer working.
And if engines could run on desire alone
If the car ran on desire alone, it would still be running because of how much I loved it.
That old yellow car would be driving me home
I wish I could drive that car again because it would feel like going home.
There's the seat where poor Billy threw up in his date
The car holds memories of my friends, like when Billy threw up on a date in the seat.
And where Larry and Sally could no longer wait
The car also holds memories of when Larry and Sally couldn't keep their hands off of each other.
There was no road too winding and nowhere too far
I was willing to take my car anywhere, even on winding roads and long trips.
With two bucks of gas and my old yellow car
All it took was $2 worth of gas to go on an adventure with my car.
Take a look at me now throwing money around
Now, I have a lot of money and can afford luxuries like expensive cars.
I'm paying somebody to drive me downtown
I don't even need to drive myself anymore, I can pay someone else to do it for me.
Got a Mercedes Benz with a TV and bar
My current car is a luxury Mercedes Benz with a TV and bar.
And God I wish I was driving my old yellow car
Despite having a fancy car now, I still wish I could be driving my old yellow car and reliving those memories.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: THOM SCHUYLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
CoolOhioBreeze
Love this song. Rest in Peace, Dan Seals. Hoping you and my dear Husband are driving around in your Old Yellow Cars. (This was totally, one of his favorite songs---ever.)
Jerry Eldridge
45 dislikes?! How could you possibly dislike Dan Seals?!?
brianwesley28
They disliked their old yellow cars.
Al Campbell
My old yellow was a shade closer to green. A 1955 Pontiac Chieftan two door sedan with three on the tree and a 1957 347CID engine. A little slow off the line but the top end was impressive. I had that for at least ten years. I absolutly loved that car. Lots of great memories and music under that roof. As other commenters have said, the times were a little harder but the memories are precious. I'd give up my Yukon to go back to that time and place and my old Pontiac.
Steve Crawford
i was listening to this song, reading the posted memories that the lyric brings back to all of us, and it dawned on me that only a 'wordsmythe' can do this to us - for us. read these comments and listen to the story, or any other song of Dan S, and you'll have to agree - the man is a word painter - thank you for your art, Dan. sc
Sushmaa Srinivasa
I still remember listening to Dan Seals songs during childhood and I still listen and It's so fresh even now
Jinesh Vp
I HVE THE COLLECTION CDS OF DAN SEALS IAM FROM INDIA
Jeff Davis
What a great voice and an excellent performer.
TINA BLAIR
Love this song! Sounds like my father 30 years ago!
Master Gamer
Sounds like myself 30 year's ago If you only new