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]
Tobacco Road
Dan Seals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mama died and my daddy got drunk
Left me here to die or grow
In the middle of Tobacco Road
But it's home the only life I've ever known
But the Lord knows how I loathe it so
Tobacco Road
I'm gonna leave and get me a job
With the help and the grace from up above
Make some money get rich I know
And bring it back to Tobacco Road
Cause you're home the only life I've ever known
But the Lord knows how I loathe it so
Tobacco Road
I bring dynamite and a crane
I blow it up and start all over again
I build a town be proud to show
Keep the name of Tobacco Road
Cause you're home the only life I've ever known...
Tobacco Road Tobacco Road
The song "Tobacco Road" by Dan Seals depicts the life of a person who was born in a poverty-stricken environment in a place called Tobacco Road. The singer explains that he was born in a dump, and his mother died while his father turned to alcohol. The place was not fit for a growing child, and the singer had to survive on his own. Despite the hardships, the singer feels attached to Tobacco Road since it is the only life he has ever known. However, he loathes the place, and his dreams are to leave, get a job, and make some money to revamp the place.
The lyrics in the song demonstrate the challenges that people born in poor environments face. The singer's situation is evident when he explains that he was left to die or grow, signifying that he was not destined for a successful life. Furthermore, he acknowledges that he may only thrive outside Tobacco Road, which is the only life he has ever known. However, he is still attached to the place since it is where he was raised.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born in a dump
I was born in a place that is considered unpleasant or squalid.
Mama died and my daddy got drunk
My mother passed away and my father turned to drinking.
Left me here to die or grow
My father abandoned me to either survive or perish on my own.
In the middle of Tobacco Road
This occurred in the midst of the Tobacco Road area.
But it's home the only life I've ever known
Despite its deficiencies, this place has always been my home and my only familiarity.
But the Lord knows how I loathe it so
Despite that sentiment, the divine being recognizes how much I despise it.
Tobacco Road
This is a direct reference to the area where I live: Tobacco Road.
I'm gonna leave and get me a job
I vow to depart and secure gainful employment.
With the help and the grace from up above
I request divine intervention to aid me in my endeavors.
Make some money get rich I know
I aspire to earn and accumulate wealth.
And bring it back to Tobacco Road
Once I have accomplished that feat, I shall return with the spoils of my labors to Tobacco Road.
I bring dynamite and a crane
I intend to use explosives and construction equipment.
I blow it up and start all over again
I shall destroy the current landscape and start anew.
I build a town be proud to show
I desire to create a community that fills me with pride.
Keep the name of Tobacco Road
Despite everything, I still wish to maintain the original name of the location: Tobacco Road.
Tobacco Road Tobacco Road
This repeats the refrain, reminding us of the significance of the setting: Tobacco Road.
Writer(s): John D. Loudermilk
Contributed by Jordan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@MY-hh9cr
Got hooked on Dan Seals (England Dan) since 1996, I was 16, got my hands on this album (a cassette) can't remember where I got it from, but I glad I did, rewind Tobacco Road like a million times, still got the cassette. RIP Dan.
@daviddabeegukabassima8232
Dan Seals just rocks!
@muhammedyusuf8266
I like the song "tabacco road" ever since l came accross it more than 20years ago. Thank you Dan.
@doughesson
I found the album at a yard sale so I got it.
Played the tape as my now ex wife & I drove to another yard sale listening to every song instead of just the ones I'd heard before.
@Davidferrell1964
Great Album!
@Russell_15
always loved that song..thanks for the upload
@christopheparra1329
super musicale j adoré
@sosmansal
tobacco road with my real friends in somewhere in this planet when we were so young and reckless ones hope that would be back sooner osman saleh osman-sana'a -yemen
@sosmansal
i was born in the dark mama died and daddy get drunk see how danseals get's joined the sentences togheter peace on u dan seals regards osman saleh osman -sana'a- yemen
@MY-hh9cr
Any idea whose on the steel guitar?