Both Seals and Crofts were born in Texas. They first met when Crofts was a drummer for a local band. Later, Seals joined a band called Dean Beard and the Crew Cuts where he played guitar; later on Crofts joined the band. With Beard, they moved to Los Angeles to join The Champs. In 1958, Seals and Crofts toured with The Champs. After the success of their number one Latin rock instrumental hit "Tequila", the pair returned to Los Angeles to work as session musicians.
In 1962, Jimmy Seals, Dash Crofts, Glen Campbell, and Jerry Cole left The Champs to form a band named "Glen Campbell and the GCs" which played at The Crossbow in Van Nuys, CA. The band only lasted a couple of years before the members went their separate ways. Crofts returned to Texas and Seals joined a band named "The Dawnbreakers" (a reference to a book by the same name). Crofts eventually returned to California to join The Dawnbreakers. However, The Dawnbreakers turned out to be unsuccessful. Crofts married fellow Dawnbreaker Billie Lee Day in 1969, and both Seals and Crofts were introduced and converted to the Bahá'í Faith.
After the failure with The Dawnbreakers, the two decided to play as a duo, with Seals on guitar, saxophone and violin, and Crofts on guitar and mandolin. They signed a contract with Talent Associates and released two LPs, which were largely ignored. The pair signed a new contract with Warner Bros. Records in 1971. Their first album with their new label was also unsuccessful, but their second album, Summer Breeze charted at #7 in 1972.
After a long and successful run of recordings in the 1970s, the two lost their contract with Warner Brothers and set aside music for a while. They held a short reunion tour in 1991–1992 and appeared at several Bahá'í gatherings. Crofts lived in Mexico, Australia and then Nashville, playing country music and making occasional hit singles. Seals moved to Costa Rica and has lived on a coffee farm since 1980.
In 2003, Seals and Crofts reunited and recorded a new album, "Traces", for the first time since 1998. They toured during 2004–2005.
In the early 2000s up to 2008, Seals embarked on various tours with his brother Dan ("England" Dan Seals, of England Dan & John Ford Coley), billing themselves as Seals & Seals.
In December 2010, the bandmates' daughters Juliet (Seals) Crossley and Amelia (Crofts) Dailey, along with Genevieve (Bogan) Dozier, daughter of Seals and Crofts engineer Joey Bogan, formed a musical trio called The Humming Birds. They released their self titled EP The Humming Birds in September 2012.
In 2018, Brady Seals (Jim's cousin) and Lua Crofts (Dash's daughter) began touring as Seals and Crofts 2, performing the catalog of Seals and Crofts, as well as some new music.
Baby Blue
Seals & Crofts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cause every time we live it up, I'm so in love with you.
You're all over my mind, you're takin' up a lot of my time.
And so I'm gonna give it up, goodbye Baby Blue.
You're a real fine woman, I want you to know.
Leavin' you ain't easy but I got to go.
There's an old friend in me, tellin' me I gotta be free.
Sometimes in the morning the tears in your eyes.
Make me feel like stayin' and I sympathize.
But there's a mystery in the night, and people a-passin' by.
Makes me want to give it up, goodbye Baby Blue.
Bye, bye, bye my Baby Blue, bye bye my Baby Blue.
Bye, bye, bye my Baby Blue, bye bye my Baby Blue.
Oh, baby, oh. It's so hard to do.
Cause I can't imagine a day without you.
There'll be some long and lonesome nights. You'll wake up and turn on the lights.
And realize it's over, goodbye baby blue.
Bye, bye, bye my Baby Blue, bye bye my Baby Blue.
Bye, bye, bye my Baby Blue, goodbye my Baby Blue.
The song "Baby Blue" is a sorrowful ballad of a man's struggle to leave his lover, Baby Blue. He admits how difficult it is to give up their relationship every time they are together, but he knows that he has to do it. He tells her that she's all over his mind and takes up a lot of his time, but he has to let her go. He wants her to know that she's a real fine woman, but leaving her isn't easy.
The lyrics then transition to his "old friend" telling him he has to be free. He acknowledges the pain he will feel when he's away from her, especially when he sees the tears in her eyes. However, the mystery of the night and the people passing by remind him that he needs to end things with Baby Blue. The last verse is a final goodbye, where he tells her it's so hard to do since he can't imagine a day without her. He knows that there will be long and lonesome nights without her and that she'll wake up and turn on the lights, only to realize that their relationship is over.
The song addresses the turmoil of breaking up with someone you love, but know isn't right for you. The lyrics convey raw emotions, including sympathy and nostalgia. It's significant how the song moves from the difficulty of breaking up to the reality of the aftermath, including long, lonely nights.
Line by Line Meaning
Ever try to give it up? It's so hard to do.
Trying to let go is difficult when my feelings for you are so strong.
Cause every time we live it up, I'm so in love with you.
Every happy moment we share together, I fall more in love with you.
You're all over my mind, you're takin' up a lot of my time.
You occupy my thoughts and my time throughout my day.
And so I'm gonna give it up, goodbye Baby Blue.
I have to let you go and say goodbye, even though it's hard.
You're a real fine woman, I want you to know.
I want you to know that I think you're an amazing woman.
Leavin' you ain't easy but I got to go.
It's difficult to leave you, but I know it's the right thing to do.
There's an old friend in me, tellin' me I gotta be free.
My inner voice is telling me that I need to be free from this relationship.
And so I've gonna give it up, goodbye Baby Blue.
I'm going to let you go and say goodbye because I need my freedom.
Sometimes in the morning the tears in your eyes.
In the morning, seeing your tears makes me sad.
Make me feel like stayin' and I sympathize.
I feel sympathetic and want to stay by your side when I see you cry.
But there's a mystery in the night, and people a-passin' by.
The night brings an air of mystery and people passing by intrigue me.
Makes me want to give it up, goodbye Baby Blue.
The allure of the mystery and the people passing by make me want to let go and say goodbye.
Bye, bye, bye my Baby Blue, bye bye my Baby Blue.
Goodbye, my Baby Blue. I have to say goodbye and let you go.
Oh, baby, oh. It's so hard to do.
It's difficult to say goodbye to you, my Baby Blue.
Cause I can't imagine a day without you.
I don't know how I'll make it through a day without you by my side.
There'll be some long and lonesome nights. You'll wake up and turn on the lights.
There will be many long and lonely nights ahead, and you will wake up to realize I'm gone.
And realize it's over, goodbye baby blue.
You'll come to realize that our relationship is over, and it's time to say goodbye, Baby Blue.
Bye, bye, bye my Baby Blue, bye bye my Baby Blue.
Goodbye, my Baby Blue. I have to say goodbye and let you go.
Bye, bye, bye my Baby Blue, goodbye my Baby Blue.
Goodbye, my Baby Blue. It's time to say goodbye and move on.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JIMMY SEALS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind