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.
Jekyll and Hyde
Seals & Crofts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the albums SEALS AND CROFTS (1969) and SEALS AND CROFTS I AND II (1974).
You're just like Jekyll and Hyde, you better turn your tide, baby.
I know that person between ain't mean, baby.
So meet me at the corner of sanity, don't be late, baby.
I'm gonna ride Jekyll and Hyde right outta your life
And I don't mean maybe. (x2).
The lyrics to Seals & Crofts's song Jekyll and Hyde describe a tumultuous relationship with someone who shares qualities with the character from Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novel. The singer compares their lover's personality to Jekyll and Hyde by saying "you're just like Jekyll and Hyde, you better turn your tide, baby." The implication is that the person they're addressing has two distinct personalities, one good and one bad, and they need to gain control of them. But the singer also acknowledges that the "person between ain't mean," suggesting that the "Hyde" side of this person's personality is the cause of the relationship's problems. They instruct the person to "meet me at the corner of sanity, don't be late, baby" - in other words, to get a grip on their erratic behavior. In the end, the singer is firm in their resolve to remove themselves from the situation, promising to "ride Jekyll and Hyde right outta your life / And I don't mean maybe." The song ends on this note of finality, leaving the relationship's fate up to the person with the Jekyll and Hyde personality.
Overall, the lyrics to Seals & Crofts's Jekyll and Hyde are an interesting depiction of a relationship with someone who has a split personality, and the singer's attempts to make sense of this behavior. It's notable that they don't condemn the person outright, but they do give them a clear ultimatum to choose between their two sides. The song has a catchy melody and upbeat instrumentation that create an interesting contrast with the serious subject matter.
Line by Line Meaning
You're just like Jekyll and Hyde, you better turn your tide, baby.
You have two distinct personalities, and you need to control them both, my love.
I know that person between ain't mean, baby.
I understand that the other side of you is not full of malice, my dear.
So meet me at the corner of sanity, don't be late, baby.
Let's meet at the place where we're both rational and reasonable without any delay, darling.
I'm gonna ride Jekyll and Hyde right outta your life
I will help you eradicate your two-sided self and let you live in peace.
And I don't mean maybe. (x2)
Without a doubt, I am convinced that I will succeed in saving you from your duality, my love.
Contributed by Sarah C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.