"Summer Breeze" is a song written and recorded by Seals and Crofts. Released in 1972, it reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US. In 2013, it was ranked No. 13 in Rolling Stone′s "Best Summer Songs of All Time".[2]
Original Seals and Crofts version
Released on their 1972 Summer Breeze album, Seals and Crofts' original version reached No. 6 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in the US that same year. Bruce Eder of AllMusic referred to it as "one of those relentlessly appealing 1970s harmony-rock anthems ... appropriately ubiquitous on the radio and in the memory".[3]
The song was covered in a harder rock-soulful style by The Isley Brothers as a single in 1974. Issued also on their 1973 album 3 + 3, it reached number sixty on the pop chart, number ten on the R&B chart, and number sixteen on the UK Singles Chart. The Isleys' version is notable not only for the harmonies of the three vocal Isleys, O'Kelly, Rudolph and lead singer Ronald, but also for the guitar solo by younger brother Ernie. The group named The Main Ingredient also recorded a version of Summer Breeze.
The Isley Brothers performed it on a 1974 Soul Train show. It was also featured in a 2014 episode of Scandal and is sampled in the track "All in My Mind" released by MC Hammer along with his newly formed rap group, Oakland Fight Club featuring Mistah F.A.B. (2014).[10]
Type O Negative released a cover of the song in August 1993 on their album Bloody Kisses altering their version to match their gothic metal style.[14] Their version was originally to be titled "Summer Girl", featuring new lyrics written by Peter Steele, but after Seals & Crofts found the lyrical content distasteful, the original lyrics were sung instead.[15]
Tracklist
All songs written by Peter Steele unless otherwise noted.
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