“Hummingbird” by Seals and Crofts
From the 1972 album Summer Breeze

I know I’ve pushed the limits of what constitutes “prog” here before, but perhaps never so far as this… and yet… not as much as it may seem at first.

Seals and Crofts are best known for the title track from the same album, “Summer Breeze.” I’ve loved that song since I was a kid, along with a few of their other hits like “We May Never Pass This Way (Again),” but it wasn’t until just recently that I actively started exploring their surprisingly extensive catalog. It’s a good time to do so: some of their CDs can be had on Amazon (click the link above) for as little as $5.99.

“Hummingbird” starts off with a very Beatles-esque introduction before settling into a classic Seals and Crofts groove. But the thing that really makes this song transcendent for me is the wondrously circuitous chord progression that occurs between 3:13 and 3:46 in this stripped-down live recording. It’s almost like I can see the storm clouds parting and the rays of sunlight streaming through. A little cheesy, perhaps, but I love it regardless, and I think this song goes a long way to show how Seals and Crofts are far more than the AM radio/soft rock lightweights they’re often taken for. Jim Seals is a skilled guitarist, Dash Crofts (yeah, there’s a name that could only be a rock star in the early ’70s) is perhaps even more skilled as a mandolin player, and their songwriting and arranging skills are first-rate.