Single Stories: Seals & Crofts, “Diamond Girl”

40 years ago this week, the title track of Seals & Crofts’ fifth studio album made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100.

Like the majority of their material, the jazz-influenced “Diamond Girl” was written by Jim Seals and Dash Crofts. Alan Bershaw of Paste Magazine described the song as “the infectious title track” of the album, praising the way that its lyrics are “skillfully depicting the love for a woman or a commitment to God, depending on how one interprets them.” (The latter aspect is no surprise, given that the duo was famously affiliated with the Baha'i faith.)

“Diamond Girl” was another Top 10 hit for Seals & Crofts, and it helped send the album of the same name hurtling all the way to #4 on the Billboard 200, thereby turning it into the highest-charting album of their career. It was also the end of the duo’s tendency to embrace the acoustic side of music, as they henceforth tended to focus more on a band-oriented approach to their tunes. Yes, the end result was further success, but for purists, the best of Seals & Crofts’ work was behind them.

Still, if you’ve got to leave a certain percentage of your fans behind, it’s best to do it with an album that sticks with them, and DIAMOND GIRL certainly achieved that in spades.