''Unborn Child'' is the sixth studio album by American music duo Seals and Crofts, released on February 8, 1974 by Warner Bros. Records. It features two singles, "Unborn Child" and "The King of Nothing", which reached number 66 and number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 respectively. The title track reached number 63 in Canada. Upon release, the album caused controversy for its

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...

message.

Album conception

The project originated when Lana Bogan, wife of recording engineer Joseph Bogan, watched a TV documentary on abortion and was inspired to write a poem from the perspective of an aborted fetus. While Seals and Crofts were working on their new album, Bogan approached Seals with the poem. She asked him to put the poem to music, which became the lead single "Unborn Child." Seals and Crofts were followers of the Baháʼí Faith, a religion founded in the 19th-century which teaches that life begins at conception. After listening to the full album, Seals and Crofts named it after the lead single because they decided that it best represented the concept of the album. According to Crofts, Warner Bros. warned them not to release the album, because the subject of abortion was highly controversial. The duo insisted that the message of "Unborn Child" was universal, and Crofts stated that they made the record "to save lives."

Album reception

Despite Warner's warnings, the album was released in February 1974 to great controversy. The title track garnered backlash and was banned from some radio stations because of its

stance. ''Unborn Child'' hurt the duo's popularity and was criticized by music critics. The controversy lowered the profile of Seals and Crofts and slowed down their music career. According to Bill DeYoung, the duo crossed the thin line that separated their music from the Baháʼí Faith, and

abortion-rights The abortion debate is a longstanding, ongoing controversy that touches on the moral, legal, medical, and religious aspects of induced abortion. In English-speaking countries, the debate most visibly polarizes around adherents of the self-describ ...

advocates boycotted the record and the duo's concerts. For the album, Seals and Crofts won the "Keep Her in Her Place" award from the National Organization for Women (tying with Paul Anka for his recording of "

(You're) Having My Baby "(You're) Having My Baby" is a song written and recorded in 1974 by Canadian singer Paul Anka. Recorded as a duet with female vocalist Odia Coates, the song became Anka's first No. 1 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 15 years, since 1959's " Lo ...

") during its "annual putdown of male chauvinism" in the media on Women's Equality Day. However, it did receive a mostly positive review from Noel Coppage, who, in a July 1974 issue of what was then known as '' Stereo Review'' described the song "Windflowers" as "truly beautiful, one of the most dazzling opening songs I've heard on an album in a long time," with "two-part harmonies that soar above inspired and single-minded runs on Crofts' mandolin and unbelievably clean and understanding strums on Seals' acoustic guitar, backed by some restrained and brilliant strums on Louis Shelton's electric guitar." Of the title cut, he wrote that its "message is anti-abortion propaganda, pure and simple, but it is delivered gently and poetically inside a layered, meaty melody–and hardworking liberals like me can like the song while disagreeing with the tract it could be prosaically reduced to."Popular Discs and Tapes
''Stereo Review'', July 1974, p. 90.

Track listing

All songs written by

James Seals Seals and Crofts was an American soft rock duo made up of James Eugene Seals (October 17, 1942 – June 6, 2022) and Darrell George "Dash" Crofts (born August 14, 1938) They are best known for their hits " Summer Breeze" (1972), " Diamond Girl" ...

and Dash Crofts, except where indicated. Side One #"Prelude" (:40) (

David Paich David Frank Paich (born June 25, 1954) is an American musician, best known as the co-founder, principal songwriter, keyboardist and singer of the rock band Toto since 1977. He wrote or co-wrote much of Toto's original material, including the ba ...

) #"Windflowers" (3:07) (James Seals, Dan Seals) #"Desert People" (3:31) #"Unborn Child" (3:55) (Seals, Lana Bogan) #"The Story of Her Love" (3:30) #"Dance by the Light of the Moon" (4:47) Side Two #"Rachel" (:58) #"King of Nothing" (3:16) (Seals) #"29 Years from Texas" (3:14) #"Ledges" (3:08) #"Follow Me" (3:44) #"Big Mac" (4:16)

Charts

Personnel

* Jim Seals – vocals (backing only on "The Story of Her Love" and "King of Nothing"), acoustic guitar, spoken word on "Windflowers" * Dash Crofts – vocals, mandolin * Louis Shelton – electric guitar *

Buddy Emmons Buddy Gene Emmons (January 27, 1937 – July 21, 2015) was an American musician who is widely regarded as the world's foremost pedal steel guitarist of his day. He was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1981. Affectionately known by ...

– steel guitar *

– keyboards, string arrangements, horn arrangements *

David Hungate William David Hungate (born August 5, 1948) is an American bass guitarist noted as a member of the Los Angeles pop-rock band Toto from 1976 to 1982 and again from 2014 to 2015, and the son of judge William L. Hungate. Along with most of his T ...

– bass * Jeff Porcaro – drums *

Bobbye Porter Bobbye Jean Hall is an American percussionist who has recorded with a variety of rock, soul, blues and jazz artists, and has appeared on 20 songs that reached the top ten in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Early career, work for Motown and move to ...

– percussion

References

{{Authority control 1974 albums Seals and Crofts albums Warner Records albums