In the first half of the twentieth century, a subgenre of doo-wop (doo-wop) was born in rhythm and blues, which arose under the influence of church gospels. It is characterized by harmoniously sounding vocals with minimal accompaniment or a cappella. It flourished in the fifties and sixties, when dozens of popular artists performed in this style.
One of the brightest representatives of this trend was The Five Satins, and their main hit was the composition In the Still of the Nite, which is considered a doo-wop classic.
The history of the creation of the song In the Still of the Nite
The words and music of the composition were written by Fred Parris during his years of service in the ranks of the US armed forces, which he took place in Philadelphia. From time to time, the young soldier went on a visit to his hometown of New Haven, Connecticut. In the train car, Fred conceived and composed the song In the Still of the Nite.
The Five Satins tried to record the track in a building on Whalley Avenue, but the noise coming from the street prevented the desired result. Then the musicians moved to the basement of the Catholic school of St. Bernadette, where, in complete silence and excellent acoustics, they were able to work on the song in peace. The local pastor allowed them to occupy the premises, as the band’s producer was friends with his assistant.
The meaning of the song In the Still of the Nite
What is at stake in the words of the song is clear to everyone who has been in love. They say Fred Parris wrote it about his ex-girlfriend, with whom he wanted to reconnect. But that did not happen. She moved to California and they never saw each other again. It is difficult to say whether she knew that the world-famous hit was dedicated to her.
Release and achievements
In 1956, the song was released on the back of the Jones Girl single. But the audience liked In the Still of the Nite more, and radio DJs kept it on the air. Soon she reached New York and topped the local hit parade.
Meanwhile, Parris was sent to serve in Japan, where he remained until 1958. The Five Satins traveled around the USA without him. In that composition there were only two people who recorded the composition. As soon as Fred was demobilized, he reassembled the team and immediately went on tour.
In the Still of the Nite hit the Billboard Hot 100 three times in different years. The highest achievement in the charts was twenty-fourth place in 1956. In 1960 and 1961, she stopped at eighty-one and ninety-ninth lines.
In 1959, the track “In the Still of the Nite” was included on the incredibly popular Oldies but Goodies compilation released by the Original Sound label.
A stunning success awaited the song after it entered the soundtrack of the film “Dirty Dancing” (Dirty Dancing). In the late eighties, over ten million copies were sold.
Rolling Stone magazine ranked In the Still of the Nite at number 90 on its “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame named it a place on its list of five hundred tracks that have influenced the development of this genre.
Clip In the Still of the Nite
Check out the music video of The Five Satins performing their biggest hit.
Cover versions of In the Still of the Nite
In the sixties, the composition was recorded by several musical groups, including The Crests, The Fleetwoods, The Tokens. In 1964, the instrumental version of In the Still of the Nite by Santo & Johny hit the charts.
In 1969, In the Still of the Night, performed by Paul Anka, made it into the Hot 100.
The Beach Boys sang In the Still of the Night for the 15 Big Ones album.
The Boyz II Men recorded In the Still of the Night for The Jacksons: An American Dream. Their version peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, topped the chart in New Zealand, and also performed well on the charts in other countries.
Interesting Facts
- The song is often referred to as In the Still of the Nite to avoid confusion with In the Still of the Night (1937) by Cole Porter.
- The famous “shoo-doop, shoo be doop” was borrowed from the song Night Owl (1937) by Tony Allen.
- The song was featured on the soundtracks of the films Dirty Dancing and The Buddy Holly Story.
In the Still of the Nite Lyrics
In the still of the night
I held you, held you tight
‘Cause I love, love you so
Promise I’ll never let you go
In the still of the night
In the still of the night
I remember (I remember) that night in May
The stars (the stars) were bright above I’ll
hope and I’ll pray
To keep your precious love
well before the light
hold me again
With all of your might
In the still of the night
In the still of the night
So before the light
Hold me again with all of your might
In the still of the night
In the still of the night
In the still of the night
In the Still of the Nite Lyrics
In the silence of the night
I held you in my arms, held you tight
Because I love you, I love you so much.
I promise I will never let you go.
In the silence of the night
In the silence of the night
I remember (I remember) that May night
The stars (stars) shone so brightly.
I will hope and pray
That I can keep your priceless love.
Until dawn
hug me again
With all my might
In the silence of the night
In the silence of the night
Until dawn
Hold me again with all your might
In the silence of the night
In the silence of the night
In the silence of the night
