In The Still of The Night

 The Five Satins - In The Still Of The Night (1956) 4K (youtube.com)

The Five Satins performing "In The Still of the Night", released originally in 1956. "In The Still Of The Night" is a classic doo-wop song with an unusual origin story. The song was written by Fred Parris, a member of The Five Satins, while he was travelling by train between Philadelphia and his hometown of New Haven. The song talks about holding a girl close on a night in May and hoping to be with her again. Parris wrote the song about a former girlfriend he was hoping would return to him, but she never did. The song was recorded in the basement of St. Bernadette Church in the group's hometown of New Haven, Connecticut. They used the church piano along with drums, a guitar, a cello tuned low for the bass sound, and a saxophone. The church basement had great acoustics and was insulated from ambient noise, making it a perfect place to record. The Five Satins were managed by Marty Kugell, who distributed their material on his own label, Standord Records. "In The Still Of The Night" became one of the most famous songs in doo-wop history. The Five Satins were a fluid group, and their lineup had a lot to do with who was available, as some of the members were in the military. In this song, only four members of the group recorded it, but they called themselves The Five Satins because that was the trend at the time.