In the Still of the Night (The Five Satins song)

"In the Still of the Nite", also subsequently titled "In the Still of the Night", is a song written by Fred Parris and recorded by his band the Five Satins. Originally the song was titled "(I'll Remember) In the Still of the Nite" to distinguish itself from Cole Porter's "In the Still of the Night.” Later the title was changed to "In the Still of the Night".

"In the Still of the Nite" redirects here. For other uses, see In the Still of the Nite (disambiguation).

"In the Still of the Night"
Single by the Five Satins
from the album The 5 Satins Sing
B-side	"The Jones Girl"
Released	1956
Recorded	February 1956
Venue	Saint Bernadette Catholic Church
Genre	Doo-wop traditional pop
Length	3:02
Label	Standord Ember
Songwriter(s)	Fred Parris
Producer(s)	Marty Kugell
The Five Satins singles chronology
"All Mine" (1955) "In the Still of the Night" (1956) "Wonderful Girl" (1956)

While only a moderate hit when first released (peaking at No. 24 on the national pop charts), it has received considerable airplay over the years and is notable as one of the best known doo-wop songs, recorded by artists such as Boyz II Men and Debbie Gibson. It has been featured in several films and television series, such as The Buddy Holly Story, Dirty Dancing, The Irishman and The Offer.

The Five Satins' original version was included in Robert Christgau's "Basic Record Library" of 1950s and 1960s recordings—published in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981)^[1]—and ranked No. 90 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".^[2]

Background

Parris was inspired to write the song while working guard duty in the U.S. Army, after seeing a pretty woman walk by him that day. Famously, it was recorded in the basement of St. Bernadette's Church in New Haven, Connecticut. Normally, the quintet sang with five singers, but for this recording there were only 4 -- Al Denby (low tenor), Eddie Martin (baritone), Jim Freeman (bass) and Fred Parris.^[3] Marty Kugell produced the song. The saxophone solo was played by Vinny Mazzetta of New Haven. The rhythm section was Doug Murray (bass), Bobby Mapp (drums) and Curlee Glover (piano). It was originally released on Kugell's Standord label with the B-side "The Jones Girl", a play on the Mills Brothers' 1954 hit, "The Jones Boy".

When it was released, Parris was in Japan, so the label used another singer, Bill Baker, to promote the single and record more music (Warner, pg. 189). Although the single was only a moderate hit after it was reissued on the Ember label, peaking at No. 24^[4] on the national pop charts and No. 3 on the R&B "race" charts (Billboard's chart designation for R&B at the time), its reputation came to surpass its original chart placement. For three decades, the single almost always topped the influential Top 500 Songs countdown on oldies radio station WCBS-FM. The track sold over 10 million copies in 1987 and 1988 as part of the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. The song was included on the highly influential 1959 LP Oldies But Goodies on Original Sound.

Excluding Christmas records, "In the Still of the Night" is one of only three songs (the others being "Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers and "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen) to have charted on the Hot 100 three separate times, by the same artist with the same version each time. After initially reaching No. 24 in 1956, it was released again in 1960 and reached No. 81. Then more than a year later in 1961 it reached No. 99.

"In the Still of the Night" is one of two songs that may lay claim to being the origin of the term doo-wop. The plaintive doo wop, doo wah refrain in the bridge has often been suggested as the origin of the term to describe that musical genre. The other contender for the honor is "When You Dance" by the Turbans, in which the chant "doo-wop" can be heard.

Track listings

• 7-inch single

1. "In the Still of the Nite (I'll Remember)" (LP version) – 2:51
2. "Snippets from 'An American Dream'" by The Jacksons

• CD maxi

1. "In the Still of the Nite (I'll Remember)" (LP version) – 2:51
2. "Snippets from 'An American Dream'" by The Jacksons
3. "Medley" ("I Want You Back" (live) / "ABC" (live)) by The Jacksons

Boyz II Men version

"In the Still of the Nite (I'll Remember)"
Single by Boyz II Men
from the album The Jacksons: An American Dream Original Soundtrack and Cooleyhighharmony (1993 re-issue)
B-side	"Snippets from 'An American Dream'"
Released	November 10, 1992
Genre	A cappella
Length	2:51
Label	Motown
Songwriter(s)	F. Parris
Producer(s)	Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men singles chronology
"End of the Road" (1992) "In the Still of the Nite (I'll Remember)" (1992) "Let It Snow" (1993)

American group Boyz II Men recorded an a cappella arrangement (a full step below the original version, in E) of the song for the soundtrack to the television miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream. This version reached No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on January 16, 1993. It also debuted at No. 1 in New Zealand—becoming the band's second chart-topper there—and charted strongly in Australia, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom. It was later added to the 1993 re-release of their debut album, Cooleyhighharmony (1991).

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1992–1993) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[5] 11 Canada Retail Singles (The Record)[6] 6 Canada Contemporary Hit Radio (The Record)[6] 3 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7] 23 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[8] 7 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[9] 65 Europe (European Hit Radio)[10] 34 France (SNEP)[11] 24 Germany (GfK)[12] 69 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[13] 1 UK Singles (OCC)[14] 27 UK Airplay (Music Week)[15] 25 US Billboard Hot 100[16] 3 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[17] 11 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[18] 4 US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[19] 2 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[20] 3 Zimbabwe (ZIMA)[21] 2

Year-end charts Chart (1993) Position Australia (ARIA)[22] 63 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[23] 48 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[24] 19 US Billboard Hot 100[25] 12 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[26] 45 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[27] 46

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[28]	Gold	5,000*
United States (RIAA)[29]	Platinum	1,000,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	November 10, 1992	Cassette	Motown	[citation needed]
Japan	January 25, 1993	Mini-CD		[30]
United Kingdom	February 15, 1993	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl CD cassette		[31]

Other cover versions

• The original recording briefly hit the charts again in 1960 and 1961; an instrumental version by Santo & Johnny charted in 1964, and a version from the album Goodnight My Love by Paul Anka did likewise in 1969 (#62 Canada^[32]). None of these releases reached the top half of the Billboard Hot 100, however.
• The Crests recorded a version titled "I Remember (In the Still of the Night)" for their 1960 album The Crests Sing All Biggies on Coed Records.
• The song was used in the Walt Disney World attraction The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management).
• "In the Still of the Night" was also recorded by The Beach Boys on their 1976 album 15 Big Ones. Lead vocals were by drummer Dennis Wilson.
• Songwriters Mike Reid and Troy Seals incorporated the song in the 1985 song "Lost in the Fifties Tonight (In the Still of the Night)", performed by Ronnie Milsap. Milsap's song was a number one country hit that year.^[33]
• Debbie Gibson recorded the song transposed to C major during her Atlantic-years concert tours and recorded the same arrangement for the Atlantic soundtrack album The Wonder Years — Music from the Emmy Award-Winning Show and its Era (LP 82032).
• A version by Bruce Murray (brother of Anne Murray) reached #74 in Canada in 1979.

In popular culture

The original Five Satins version of the song featured prominently in Martin Scorsese's 2019 epic crime film The Irishman, including the opening scene and end credits. It is the first track on the film's soundtrack album, released by Sony Music on November 8, 2019.

The song appears in the first episode of the miniseries The Offer.

The original song also appeared in its entirety in David Cronenberg's 1988 psychological horror film Dead Ringers.

The song also appears on the radio of the video game Mafia II.

It also appears briefly in the TV series Gotham. The scene is quite moving but yet very violent. Is in the 1st season, episode 11 Rogue's Gallery. It pops just after Butch Gilzean confesses to not sharing equally stolen meat to a gang friend. This episode has 2 oldies songs in the very same scene. The first one is In the Still Of The Night, as he makes the confession. Then after the confession, he shoots him and It's all In The Game is heard right after he exits Saviannos' vehicle and just about when the credits for the episode start to roll.

It also appears in Dirty Dancing.

In the original 1992 broadcasts of the Are You Afraid Of The Dark? episode "The Tale of the Prom Queen" which aired on YTV and Nickelodeon, the song was playing on Ricky's car radio when he arrives at the cemetery as a ghost (having been killed in a car accident on prom night in 1956.) The song was subsequently removed from the episode when it was released on other media formats, likely due to copyright issues.

References

1. Christgau, Robert (1981). "A Basic Record Library: The Fifties and Sixties". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 0899190251. Retrieved March 16, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
2. "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. April 2010. Archived from the original on May 10, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
3. Genzlinger, Neil (2022-01-20). "Fred Parris, Creator of a Doo-Wop Classic, Is Dead at 85". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
4. Warner, Jay (2006). American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 189. ISBN 0634099787.
5. "Boyz II Men – In the Still of the Nite (I'll Remember)". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
6. Lwin, Nanda (2000). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. p. 49. ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
7. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1835." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
8. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 1793." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
9. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 12. March 20, 1993. p. 23. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
10. "EHR Top 40" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 11. March 13, 1993. p. 26. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
11. "Boyz II Men – In the Still of the Nite (I'll Remember)" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
12. "Boyz II Men – In the Still of the Nite (I'll Remember)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
13. "Boyz II Men – In the Still of the Nite (I'll Remember)". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
14. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
15. "Top 50 Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week. March 20, 1993. p. 14. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
16. "Boyz II Men Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
17. "Boyz II Men Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
18. "Boyz II Men Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
19. "Boyz II Men Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
20. "Boyz II Men Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
21. Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
22. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
23. "The RPM Top 100 A\C Tracks of 1993". RPM. Retrieved December 22, 2018 – via Library and Archives Canada.
24. "End of Year Charts 1993". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
25. "Billboard Top 100 – 1993". Archived from the original on November 10, 2006. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
26. "The Year in Music 1993" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 52. December 25, 1993. p. YE-46. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
27. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 3, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
28. "New Zealand single certifications – Boyz II Men – In the Still of the Night". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
29. "American single certifications – Boyz II Men – In the Still of the Nite". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
30. "スティル・オブ・ザ・ナイト | ボーイズ・II・メン" [Still of the Nite | Boyz II Men] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
31. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. February 13, 1993. p. 17.
32. "RPM Top 100 Singles - April 21, 1969" (PDF).
33. Paul Kingsbury, ed. (16 December 2004). The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Oxford University Press. p. 349. ISBN 9780199770557.

• "In the Still of the Nite". Rolling Stone.
• Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Five Satins". Allmusic.
• Whitburn, Joel. Top Pop Singles 1955–1999. Menomonee Falls, WI, 2000.

External links

• "The Five Satins: In The Still of the Nite" at Discogs (list of releases) (original release)
• "Santo & Johnny: I'll Remember (In The Still of the Night)" at Discogs (list of releases) (1964 version by Santo & Johnny)
• "Boyz II Men: In the Still of the Nite (I'll Remember)" at Discogs (list of releases) (1992 version by Boyz II Men)