Frank Chacksfield, born Francis Charles Chacksfield (May 9, 1914 - June 9, … Read Full Bio ↴Frank Chacksfield, born Francis Charles Chacksfield (May 9, 1914 - June 9, 1995) was a popular conductor in the "easy listening" style.

He was born in Battle, East Sussex, England and is remembered by many music lovers and record collectors for his numerous albums and appearances on radio and television during the era following the second world war.

From the 1950s onwards, Chacksfield was one of Britain's most famous orchestra leaders, and his fame spread around the world. Early in his career he was fortunate to have several big sellers in the USA, which firmly established his reputation world-wide.

During his recording career with Decca alone, it is estimated that he sold 20 million copies.

Chacksfield learned to play the piano as a boy and became the deputy organist for the local church. Though his parents discouraged his pursuit of music as a career, he persevered. In the late '30s, when he was in his mid-20s, he was leading small musical bands in Britain. During World War II, he was assigned to the British Army entertainment unit, and after the war he became a regular performer on the BBC.

In 1953, he formed an orchestra he called "The Tunesmiths" and won a contract with Parlophone Records. Within two years, he expanded the group from a traditional big band into an orchestra with strings and released a series of "mood music" albums. His sound was similar to Mantovani and Melachrino. His biggest hits, in both the UK and the US, were "Ebb Tide" and "Limelight."

Chacksfield was also responsible for the musical arrangement of the first ever British entry into the Eurovision Song Contest, "All" by Patricia Bredin in 1957. Only because BBC musical director Eric Robinson insisted on accompanying Bredin to the contest in Frankfurt, Chacksfield did not get the chance to perform as a conductor on this international stage.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s Chacksfield recorded a large number of instrumental recordings for Starborne Productions. The recordings were licensed for use by "Easy Listening" radio stations and functional music companies. The vast majority of these recordings were not made commercially available to the general public until 2007 by Starborne Productions.

In the Still of the Night {from Rosalie}
Frank Chacksfield Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

In the still of the night
As I gaze out of my window
At the moon in it's flight
My thoughts all stray, stray to you

In the still of the night
While the world lies in slumber
Oh the times without number

When I say to you

Do you love me
Just like I love you
Are you my life to be
That dream come true
Or will this dream of mine
Will it fade way out of sight

Just like that moon growing dim

Way out on the rim of the hill
In the still of the night

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Frank Chacksfield & His Orchestra's song In The Still Of The Night poetically express the longing and yearning that one feels for a loved one. The verse starts with the singer gazing out of their window on a quiet night, watching the moon out in the sky. This peaceful and serene setting brings them to ruminate on their beloved, and their thoughts eventually find their way to them. The singer confesses the many times they've thought of their love in those quiet moments before sleeping.

As the verse progresses, the singer turns to their beloved and poses the age-old questions of love. They wonder if their love is reciprocated, if they're destined to be partners in the future. They express their fears of their dreams fading away, using the visual metaphor of the moon growing dim on the edge of the hill in the stillness of the night.

The lyricist beautifully captures the feelings of love, desire, and insecurity, and evokes the tranquility of nights. The emotions are universally relatable, bestowed with apt and vivid imagery. The song reveals the vulnerability hidden beneath, reflecting the songwriter's understanding of the complexities of the human heart.

Line by Line Meaning

In the still of the night
During the quiet, peaceful hours of the night

As I gaze out of my window
While looking outside through my window

At the moon in its flight
Observing the moon as it moves across the sky

My thoughts all stray, stray to you
My mind wanders and I think only of you

In the still of the night
During the quiet, peaceful hours of the night

While the world lies in slumber
While everyone else is sleeping

Oh the times without number
So many times before

When I say to you
When I express my feelings to you

Do you love me
I wonder if you have feelings of love for me

Just like I love you
As strongly as I love you

Are you my life to be
Are you meant to be a significant part of my existence