They were discovered by Richard Barrett, lead singer of the Valentines and eventually signed to End Records. Their first single was "He's Gone" (Pop #71) in August 1957. In January 1958 they released their second single, "Maybe" (#15 Pop; #2 R&B). Several other singles were released on End, though none as successful as "Maybe."
The group was dropped by End in 1959, and Arlene Smith decided to go solo. Lois left to pursue a college education. In 1960, Annette Smith (no relation) replaced Arlene and the group went to Carlton Records, where they had their second huge hit with "Look in My Eyes" (#14 pop, #6 R&B). Several other singles followed and the group switched labels several times. Personnel changed throughout the 60's, with their final single released in 1970.
Arlene fronted a new group of Chantels in the 1970s for oldies shows and continues to perform. The remaining original Chantels reformed as well and hired Noemi (Ami) Ortiz as their new lead singer. Jackie Landry died in 1997.
The Chantels were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002.
Every Night
The Chantels Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fall on my knees and I pray
For my love.
Although he doesn't love me
He can stay just for me,
I pray.
He used to love me with all his heart n'soul.
I always stayed with him just like he was a toy.
And so I know it just didn't pay
To kiss, my love, and break, his heart, and try to run away.
Why, oh why, does he hurt me so?
I hold on, never thought he'd ever go.
Every night.
Every night, ouuu huu ouuuuu
Every night, ouuu huu ouuuuu
The Chantels' "Every Night" is a heart-wrenching song about unrequited love. The lyrics tell a story of a woman who is deeply in love with a man who doesn't love her back. Despite this fact, she prays every night for him to stay with her. She reminisces about a time when he loved her with all his heart and soul, but now she feels like he's just using her like a toy. She knows that it wasn't worth breaking his heart and trying to run away. She wonders why he hurts her so much, but she still holds on to him, hoping that he will never leave her. The song's haunting melody and the singer's passionate delivery make it a timeless classic.
The lyrics of this song are rich and poignant, and they capture the pain and longing of unrequited love in a way that is both heartbreaking and beautiful. The words are simple, yet they convey a depth of emotion that is truly moving. The chorus, which is repeated several times throughout the song, is particularly powerful, as the singer's voice soars with emotion: "Every night, ouuu huu ouuuuu."
Line by Line Meaning
Every night I go to bed
Every night, as I fall asleep,
Fall on my knees and I pray
I kneel down to pray,
For my love.
To ask for the love of the person I love,
Although he doesn't love me
Even though he doesn't love me,
He can stay just for me,
I wish he would stay with me,
I pray.
I keep praying for his love,
He used to love me with all his heart n'soul.
He used to love me wholeheartedly,
I always stayed with him just like he was a toy.
I was always with him, treating him like a toy,
And so I know it just didn't pay
But now I realize it was not worth it,
To kiss, my love, and break, his heart, and try to run away.
To kiss him, break his heart and try to leave him behind,
Why, oh why, does he hurt me so?
I wonder why he hurts me,
I hold on, never thought he'd ever go.
I hold on to his love, never thought he would leave me,
Every night.
Every night, I think of him,
Every night, ouuu huu ouuuuu
Every night, I feel the pain of his absence,
Every night, ouuu huu ouuuuu
Every night, I miss him terribly.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alissa Reminiec
Every night, I go to bed
Fall on my knees and
I pray for my love
Although he doesn't love me
He can stay just for me
I pray
He used to love me with
All his heart and soul
I always played with him
Just like he was a toy
And now I know
It just didn't pay
To kiss my love
And break his heart
And try to run away
Why, oh, why
Does he hurt me so
I, oh, I never
Thought he'd ever go
Every night
Every night, oooh...
Every night, oooh...
I've made a slight correction in the lyrics, GNRSlash Lover
Shaun Kelly
Early rock and roll girl groups have always gotten short-changed, none more so than the Chantels, whose vocal prowess was so pronounced that when their microphones didn’t work one night in a concert in Chicago, they sang wireless and still blew the audience away. I was incredibly fortunate to see them in person years later at a Richard Nader Rock and Roll Revival at the old Boston Garden. In the early days of the Beatles, this number was eventually performed by the Fab Four in a plethora of different venues around Liverpool and the environs with John singing the lead and Paul and George as the doo-wop backups. Such expressive ballads remind me of Maya Angelou’s famous quote: “Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.”
William Davis
This song was beautifully sung, coupled with raw emotion.
AJG
One the best female vocal groups of all time!!!
Darryl Evans
The great Arlene Smith lead singer of the Chantels was only 15 years with a unbelievable voice mercy what a voice
Alissa Reminiec
Arlene smith was 13 1/2 when the Chantels recorded Maybe
( Girl groups: the story of a sound)
Still Standing
Arlene Smith has a flawless voice and delivery. The best ever!
Lois Weiss
the Chantels can't mess up anything. every song is soulful.
Estelle Schneider
@Alissa Reminiec She was classically trained and sang at. Carnegie Hall
What a voice !!
Alissa Reminiec
lois, the Chantels were ex church choir singers
Luis Rodriguez
thank