The Fleetwoods were a singing trio from Olympia, Washington, United States;… Read Full Bio ↴The Fleetwoods were a singing trio from Olympia, Washington, United States; formed in the late 1950s. They were responsible for the hit song "Come Softly to Me". The song was originally called "Come Softly", and the group was originally named Two Girls and a Guy, but both were changed en route to the song becoming a hit.

Gary Troxel (b. November 28, 1939, Centralia, Washington) and Gretchen Christopher (b. February 29, 1940, Olympia, Washington) were two high school students waiting for Christopher's mother to pick them up after school. They started singing and humming a song together, and liked it enough to ask Christopher's friend and singing partner, Barbara Ellis (b. February 20, 1940, Olympia, Washington), to join them as a trio to perform it.

They performed the song twice at school functions, and their classmates wanted recordings of it so they could learn the song. After six months, they got the track recorded. They sang it a cappella, then dubbed the instrumental accompaniment, consisting only of Latin-styled acoustic guitar and the rhythmic shaking of Troxel's car keys. "Come Softly to Me" was also recorded by Frankie Vaughan and The Kaye Sisters, who had a chart hit in the United Kingdom with the song. The Fleetwoods' version of "Come Softly To Me" can be heard on a portable radio at one point in the 1986 movie, Stand By Me, which was set in Washington state.

Bob Reisdorf, the owner of Dolphin Records (later changed to Dolton Records), was responsible for the changes to the group name and song title. He thought that the title was too risque and not commercial-sounding enough, so he had it changed to "Come Softly to Me". He also thought that the group's original name wasn't commercial-sounding enough. The new name of the group, The Fleetwoods, was based on the telephone exchanges in the areas where the three members lived, Fleetwood2-xxxx and Fleetwood7-xxxx.

The Fleetwoods continued to record into the 1960s, with a number of other successes, although none so big as "Come Softly to Me". Their second hit, "Mr. Blue," was one of the few recordings by a white singing group to make the rhythm & blues chart. The beginning of the end for the group came when Troxel was drafted into the U.S. Navy. Additionally, the British Invasion of the mid 1960s ended the public's taste for sweet, melodic music.

By the late 1970s, Troxel was working in a plywood plant, Ellis was managing a trailer park in Canada, and Christopher was a housewife and modern dance teacher. In 2000, Troxel and his wife Jenifer lost a landmark grandparents' rights case before the Supreme Court of the United States. The court held that under the United States Constitution, non-parents seeking custody or visitation rights of a child against the wishes of the child's parents must prove that the parents are not acting in the best interest of the child in refusing custody or visitation.

Lovers by Night Strangers by Day
The Fleetwoods Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Darling hold my hand
Let me know that you understand
That 'til I'm free
From the girl who loves me

We must be secretly
Lovers by night, strangers by day
'Til the time you can be in my arms endlessly

Lovers by night, strangers by day

She's been good to me
And she gets hurt, oh so easily
So 'til I tell her it's all over
Stay with me

Let's still be lovers by night
Strangers by day
'Til we walk, walk as one

Hand to hand in the sun
Lovers by night, strangers by day

Overall Meaning

The Fleetwoods' "Lovers by Night, Strangers by Day" is a song about two people who are secretly in love with each other, but are unable to be together due to one of them being in a committed relationship with someone else. The first verse begins with the singer asking their lover to hold their hand and understand that they are unable to be free from the person who loves them. So, they must be secretly in love with each other, meeting at night and pretending to be strangers during the day. The goal is to wait until the time comes when they can be together without any issues.

In the second verse, the singer talks about their current partner, who has been good to them, but is easily hurt. They cannot break their partner's heart, hence the need for secrecy. The chorus repeats the idea of being lovers by night and strangers by day, and the hope that one day they can walk hand in hand in the sun, indicating a desire to be able to show their love openly.

Overall, the song conveys the complex emotions that come with being in a secret love affair. While the couple is happy to be together, they are also consumed by feelings of guilt and worry. The lyrics showcase the need to wait until the right time arrives to be together, while also expressing the hope that this time will come soon.

Line by Line Meaning

Darling hold my hand
My love, please take my hand in yours

Let me know that you understand
Show me that you comprehend my situation

That 'til I'm free
Until I am unattached

From the girl who loves me
From the woman who is in love with me

We must be secretly
We must keep our love hidden

Lovers by night, strangers by day
In the night, we can be together, but during the day, we must act like strangers

'Til the time you can be in my arms endlessly
Until the time when we can be together always and forever

She's been good to me
She has treated me well

And she gets hurt, oh so easily
She is easily wounded emotionally

So 'til I tell her it's all over
So until I break up with her

Stay with me
Continue to be with me

Let's still be lovers by night
Let us continue our romantic relationship in secret

Strangers by day
During the day, let us act as if we do not know each other

'Til we walk, walk as one
Until we are able to be together openly

Hand to hand in the sun
Holding hands and in the bright light of day

Lovers by night, strangers by day
Our love is clandestine, known only to us at night but kept hidden during the day

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN GLUCK JR, JOHN, JR. GLUCK, NEVAL ABOU NADAR, NEVAL ABOU NADER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Bob Shurge

2y↑2

Another song about sneakin and cheatin.

Lovers By Night, Strangers By Day
The Fleetwoods

Darling hold my hand
Let me know that you understand
That 'til I'm free
From the girl who loves me
We must be secretly
Lovers by night, strangers by day
'Til the time you can be in my arms endlessly
Lovers by night, strangers by day
She's been good to me
But she gets hurt, oh so easily
So 'til I tell her it's all over
Stay with me
Let's still be lovers by night
Strangers by day
'Til we walk, walk as one
Hand in hand in the sun
Lovers by night, strangers by day
Lovers by night, strangers by day
'Til we walk, walk as one
Hand in hand in the sun
Lovers by night, strangers by day
Lovers by night, strangers by day
Lovers by night, strangers by day

All comments from YouTube:

Raul Raul

4y↑5

I always love the Fleetwods. Their rendition of Goodnight My Love is amazing

theheff66

4y↑3

Wow, I have never seen so many pictures of this trio, they are great. I have never heard this song before either and it's great, sounds like something Bobby Darin could have sung- it was the second from their last hit, released Oct 1962 and pk'd at #36.

T.C. Howard Jr.

3y↑1

This was always my favorite Fleetwoods song! The bass is just kickin', and that attracted me to it, not the lyrics. It didn't get too popular compared to many other they put out.