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.

Oh Lord Let It Be
The Fleetwoods Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

She doesn't love me
My heart keeps saying
But to the Lord
I'll keep praying

"Oh, Lord, let it be"

She may not long for me

She may be wrong for me
But to the Lord
I'll keep praying

"Oh, Lord, let it be"

As time goes by
She may realize
That true love
Never dies
But till that day
I'll keep hoping
And search for that look
In her eyes

And when she sees me
She'll know she loved me
And that our love
Never died
But till that day
I'll keep praying

"Oh, Lord, let it be"

Overall Meaning

The Fleetwoods's song "Oh Lord Let It Be" is a song about heartbreak and unrequited love. The singer knows deep down that the woman he loves doesn't feel the same way, yet he cannot help but hope and pray that someday she will. He is resigned to the fact that he may never have her love, but he continues to pray to the Lord for strength and guidance. The lyrics convey a sadness and a longing that is palpable, as the singer holds onto the hope that one day his love will be returned.

The song's chorus, "Oh Lord, let it be," serves as a refrain throughout the song, highlighting the singer's reliance on faith even in the midst of heartache. The significance of prayer in times of trouble is a common theme in many love ballads, and this song is no exception. The singer's steadfast hope that his feelings will one day be reciprocated is both melancholic and optimistic, as he holds onto the belief that true love never dies.

Line by Line Meaning

She doesn't love me
I can feel that she doesn't love me

My heart keeps saying
My heart tells me that she doesn't love me

But to the Lord
I turn to the Lord for guidance

I'll keep praying
I keep praying for clarity and direction

"Oh, Lord, let it be"
I ask the Lord to help me accept the situation and move forward

She may not long for me
She may not have feelings for me

She may be wrong for me
She may not be the right person for me

As time goes by
As time passes

She may realize
She may come to understand

That true love
Real, honest love

Never dies
Lasts forever