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.

Once in a While
The Fleetwoods Lyrics

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Once in a while
Won't you try to give
One little thought to me
Though someone else may be
Nearer your heart

Once in a while
Won't you dream of those moments

I shared with you
Moments before we two
Drifted apart

In love's smoldering embers
One spark may remain
If love still can remember
That spark may burn again

I know that I'll be contented
With yesterday's memories

Knowing you think of me
Once in a while

Overall Meaning

The Fleetwoods's "Once In A While" is a song about unrequited love, and it expresses the feelings of someone who still hopes for a chance with a former lover who has moved on. The song's lyrics implore the person to take a moment to think of the singer, even though they might be closer to someone else. The song's chorus repeats that plea, asking the person to dream of the moments shared before their separation.

The first verse acknowledges that the singer's love interest has moved on to someone else, but the singer still harbors feelings for them. The singer knows that they are not the object of affection anymore, but they still hope that they can rekindle what was lost. The second verse continues to ask the singer's love interest to think of them, even if just for a moment. The lyrics imply that even though they have drifted apart, there is still a chance for love to burn again if the embers from what once was are sparked.

The song's melody is slow and sorrowful, supporting the lyrics' mood of longing and yearning. It was a hit for The Fleetwoods and has since been covered by many other artists. It's a timeless classic that still resonates with listeners today.

Once in a WhileThe Fleetwoods Lyrics

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Once in a While
The Fleetwoods Lyrics