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.

Outside My Window
The Fleetwoods Lyrics

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Outside my window
You're walking by with someone new (outside my window)
Outside my window
The way I used to walk with you (outside my window)

Smiling while you're walking
Laughing while you're talking
Happy as can be (happy, happy, happy)

With your arm around him
You're so glad you found him
You never once look up to see me

Inside my window
I'm just as sad as I can be (inside my window)
Inside my window
I'm wishing you'd come back to me (inside my window)

Some day if you're lonely and you want me only
Here's what to do (what should I do)
Call me, my darling (darling)
Outside my window (window)

And I'll come running to you (outside my window)
(Outside my window)

Overall Meaning

The Fleetwoods' "Outside My Window" is a doo-wop classic that tells a tale of heartbreak and longing. The opening verse sets the scene, as the singer looks out of their window and sees their former partner walking by with a new love interest. The sight of the two of them together, arm in arm and happy, is a painful reminder of what the singer has lost. The chorus repeats the title phrase, emphasizing the distance between the singer's world and the one that their former partner now inhabits.

The second verse shifts to the interior of the singer's home, where they are experiencing the full weight of their sadness. The contrast between the external world of the couple walking by and the enclosed space of the singer's room creates a sense of isolation and despair. However, the final lines hold out hope for reconciliation, as the singer offers a way for their former partner to come back to them - by calling them from outside their window.

The lyrics of "Outside My Window" are relatively simple, but they tap into a universal emotional experience: the feeling of heartbreak and longing for a lost love. Through the use of contrasting images (inside/outside, happy/sad), the song effectively conveys the singer's emotional state. The memorable melody and harmonies of the Fleetwoods' version also help to make the song a classic that continues to resonate with listeners today.

Line by Line Meaning

Outside my window
Observing from my window

You're walking by with someone new (outside my window)
I see you walking by with a new person

Outside my window
I am still watching from my window

The way I used to walk with you (outside my window)
It reminds me of how we used to walk together

Smiling while you're walking
You are walking with a smile

Laughing while you're talking
You are laughing while having a conversation

Happy as can be (happy, happy, happy)
You seem to be really happy

With your arm around him
You have your arm around your new partner

You're so glad you found him
You are very happy to have found him

You never once look up to see me
You never look up to notice me

Inside my window
As for me, I am inside looking out