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.
Runaround
The Fleetwoods Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've found a place here in my heart
Go have your fun (I'll have my fun)
Runaround
I'll never leave you
I'm forever bound
The streets are noisy
I sit and wait, dear, for you to phone
Go have your fun (I'll have my fun)
Go have your fun
Runaround
I've waited so long it seems
You're running out of my dreams
Maybe a new love you've found
Settle down
Runaround
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Go have your fun (I'll have my fun)
Go have your fun
Runaroud
I've waited so long it seems
You're running out of my dreams
Maybe a new love you've found
Settle down
Runaround
I'll never be the one to part
You've found a place here in my heart
Go have your fun (I'll have my fun)
Go have your fun
Runaround
The Fleetwoods's song Runaround is a classic doo-wop ballad about a man waiting for his love interest while she goes out and has her fun, often leaving him behind. The lyrics suggest that despite the man's longing for her, he is willing to accept her behavior and continue to hold onto a place for her in his heart. The repetition of the phrase "go have your fun / runaround" throughout the song conveys a sense of frustration and perhaps even resignation on the part of the singer. He is seemingly willing to tolerate her behavior but also recognizes that it may not be sustainable in the long-term.
The imagery in the lyrics also contributes to the overall feeling of melancholy and nostalgia. Lines such as "the streets are noisy / I'm all alone" and "you're running out of my dreams" create a sense of loneliness and longing. The song's slow tempo and the use of background vocals also add to the mood, creating a haunting, somber tone that is characteristic of many classic doo-wop songs.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll never be the one to part
I will always be there for you and will never leave you.
You've found a place here in my heart
You are very important to me, and you will always have a special place in my heart.
Go have your fun (I'll have my fun)
You can do what you want, and I will also do what makes me happy.
Runaround
You are playing games with me and making me chase after you.
I'm forever bound
I will always be loyal to you and will never leave your side.
The streets are noisy
I am alone and it is noisy, and I am waiting for you to reach out to me.
I'm all alone
I am by myself and missing you dearly.
I sit and wait, dear, for you to phone
I am waiting patiently for you to call me or reach out in some way.
I've waited so long it seems
I have been waiting for you for a long time, and it feels like forever.
You're running out of my dreams
You are slowly disappearing from my thoughts and dreams.
Maybe a new love you've found
I fear that you have found someone else to love.
Settle down
I wish that you would stop playing games and choose someone to love and be with.
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
These are sounds or non-verbal expressions conveying emotions that cannot be expressed through words alone.
Contributed by Josiah B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.