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.
Ten Times Blue
The Fleetwoods Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lonelier than lonely
And you can add misery
Just like five times two equals ten
Ten times blue equal me
I was your only love
You were my one girl
My world went wrong
And time broke down
And all my dreams came crashing down to the ground
And now I'm sadder than sad
Lonelier than lonely
And you can add misery
Just like five times two equals ten
Ten times blue
Ten times blue equals me
When I was in your arms
The world was beautiful
But what you said to me so tenderly
Was never true
Last night I saw you kissing someone new
And now I'm sadder than sad
Lonelier than lonely
And you can add misery
Just like five times two equals ten
Ten times blue
Ten times blue equals me
Ten times blue equals me
Ten times blue equals me
Ten times blue equals me
Ten times blue equals me
Ten times blue equals me
Ten times blue equals me
The Fleetwoods's "Ten Times Blue" is a sad and melancholic song that portrays a sense of emptiness and heartbreak. The lyrics convey the feeling of loneliness and misery that arises from a broken relationship. The singer describes how he feels, saying he is "sadder than sad, lonelier than lonely," and adds that this misery equals ten times blue. The phrase "ten times blue" is used to describe an intense level of sadness that exceeds the ordinary, and his heartbreak is so deep that it's indescribable.
The lyrics also describe how the singer's world fell apart when his partner left him for someone else. His dreams and hopes of a happy life with her have been shattered, and he can't seem to find a way out of the sadness. He remembers the beautiful moments he spent with her and how her tender words were never true. The fact that he saw her kissing someone new adds insult to injury and reinforces his feelings of loneliness and heartbreak.
In conclusion, "Ten Times Blue" is a bleak and poignant song that speaks to the sadness and heartache associated with lost love. It portrays the emptiness, the hurt, and the desperation that comes with heartbreak. The lyrics are simple yet powerful, touching on the pain that people experience when their hopes and dreams are crushed.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm sadder than sad
I feel extreme sorrow and unhappiness
Lonelier than lonely
I am experiencing intense feelings of isolation and emptiness
And you can add misery
Furthermore, I am also experiencing additional pain and suffering
Just like five times two equals ten
To make matters worse, my sadness and loneliness are multiplied, much like a simple mathematical equation
Ten times blue equal me
In summary, my overwhelming feelings of sadness and loneliness have become so severe that they now define who I am
I was your only love
At one point, I was the only person you loved
You were my one girl
You were the only girl for me
But when he came along
However, when another man entered the picture
My world went wrong
My life took a turn for the worse
And time broke down
The passage of time became meaningless
And all my dreams came crashing down to the ground
All of my hopes and aspirations were destroyed
When I was in your arms
During the times when we were physically close
The world was beautiful
The world seemed perfect in those moments
But what you said to me so tenderly
But the words you spoke to me with such sensitivity and affection
Was never true
Turned out to be false and deceitful
Last night I saw you kissing someone new
Recently, I witnessed you engaging in romantic behavior with another person
Ten times blue equals me
Despite everything that has happened, my emotional state remains deeply blue and unhappy
Ten times blue equals me
Ten times blue remains a significant part of who I am and how I feel
Ten times blue equals me
Ten times blue defines my current emotional experience
Ten times blue equals me
Until I can overcome my feelings of sadness and loneliness, I will continue to be ten times blue
Ten times blue equals me
No matter how hard I try, I can't escape my blue state of mind
Contributed by Kennedy F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.