To walk through the golden age of doo-wop is to eventually encounter a singular, haunting melody that defines the era: The Five Satins’ iconic ballad, “In the Still of the Night.” Recorded in the unlikely acoustics of a church basement in 1956, this soulful track has resonated through the decades as a permanent hallmark of love, nostalgia, and the kind of musical alchemy that simply cannot be manufactured. The story behind the song is as poignant as the lyrics themselves. In 1956, a 19-year-old Fred Parris found himself on guard duty with the U.S. Army in Philadelphia, physically present at his post but emotionally miles away. He was deeply lovesick for Marla, the woman he described as the “girl of [his] dreams,” who was then living in Connecticut. Parris, the visionary leader of the Five Satins who passed away in 2022 at the age of 85, had just spent a transformative weekend with Marla and found he could not shake the memory of it. “There were other nights that we spent together,” he reflected in a 2004 interview with Smithsonian Magazine. “But there’s only one first time.” The inspiration struck with a sudden, driving force. “When I arrived at camp, I went straight to the day room. There was a piano there and I started playing the chord in my head and the words in my heart,” Parris recalled. “Before I realized it, it was time to go to guard duty. It was a cold, black night, and the stars were twinkling. The setting was very apropos for my feelings and emotions.”
Continued on next page:
