"In the Still of the Nite",[1] also subsequently titled "In the Still of the Night", is a song written by Fred Parris and recorded by his Five Satins. While only a moderate hit when first released (peaking at No. 24 on the national pop charts), it has received considerable airplay over the years and is notable as one of the best known doo-wop songs, recorded by artists such as Boyz II Men and Debbie Gibson. It is heard in several films, such as The Buddy Holly Story, Dirty Dancing, and The Irishman.
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"In the Still of the Night" | |
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Single by The Five Satins | |
B-side | "The Jones Girl" |
Released | 1956 |
Recorded | Saint Bernadette Catholic School |
Genre | Doo-wop, traditional pop |
Length | 3:02 |
Label | Standord, Ember |
Songwriter(s) | Fred Parris |
Producer(s) | Marty Kugell |
The Five Satins' original version was included in Robert Christgau's "Basic Record Library" of 1950s and 1960s recordings—published in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981)[2]—and ranked No. 90 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[3]
The song was recorded in the Saint Bernadette Catholic School basement in New Haven, Connecticut in February 1956. Marty Kugell produced the song. The saxophone solo was played by Vinny Mazzetta of New Haven. The rhythm section was Doug Murray (bass), Bobby Mapp (drums) and Curlee Glover (piano). It was originally released on Kugell's Standord label with the B-side "The Jones Girl", a play on the Mills Brothers' 1954 hit, "The Jones Boy". Although the single was only a moderate hit after it was reissued on the Ember label, peaking at No. 24 on the national pop charts and No. 3 on the R&B "race" charts (Billboard's chart designation for R&B at the time), its reputation came to surpass its original chart placement. For three decades, the single almost always topped the influential Top 500 Songs countdown on oldies radio station WCBS-FM. The track sold over 10 million copies in 1987 and 1988 as part of the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. The song was included on the highly influential 1959 LP Oldies But Goodies on Original Sound.
The song was spelled as "In the Still of the Nite" to avoid confusion with Cole Porter's "In the Still of the Night".
Excluding Christmas records, "In the Still of the Nite" is one of only two songs (the other being “Monster Mash” by Bobby (Boris) Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers) to have charted on the Hot 100 three separate times, by the same artist with the same version each time. After initially reaching No. 24 in 1956, it was released again in 1960 and reached No. 81. Then more than a year later in 1961 it reached No. 99.
"In the Still of the Nite" is one of two songs that may lay claim to being the origin of the term doo-wop. The plaintive doo wop, doo wah refrain in the bridge has often been suggested as the origin of the term to describe that musical genre. The other contender for the honor is "When You Dance" by the Turbans, in which the chant "doo-wop" can be heard.
7" single
CD maxi
"In the Still of the Nite (I'll Remember)" | ||||
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Single by Boyz II Men | ||||
from the album The Jacksons: An American Dream Original Soundtrack and Cooleyhighharmony (1993 re-issue) | ||||
B-side | "Snippets from 'An American Dream'" | |||
Released | November 10, 1992 | |||
Genre | A cappella | |||
Length | 2:51 | |||
Label | Motown | |||
Songwriter(s) | F. Parris | |||
Producer(s) | Boyz II Men | |||
Boyz II Men singles chronology | ||||
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Boyz II Men recorded an a cappella arrangement (a full step below the original version, in E) of the song for the soundtrack to the television miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream. This version reached No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on January 16, 1993. It also debuted at No. 1 in New Zealand—becoming the band's second chart-topper there—and charted strongly in Australia, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom. It was later added to the 1993 re-release of their album Cooleyhighharmony.
Chart (1992–1993) | Peak position |
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Australia (ARIA)[4] | 11 |
Canada Retail Singles (The Record)[5] | 6 |
Canada Contemporary Hit Radio (The Record)[5] | 3 |
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[6] | 23 |
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[7] | 7 |
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[8] | 65 |
France (SNEP)[9] | 24 |
Germany (Official German Charts)[10] | 69 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11] | 1 |
UK Singles (OCC)[12] | 27 |
US Billboard Hot 100[13] | 3 |
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[14] | 11 |
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[15] | 4 |
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[16] | 2 |
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[17] | 3 |
Chart (1993) | Position |
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Australia (ARIA)[18] | 63 |
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[19] | 48 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[20] | 19 |
US Billboard Hot 100[21] | 12 |
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[22] | 45 |
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[23] | 46 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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New Zealand (RMNZ)[24] | Gold | 5,000* |
United States (RIAA)[25] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
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United States | November 10, 1992 | Cassette | Motown | [citation needed] |
United Kingdom | February 15, 1993 |
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The original Five Satins version of the song featured prominently in Martin Scorsese's 2019 epic crime film The Irishman, including the opening scene and end credits. It is the first track on the film's soundtrack album, released by Sony Music on November 8, 2019.
The original song also appeared in its entirety in David Cronenberg's 1988 psychological horror film Dead Ringers.
The song also appears on the radio of the video game Mafia II.
It also appears briefly in the TV series Gotham.
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