The Five Satins, In the Still of the Night | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the eighth edition of Throwback Vibez (2025), we recollect and reflect on “In the Still of the Night” by The Five Satins. 

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the eighth edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2025), we recollect and reflect on “In the Still of the Night” performed by The Five Satins.

“Shoo-doop, shoo-be do / Shoo-doop, shoo-be-wah.” Indeed, The Five Satins! The doo-wop group is renowned for the classic, “In the Still of the Night”.  “In the Still of the Night,” recorded and released in 1956, ultimately appeared on their 1957 album, Presenting The 5 Satins. Fred Parris (1936 – 2022), the leader of the group, penned “In the Still of the Night.” Marty Kugell produced it.  “In the Still of the Night,” sometimes labeled as “In the Still of the Nite,” is one of the greatest and most important doo-wop songs.  It is also one of the greatest songs of the 1950s and of all time. It has been covered many times including the platinum-certified rendition by Boyz II Men on their landmark, 1991 album, Cooleyhighharmony.

The “shoo-doop, shoo-be-do(s)” are crucial to the success of “In the Still of the Night.” The Five Satins provide superb backing vocals for Parris, who handles the lead like a champ. The melodies are tuneful, led by Parris’ beautiful and expressive lead.  “In the still of the night / I held you, held you tight,” he sings in the first verse, continuing, “‘Cause I love you, love you so / Promise I’ll never let you go / In the still of the night (In the still of the night).”  The bridge marks another highlight: “I remember that night in May (I remember, I remember) / The stars were bright above (I remember, I remember).”  The quality of the recording isn’t great, but the brilliance of this early R&B song shines through regardless. Notably, “Still” was recorded in the basement of a church – St. Bernadette’s Roman Catholic Church in New Haven, Connecticut. Another marvelous moment from this doo-wop classic? A sweet saxophone solo.  The Five Satins delivered a once-in-a-lifetime song with “In the Still of the Night”.

The Five Satins // Presenting The 5 Satins // Universal Digital Enterprises / Ember // 1957

The Five Satins, In the Still of the Night: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 8 (2025) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Ember / Universal Digital Enterprises; AcatXlo, OpenClipart-Vectors, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Speedy McVroom from Pixabay]