Come Softly to Me

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"Come Softly to Me" is a popular song written by Gary Troxel, Barbara Ellis and Gretchen Christopher, published in 1959 and performed by The Fleetwoods.

The song was at first called "Come Softly" but was changed en route to its becoming a hit. The Fleetwoods performed the song twice at school functions and their classmates wanted recordings of it so they could learn the song.[citation needed] After six months, they got the song recorded. They sang it a cappella, then dubbed the instrumental accompaniment, consisting only of Latin-styled acoustic guitar, a bass, and the rhythmic shaking of Troxel's car keys.

Bob Reisdorf, the owner of Dolphin Records (later changed to Dolton Records), was responsible for the name change. He thought that the title was too risqué, so he had it changed to "Come Softly to Me". Released in 1959, the retitled song hit number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in April.

The song has been covered by other artists, including Frankie Vaughan and the Kaye Sisters, who had a chart hit in the United Kingdom with it.

Preceded by
"Venus" by Frankie Avalon
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
April 13, 1959 - May 10, 1959 (4 weeks)
Succeeded by
"The Happy Organ" by Dave "Baby" Cortez