80s New Wave Band Unravels The Mystery Behind This 80s HIT | Professor of Rock
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- Опубликовано: 15 фев 2022
- The story of one of my favorite songs ever the dark and atmospheric 80s top 10 hit, Only the Lonely by the Motels…over the course of interviewing artists about their greatest songs, I’ve come upon my some of my favorite songs ever. This is one of those interviews. A song that has stuck with me since I first heard it at 6 years of age. Lead singer Martha Davis and saxophonist Marty Jourard tell the story of crafting the song and the dark side of fame. This New Wave band is still together.
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#80s #NewWave #Story
Hey music junkies and vinyl junkies Professor of Rock always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest 80s rock songs of all time for the music community and vinyl community with music history video essay's. If you’ve ever owned records, cassettes and CD’s at different times in you life or still do this is your place Subscribe below right now to be a part of our daily celebration of the rock era with exclusive stories from straight from the artists and click on our patreon link in the description to become an Honorary Producer. 
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Poll: What is a song that you heard as a child that resonated deeply and continues to stay with you?
...HA-HAA!! ...OK, I'll admit it..... ***"RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN' ON MY HEAD"!!***
...Something about the Dudes carefree, 'Lost In Love' mindset.... the whole, "..nuthin's botherin' me, cause this Chick is on me MIND...", vibe.... THAT'S LOVE, Baby!I
"💘🥴❤🩹"...ha-HAAA!!
Waterloo by ABBA. 1974 I was six going on seven and that song has meant so much to me over the years. I recently went to an Abba tribute show in Rochester at the Kodak theater and it was completely sold out. I guess a lot of people felt the same way I did
Heart of Glass by Blondie.
I’m Not Like Everybody Else by the Kinks. It was a B side.
Eve of Destruction by Barry McGuire
This song actually gave me hope in the 80’s. I was homeless for 2 months (I left my abusive husband) living in my car and one night this song came over the radio. I was thinking about my life and being so lost and lonely. But hearing the words “Only the Lonely Can Play” was like an angel telling me I could do this. So I saved and got an apartment. I had no furniture and no bed but for the first time I realized I was strong enough to live and support myself alone.
This song a few others carried me through my tough dark times. Thank you Martha and the MOTELS.
@Anna Trail Mustang you hit the nail on the head! It’s all truth.
I’m sorry your doe miscarried. I’m so sad for y’all.
Music speaks volumes with me too. I can tell you where I was my life event at the time just by a song.
Have a great day my friend! 😘
I totally hear you. I went through a really tough time in 1990. My leaving Cert in secondary school, I think you might know it as High school but same difference. Did not do good at my final exams, no college, no job, no hope. Then all of a sudden I heard Wilson Phillips and their single, Hold On. And I did. I held on, got a job, and here I am, many years later, a little older, a little wiser, but doing good these days. But I'm guessing you only need to hear this song, as I hear Wilson Phillips, and boom, we are back at that time.
I am 55 facing no place to live. I hope you made, and are doing well. Stay strong
@Anna Trail thank you.
It is good to hear you left something that was abusive. Stay up. Stay Strong. You have inspired me. Take care
Thought they were so underrated and could not believe that only the lonely never made it to #1. Such a haunting vocal! This is a song that I would never skip or change the channel on.
..and sing at the top of my lungs
Martha is among the very best songwriters ever. Her singing is icing on the cake. Totally underrated.
I love how Martha accentuates her inhale before each line of the verse. It gives the song a feeling that she is singing this right after a big cry.
The Motels are still on my play list. When I listen to the recordings, I'm really impressed by the space between instruments... Ms. Davis' voice is perfect for the songs.
David, you nailed it. Exactly right.
Truth! "Space between the instruments" is a powerful wonderful thing that's missing from most of today's music.
She is one of the most underrated voices of her time!
Yes, she is a gifted singer and this was one of my favourites in 1982...and beyond.
Same! I have “suddenly last summer” on my playlist
Really underrated is the last minute or so of that song, when it goes into almost an entirely other melody with even more brilliant sax play. I've always cranked the volume up as high as I can get it to make sure I didn't miss a note of that last section. This song, and for me that last segment of it, are so quintessential of that era. One of those songs that still transports you back to another time and place. Even though I'm even younger than you, Adam. I'm old enough to at least have distant memories of that time that I'll always cherish. This song has always embodied those memories for me.
Yes! I absolutely loved that coda at the end - very haunting
Is there a better song than this one from the 21st century?
I remember when this tune came out. Ah, sounds like Quarterfalsh, I thought. Then I found out, and I just dismissed it with time. But here lately I have absolutely been binge listening to just this one song. I have such a deeper appreciation of it.
The aspect of having radio stations that played music of the time was such a genius idea with the GTA Vice City games. I mean, there was so much to do in the games, but I found myself just cruising around listening to the music more often than not.
It's funny the moments that you remember in a song. For me, it has always been the singular "yodel" Martha does at the end of the song. "Only the lone-l-EE can play" :) So iconic in my mind.
I love Martha Davis SO much. Such a huge crush on her back in the 80's. She is after all one of the three most important people in the world.
Their other song Suddenly Last Summer is absolutely terrific too. So rich with meaning.
.....Theeeeere, ya GO!! ...It was always one of my 'evening' tunes ...(tunes that I only played at night, to convey the 'mystery' of the Song) ...y'know, why NOT? ...The top 10, Nov., 1983....
10. Say It Isn't So - Hall + Oates
9. ***Suddenly Last Summer*** - Motels (peak)
8. One Thing Leads To Another - The FIXX
7. Love Is A Battlefield - Pat Benatar
6. Total Eclipse Of The Heart - Bonnie Tyler
5. Cum On Feel The Noize - Quiet Riot (...Prof. neeeeds to do THIS tune!)
4. Islands In The Stream - Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton
3. Uptown Girl -Billy Joel
2. Say, Say, Say, - Macca & MJ
1. All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie
I agree. That one will be forthcoming.
@@ProfessorofRock I'm sure you will zero in on the wistful line "One summer never ends. One summer never began". I think a lot of us watch your channel and listen to your analysis because we're all looking to go back to that one last summer that never began... but for just a moment... it does.
I love where Marty Jourard says, "my ideas have always been a step ahead of my technique." As a trombonist, I felt like that in every band I played in.
Amazing tune! Waiting since 1982 to ask the question? You’re a patient man, Adam. It sure paid off!
Marty's brother Jeff was the best guitar player they had, I wish they kept him. His playing on the song "Dressing Up" was epic.
I had a similar reaction (a little earlier) with "Total Control" from KROQ in 1979 -- still love it.
@Professor of Rock I do love Revelations. The Motels are a favorite for me. “Only the Lonely” always had a “Blue Bayou” feel to me. That deep blues feel and and the mournful sound like Linda Ronstadt. Thank you for sharing this great interview Martha Davis and Marty Jourard! I appreciate your hard work. ~Mimi 💖
Thanks Mimi! It was a favorite interview for sure.
I remember listening to that when it came out. I was 14. I was drawn to it as well. It's a very hauntingly beautiful song. Martha's voice fits it perfectly!
The Motels song that grabbed me was "Total Control", it's so ballsy & emotive at the same time. A true rock classic.
Martha Davis and The Motels are certainly a very underrated band of the 80’s! She paved the way for so many female vocalists! I still listen to them!!!
My dad got us cable in 1981 and then came MTV and hearing this song transported me right back there
Very cool! So happy to hear that.
What a fantastic vampy band they were, and a fun interview. An incredible album all around. OTL was a fantastic infectious song of its time and I too can't help but sing along every time I hear it.
Exactly! Thanks Rick.
I still love this song.
Anybody else remember "She's Waiting" by Eric Clapton? For literally years, I could hear a small piece of it in my head every now and then. I just could not for the life of me remember the title/artist. Eventually, I was able to extend more of the song in my head until one day.... I GOT IT! Man, what a relief! Still love that song and play it regularly so that I won't forget it ever again.
Thank you so much for this interview, Professor. Only the Lonely is one of my favorite songs from the 1980s. And The Motels have to be one of the most underrated groups from that time. I still can't figure out how you get these interviews, Professor. But thank God that you do, and the interviewees share their stories with you and us. I hope that you are archiving your shows, there is just something about oral history from the people who lived and made that history. Blessings! 🙏❤
Always liked and thought this song was great, especially Martha's vocals.
Martha has a noir quality to her voice. It just takes you away.
Same here.
At the end of summer 1983 I broke my leg in a motorcycle accident. I had an external fixator on my leg, you can look that up. So I spent a long time with my leg suspended watching TV. On NBC Friday nights, Friday night videos was broadcast. This song really meant a lot to me being that I was very lonely at that time. I had some good friends that were very good at visiting and getting me out of the house. But the night times were lonely, and this song, and a few others, got me through. Thank you
Two of my fave albums of the 80s came from The Motels - All Four One and Little Robbers. Martha Davis is a brilliant singer/songwriter and underrated in my opinion. The band's 2018 album The Last Few Beautiful Days continues their legacy of terrific works. So glad they are getting a spotlight here! One of my fave sax solos ever is in this song!
One of my favourites of the 80's, but I didn't discover it until the 90's. The Motels, like Journey, were a band who never made any impact in the UK at all. It was a pleasure finding them. Only the Lonely is one of the best songs of the 80's... such a great vibe.
I turned 21 in 82 and The Motels with Only The Lonely spoke to me as well! I remember at first getting The Human League confused with The Motels and thought that Don't You Want Me was the B side or the next hit from The Motels! To this day I still love Only The Lonely. It spoke to me because I was very lonely. My first marriage was falling apart after only one year and she was my high school sweetheart. The poetry of the song felt as if it was written for me alone!
The Motlels were one of those bands that grab my attention the first time I heard them. Everything about them grabbed hold of me and affected me deeply. Very moving music.
I was a sad and lonely 11th grader in 1982. This song with it's melancholy vibes spoke to my soul.
This song is one of those things that made 1982 an irreplaceable year to me. The 1980s feel downright incomplete without this song in consideration. I find it so eerie and haunting, it's downright unforgettable. It will always be a gem ... and a classic ... in my mind.
My favorite female vocalist. "Only the Lonely," "Take the L," wow. Just wow.
Take the L is one of my all-time favorites!!
Agreed!
Nice thumbnail pic.
It's always great to discover that the people behind some of your favorite music are really cool. Thanks Adam!
I know and share those feelings, Adam. With this song...and Men at Work's Overkill. There's no way I could understand those feelings at my young age (b. 1971), but now I get them fully and completely. The Motels are great!
Love your comment.
....WHAT did you SAY!??? ....looooooove "Overkill"!! ...One of my 'evening' Songs, that I only played at NIGHT! ...didn't know WHAT it meant, but....I 'got' it.....
Great observation. Both very dark in their meaning, but so melodic. Love both songs.
Ah, the Motels and Martha Davis. Another wonderful thread in the tapestry of the '80s.
My favorite hit song of the 80’s. It’s incredible and I totally feel the same way as you do!! I still get chills when I hear it. Thank you so much! This always takes me back to when I was younger (I was 12 when this song came out).
We had the opportunity to see the Motels at a Casino in Solvang, CA in 2019. It was part of a tour including Flock of Seagulls, Bow Wow Wow, The Escape Club, Missing Persons, Wang Chung, Real Life, The Vapors, Boys Don’t Cry, and Farrington & Mann. What a fantastic show - and your channel has covered nearly every one of these groups at one time or another. Keep up the great content - I very much enjoyed this interview. Great song and very cool story behind the song.
I’m 48 and feel exactly the same.
Very cool.
This song was released when I was 8, and Careless Whisper a few years later. I LOVED both as they evoked similar feelings in my little heart, and I put them on soooo many mixtapes. I didn’t have a good home life at all, and music was such an escape. I’m still a sucker for a good saxophone.
I love how the Motels kept their instrumentation simple, but evoked so much with it. Every instrument glows with its own beauty. My favorite Motels songs are "Total Control" (used in Jonathan Demme's "Something Wild"), and their 1985 single "Shame." The critics rolled their eyes and said "Shame" was the Motels' demise, but I sure loved it.
Speaking of what each individual "sees" in a song, Martha put it the best way I have heard, "It's like the difference between reading a book and going to the movies". Well, put.
"You mention, the time we were together, so long ago, well I don't remember all I know is it makes me feel good now". I was 14 when I first heard that in 1982. I knew nothing of love and loss at the time; but the resonances within me have brought tears to my eyes many times thinking of those words and the relationships I've been blessed with over the years.
Martha Davis' vocals are out of this world. Such an amazing song that still is great to hear to this day.
TWO MUSIC MASTERPIECES!!!! "Only the lonely" and "Suddenly last summer"
"Suddenly Last Summer" definitely sounds like a song Gwen Stefani would cover. You can really hear Martha's influence in her voice.
I love that song so much. The vocals and that fuzzy guitar in the back of the mix is perfect, but the overall emotion that the song generates comes from an alchemy beyond my understanding.
Take the L out of Lover is killer.
Thinking same thing
I love “Suddenly Last Summer” so much! Martha’s voice in that one is just SUPERB.
Gwen Stefani can't even keep her son from wearing a dress. There's no way she can sing Suddenly Last Summer.
Only The Lonely dropped when I was thirteen and I had a huge crush on Martha Davis. She still looks great 40 years later.
I have a distinct memory of this song. I was working a overseas contract in the Antarctic. I was in the exercise room at Palmer Station in 83' when i heard it. Another crew member had it on a cassette. I must have listened to that tape over 1000 times that year. Good memories.
Saw them in the 80s in west Hartford CT on a sweaty summer night. I've seen hundreds of concerts and Martha Davis is still the most mesmerizing, charismatic singer I've ever seen. I couldn't believe they never became huge.
I remembering this song breaking on MTV. It was in pretty frequent rotation. I had such eclectic tastes loving The Beatles, Zep, Stones, Simon and Garfunkel, Hall and Oates, Steely Dan, Deep Purple, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, The Clash, DKs, The Cars, Heart, Men at Work, etc. (I could go on for days as I consumed every form of musical deliciousness I could fine). As a lifelong music aficionado and musician, I had a soft spot for two attributes in a song. One was a female voice. Imagine my teenage motivations for dark and husky or quirky, cheeky like the GoGos. I immediately bonded with the song as soon as Martha started singing. The icing on the cake was Marty's Sax solo. I'm a guitarist/vocalist so obvious had love for my piece of the musical equation, but a finely tuned Steinway Grand Piano, a gorgeous violin piece on a Stradivarius, but probably second to guitar my favorite sound was the saxophone. I even played it pre-high school but switched to all-guitar/vocals in high school, because, well, girls! IMO you don't hear enough sax in pop/rock/alt/aor/country songs. Perfection for me is a masterpiece such as Aja by Steely Dan (sax comes in 4:40 into the masterpiece--and what about Steve Gadd's drumming? Off planet) mixed with each instrument providing maximum musical bang for the buck. It's never a question of how sophisticated or learned a given part is, it's only about how it serves and enhances the song. Marty nailed it. Funny to hear they need to post-prod it with a harmonizer to get the right ending note. Shit happens. Those days of recording to tape had their own special benefits and challenges. I'm sad to say I don't remember hearing more from the Motels, but I did catch them live. I believe it was at the Agora Ballroom in (West) Hartford, CT. The show was great. I judge shows by the musical performance, and the vibe of the scene. People were flirty and dancy and at times naughty. That was one amazing venue if you could survive the rough edge of Hartford!
Way back in my college days, I clearly remember 'The Motels' 1985 concert at the Lubbock, Texas Collesium. It was a packed crowd. They opened for Rick Springfield, who was very good, although my girlfriend (now wife) & I enjoyed The Motels so much more.
Tickets were just $13.50 back then, & local record shops sold tickets. No expensive VIP areas, No special parking. No extra fees. No ticket insurance needed. No band membership required for early or decent seats. Just cheap tickets for fantastic music,...I miss those days!
The Motels transcended genres. They were very punk oriented and matured into a great mainstream band. Martha was and still is a great vocalist and songwriter
They were never really punk oriented, great band though.
@@sspbrazil before they hit it big, they were
They have a NEW WAVE NOIR energy to them.
@@ProfessorofRock very true! High class new wave! lol
@@RFXLR no they weren’t, their first and second album were in line with “All For One” which is their most successful album, they were never punk, not even close.
This takes me back to when I was 11. I was a child of divorce, and I felt very lonely. My parents married other people in 1980 and in 1982 my half brother was born. Life was rough. I completely identified with this song. The melancholy was felt deeply.
Love from the spooky Pine Barrens in NJ
Seems like this was a great interview. Look forward to catching more of it. Martha Davis is STILL an insightful and interesting person. Thank you for reminding me of that.
Glad you enjoyed it!
"Only the Lonely" was a song that take me back to mid 80's. Just a kid stuck in house in LA summer with no where to go cuz its so frickin hot outside. Just sitting around listening to FM radio.
I was at the height of my recording off the radio at this time. I had a full on flashback when it played just now. WOW... RocknRoll ✌🏻😎🌟
Martha's voice is so powerful. So many other ladies emerged around that time, like Pat Benatar, Siouxsie, Terri Nunn, Alison Moyet, and Kate Bush.
Great stuff, Professor!
....and I still listen to them ALL!! ...just played Berlin's "Count 3 and Pray" YESTERDAY! ...gotta LUV the Ladies of the 80's!!!
Love them all!
Speaking of Terri Nunn - did you know The Motels recorded a version of Take My Breath Away, eventually released by Berlin [for Top Gun 1986]?
Somebody else may have already pointed this out in the thread; I haven't the time to sift through all comments sorry...
Love their songs.
Love the video Adam.
Haven't been around lately due to my health.
Glad to be back.
Great job 👏
@Anna Trail
Tyvm
Hope you get feeling better HUGH! Peace my friend.
@@ProfessorofRock
Tysm
One of the most underrated bands in music history. Only the Lonely is one of the best songs ever created. Facts!
"My ideas have always been ahead of my technique." You ain't alone, brother.
I absolutely love Martha's voice. Especially on Suddenly Last Summer. That is the song that I heard as a kid that has stuck with me. I was finally supposed to go see them live at one point in the 90's but life intervened and I had to miss the show. I have never had another chance, and I am so disappointed.
I was a young pup just out of boot camp when this song was hitting. Man I loved The Motels so much!
Love, love this song. Those ending notes always make want to hear it again.
I was 8 when this came out. My mother was only 28 and my dad 30. We had MTV on all the time in the house. I remember my mom loving her note at the end and talking about how beautiful she was in the video. I still listen to The Motels songs.
I have been a huge fan of the Motels since 1982 as well… I happened to win tickets to see them at a show at UNH Fieldhouse in 1982 and I was hooked! Martha Davis and the Motels were an absolutely amazing band live! I have since met her and the band a few times and seen them numerous times. Just a very cool band and love their music!! 😎❤️
This will forever be one of those songs that encapsulates a temporal moment in my life's timeline which like an aroma, INSTANTLY brings back a flood of concurrent nostalgia and presentness that few songs can ever do. 1982 seems to be a year that for some unfathomable reason holds a deeply significant and metaphysical meaning for me.
I have MANY The Motels cassettes stashed somewhere. All the songs had something great about them, not just the 'singles'. Never get tired of Martha's voice and their luscious beats.
Thanks for this one. I got to spend a short amount of time with Martha Davis at the NAMM show in Anaheim back in '88. She was doing an appearance at once of the vendor's booths and since I was attending the show as a non-booth vendor and I was a HUGE fan of the band, I made it a point to be at that booth early to meet her and get an autograph. When she showed up, she'd evidently had a horrible time flying in and getting a cab to the convention center, so when she got to the booth she threw all of her stuff on the table and just started UNLOADING to me about the horrible trip she'd just had. She was NOT happy with any part of her trip. I just nodded and listened to the whole diatribe, then when she finally stopped to take a breath, I just held out my pen and paper with a blank look on my face, just trying to be humourous. That's when she realized I wasn't working there. She screamed "OH MY GOD, Sweetheart, I'm SO sorry! You're not who I thought you were!" When she realized that I was having a hard time holding in the laughter, she started laughing too. It was quite comical. We did get to talk about music for a bit and I still have some photos of us from that day in my library. Hard to believe that album is nearly 4 decades old, but I still listen to it on a regular basis - it hasn't gotten old yet.
I got to see Martha Davis at the summer concert series in Lake Arrowhead in California. She still slimes awesome. Such a distinctive voice.
Thanks for continuing to bring these classic artists on to tell the stories about their hits. It is nice to have my generation of music recognized.
One of the best songs of the early MTV era, brings back vivid memories (and I was one of many who had a crush on Martha). I played guitar in an 80s cover band (in the 80's) that featured a female vocalist, and we liked to keep up on the latest hit songs - this was one of them. Having a little background in piano, had purchased a Roland Juno 60 shortly before this song came out. There was no sheet music for most of the songs we did, but learned this by ear fairly quickly, and the keyboard had a good enough electronic piano sound to do justice. Wish I wouldn't have sold it (or my '69 Black Les Paul Custom) after I 'retired'.
I love that you get to see the moment the artists get charmed by the Professor. They get a twinkle in their eye (even if it's hidden by their shades) and their body language changes. You are doing an amazing job here.
The Motels were one of those 80s pop bands we all heard on radio or saw on MTV, but always been underrated. "Only The Lonely" and also "Suddenly Last Summer" are simply beautiful songs that remind me of my pre-teen years and bring a tear to my eye when I hear them.💕
I love the Motels. Martha Davis might be my all-time favorite female vocalist ever.
Mark - I needed new glasses and I decided to take a chance on Zenni. Wow - I'm impressed! I bought my first pair with some trepidation but took a chance. I am 100% satisfied and will definitely be a repeat customer. I'm so glad you have them as a sponsor or I may have never been turned on them. Thanks so much for the recommendation!
I’ve met and chatted with Martha Davis and Marty Jourard several times (motels always do meet and greet + always have concert in Seattle. Marty lives im my general area and we talk music a lot. Martha is an amazing warm woman whose voice has stayed just as good or better. She told me about track she did for Made in Heaven movie (We never Danced written by Neil Young).
I was in seventh grade. I thought I was older when this came out. Memories are crazy.
The repeating piano riff at the end of this song is my favorite of all time
"Only the Lonely" is a transportive song for me!
Another great interview and video! Thanks POR!!!
Great interview! I have always loved this song ever since it first came out because you can really feel the melancholy in not only Martha's vocals, but all the instrumental parts. Today, it doesn't get the recognition it deserves either on SiriusXM's "80s on 8" or any of the popular 80s songs list, which is a "Shame" (see what I did there?).
I would love to see any of these songs get the same treatment as they are underappreciated 80s hits:
> Eye to Eye - Nice Girls
> Thomas Dolby - Hyperactive!
> Wall of Voodoo - Mexican Radio
> Frankie & the Knockouts - Sweetheart
> Vapors - Turning Japanese
> Terence Trent d’Arby - Wishing Well
> Style Council - Shout to the Top
> Wax UK - Right Between the Eyes
> Dokken - It’s Not Love
>David Roberts - Boys of Autumn
Take the L is pretty darn good too
I love that snaky riff on Dokken ' It's Not Love ' you know George Lynch has got a freaking really cool riff in that song I've been playing for a long time it's bad ass n just feels great 2 groove on... Had ' Under Lock N Key ' on vynil okay sometimes I get dyslexic too 'cos I'm old, so u might get 'o instead of o' or vynil instead of vinyl, wait which one of those is right? Man I'm gettin' old...
Love the Motels. Along with this, Suddenly Last Summer is such a vibe.
Another great interview.
This was the first slow dance I shared with my ex who died last year. Very emotional to listen too..
Shame is one of my favorite singles of all time. I LOVE Martha! Tell It To The Moon, Don’t Tell Me The Time, Take The L… So good!
Still get chills whenever I heard "Only the Lonely" . Love the "Innocent Age" LP on the record rack.
Love your channel. Amazing that you get to interview these artists! What a treat!!
I absolutely loved this interview.
Prof. Adam, I had just gotten out of my 4-year stint in the USAF in '82 and was working in the parts dept. of a car dealer when OTL broke. My first pseudo romance with an older woman was fraying and this song reminds me of that time when even at 23 I wasn't old enough or experienced enough to know I wasn't ever going to be more than a boy toy for Pam, who sadly passed away in 2015.
Another epic interview churning up memories, and tugging at heart-strings.
It was pay day and I was wandering around Sam Goody looking for some music to take home... Suddenly I noticed a beautiful face on a video screen. White grease paint and a background of four solid colors. I was entranced as I watched this video repeat over and over. I'd discovered The Motels, Martha Davis and Take the L. I bought the LP and listened to it again and again. Till this day Take the L is one of my favorite songs of that era.
Good song. Really enjoyed this interview.
Only the Lonely, Take the L, and Suddenly Last Summer were all amazing singles. I've loved them since they were first released. I've purchased the mp3 of all three of those songs, but I've never owned a full album by The Motels. I think I might need to fix that soon.
One of the best interviews!
The start of junior high middle school for me! very moody, empathetic radio hits in that era, the early 80’s!
That was a fantastic song.... I was 8.... and I can still sing it to this day. Thanks for the ride down memory lane.
What an outstanding interview, just WOW.
Great band, great song, and a great interview.
This song really brings nostalgia for a special era. I also love "SHAME" by this band which was also a hit.
Great and fun interview
What an amazing interview..so glad the Professor is bringing all of these stories and performers to the world.
Thanks for doing this one with Martha and Marty. Martha's voice and personality were really special and I had an immediate crush on her. At some point The Motels seemed to disappear from radio and the record stores.
I read somewhere that Martha was terminally ill and the Motels were done. So seeing this video come up on my feed, made my day, and I've been smiling all afternoon!