Only the Lonely - The Motels (1982) 7/31/23

Martha Davis, lead singer for The Motels, was going through a tough time.

Although the group was "living the dream" so to speak: experiencing critical success, traveling the world, riding in limousines, etc...Martha herself was in a horrible relationship and grieving the the recent loss of her parents.

One day, Martha picked up the guitar her father had given her, and wrote today's Great Song of 1982: "Only the Lonely."

In her words, "It was one of those songs that was sitting on my guitar waiting for me. It literally wrote itself."

It was a song about the emptiness of success, and quite a bit different than the new wave music The Motels had produced for their first two albums, signaling a change of style for album #3: 1982's "All Four One."

'"Only the Lonely" was the first single from the album, and it was the first of their songs to crack the Top 10, reaching #10 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Chart and #9 on the Hot 100.

T

RIVIA: Martha's father was an administrator at the University of California, Berkeley, and the guitar he gave her was one he found abandoned in Stiles Hall on the campus.

"Only the Lonely" by Martha Davis & The Motels: a Great Song of 1982. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaPTELylZ1s

Tomorrow: It might be a hit.