Top 10 Martha Davis And The Motels Songs

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Martha Davis and The Motels created some of the most atmospheric and emotionally memorable songs of the 1980s, blending new wave, rock, and haunting pop melodies into a distinctive sound. This ranking celebrates the band’s greatest recordings, from signature hits to overlooked album gems that helped define their remarkable catalog.

Photo: By Fyunck(click) – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18805185

Our Top 10 Martha Davis and The Motels Songs list takes a look at one of our favorite 1980s bands. The sound of The Motels is like listening to summer’s past. There is just something special about Martha Davis’s voice and those songs that bring you back to the 1980s in a way that most bands don’t.

The Motels released their first album in 1979. From the release of their first record, The Motels, in 1979 to 1985’s Shock, the band released five great albums. In 2008, Martha Davis released another Motels album entitled This. The album featured a completely different lineup from the original Motels, with the exception of Martha Davis. The most recent album Martha Davis released under The Motels name was the incredibly brilliant album The Last Few Beautiful Days. The album was released in 2018.

Our Top 10 Martha Davis and The Motels Songs list only focuses on the material Martha Davis released under The Motels name. Martha Davis has also released four solo albums, which we will cover in a separate article. Because she has released so many great songs, there is not enough room on this list to cover both her solo material and The Motels albums.

# 10 – Celia

We open up our Martha Davis And The Motels Songs list with an excellent track from their debut album The Motels. The song “Celia” was never released as a single, and that was probably a mistake. The song defined the band’s promise more than any other track on the record. We must remember that the Motels arrived in 1979, smack in the middle of the New Wave era. You can hear it in the album’s sound. The rhythm part of the track is very reminiscent of the Cars. However, the extraordinary talents of Martha Davis would soon extend beyond the New Wave genre just a couple of years later.

# 9 – Where Do We Go from Here (Nothing Sacred)

The Motels’ song “Where Do We Go from Here (Nothing Sacred)” was the opening track from their legendary Little Robbers album. It is the first of three songs by Little Robbers to appear on this Top 10 Martha Davis And The Motels Songs list. In just a couple of years, The Motels had become one of the most popular bands in the world. The album even featured a songwriting credit shared by Martha Davis and Elton John’s longtime lyricist, Bernie Taupin.

“Where Do We Go from Here (Nothing Sacred)” was released as a single, but it was a killer opening track that set the tone for one of the best albums of the 1980s.

# 8 – Lucky Stars

In 2018, Martha Davis released a new Motels album, The Last Few Beautiful Days. This was the first album released under The Motels’ name in ten years. The last record Martha Davis released under The Motels’ name was This. Everything she did since then had been under her own name. The unreleased Apocalypso album was reissued in 2011, but the music on that album had been recorded in 1981.

The Last Few Beautiful Days album sounded like it could have been released in 1983. That beautiful voice was just as intense and incredible, the melodies as haunting, and the grooves as addictive. Even the keyboards sounded like they were from the 1980s. We instantly fell in love with this excellent record upon release. “Lucky Stars” was the album’s single release. However, every track is fantastic, and the album’s title track and closing number are almost too emotional to listen to.

# 7 – In The Jungle

The Motels’ song “In The Jungle” was released on the soundtrack to the 1984 motion picture Teachers, which starred actors Nick Nolte, JoBeth Williams, and the Karate Kid, Ralph Macchio. It’s a great, forgotten film, much like this song. It’s too bad because they are both great. It’s why we write these articles. To remind people of all these great songs that have faded away.

# 6 – Danger

Continuing with our Top 10 Motels Songs, we turn to the band’s second album. The song “Danger” was released on the album Careful. The album was released in 1981. It had a great groove, great vocals, and a sound that developed with every new album they released.

# 5 – Take The L

The song “Take The L“ was released on the album All Four One. An unforgettable killer chorus defines it. “Take the L out of Lover, and it’s over” is a brilliant lyric carried along by a heart-wrenching melody. Simply fantastic.

# 4 – Remember The Nights

As we move closer to the number one spot on our Martha Davis And The Motels Songs list, we turn to the great Little Robbers album. There were so many great songs on the Little Robbers album that we could probably fill this entire list with every track from it. However, there were so many other albums and great songs that we had to be picky. However, if you buy just one Motels album, we highly recommend Little Robbers.

The Motels’ song “Remember The Nights” was the album’s seventh track. It was the album’s second single. While not as successful as “Suddenly Last Summer,” it still performed well, breaking into the U.S. Billboard Top 40 and peaking at number 39.

# 3 – Shame

The Motels’ song “Shame” was released on the album Shock. The album was released in 1985. The album served as the follow-up to the band’s most successful album of their career, Little Robbers. The song “Shame” was released as the album’s first single. It did relatively well commercially, peaking at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single’s video was very popular on MTV. Sex and cheating were very popular visuals on MTV in those days.

# 2 – Only The Lonely

Martha Davis And The Motels’ song “Only the Lonely” was their biggest hit, along with “Suddenly Last Summer.” The song “Only The Lonely” was released on the album All Four One. The album was released in 1982. The accompanying video for the song helped fuel the single and album sales. Martha Davis was incredibly mesmerizing in the video. She earned an American Music Award for her performance in the video.

# 1 – Suddenly Last Summer

We close out our Top 10 Martha Davis And The Motels Songs list with the band’s most mesmerizing song. It’s a song about summer romance and the loss of innocence that reminds everyone of their summer romances or at least their summers of the past. Even when the song was brand new, it had that quality. “Suddenly Last Summer“ was the first single from the Little Robbers album in 1983. It reached the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number nine, and also topped the Billboard Top 100 Rock Tracks chart.

The Motels’ “Suddenly Last Summer” is one of the most haunting songs ever released. It touches an emotional chord in people, which is the mark of great music and great art. Martha nailed this one so well.