"Only the Lonely"
Single by The Motels
from the album All Four One
B-side"Change My Mind"
ReleasedApril 1982
Recorded1981
GenreNew wave, pop rock
Length3:16
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Martha Davis
Producer(s)Val Garay
The Motels singles chronology
"Whose Problem?"
(1980)		 "Only the Lonely"
(1982)		 "Take the L"
(1982)

"Only the Lonely" is a song by American new wave band The Motels. It was released in 1982 as the first single from their third studio album All Four One. Propelled by a popular music video, it debuted at number 90 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on April 24, 1982. It would ultimately climb to number 9 on July 17 of that year where it spent four weeks in that position. On the U.S. Cash Box Top 100, it performed slightly better, peaking at number 8 for two weeks. The song is included in the 2006 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories in the fictional power ballad radio station Emotion 98.3.

Development

The Motels initially recorded darker pieces for their anticipated third studio album. However, with the exception of a reworked "Only the Lonely", the rest of the songs were shelved. The unreleased songs would eventually be featured on the 2011 album Apocalpyso.[1][2]

Lead singer Martha Davis wrote "Only the Lonely" on a guitar that was given to her by her late father—an administrator at the University of California, Berkeley, who found the instrument in Stiles Hall on the campus.[2][3] She explained the song's inspiration in an interview with Beyond Race magazine:[4]

"...It's a song about empty success. It came about while the Motels were experiencing critical acclaim, traveling the world, riding in limos, and yet I was probably as sad as I had ever been. I was in a horrible relationship and had not yet recovered from my parents' death (I doubt one ever does). The contradiction of these two worlds was where 'Only the Lonely' lived... bittersweet."

In a 2019 interview, she contrasted the song's development process with her later hit "Suddenly Last Summer":[5]

"'Those two songs couldn't be more opposite," she said. "With ‘Only the Lonely’ I picked up my guitar and (the tune) was sitting there (as if it wrote itself). I played ‘Only the Lonely’ bada-boom, bada-boom.'"

Music video

The music video for "Only the Lonely" was directed by Australian filmmaker Russell Mulcahy.[3] Martha Davis stars in the vintage-style video as a socialite who is frequenting the bar at a posh hotel. Eventually, a once solitary Davis becomes overwhelmed by the jubilation of an increasingly unstable crowd. The video earned the award "Best Performance in a Music Video" at the American Music Awards.[6]

Track listing

US 7" single
  1. "Only the Lonely" – 3:16
  2. "Change My Mind" – 3:21

Chart performance

References

  1. ↑ "Gary James' Interview With Martha Davis of the Motels". classicbands.com. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Martha Davis Interview 2007". the-motels.info. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  3. 1 2 ""Shame": The David Fincher-directed music video by the Motels, Martha Davis's L.A.-based band". Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Only the Lonely by The Motels – Songfacts". songfacts.com. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  5. ↑ Tuccio-Koonz, Linda (April 2, 2019). "Martha Davis and The Motels play Daryl's House Club in Pawling, New York". Connecticut Post. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Last Few Beautiful Days: Interview with Martha Davis of The Motels – Where Music Meets The Soul". Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  7. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  8. ↑ "The Motels – Only The Lonely". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
  9. ↑ "The Motels Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
  10. ↑ "The Motels Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
  11. ↑ "The Motels Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending July 31, 1982". Cash Box Magazine. July 31, 1982. Archived from the original on September 20, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1982/Top 100 Songs of 1982". Music Outfitters. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles". Cash Box. December 31, 1982. Archived from the original on September 21, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
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