They have described themselves as queer, straight edge, vegan and anarchist. They have no designated frontperson and all contribute vocals. Two members of Martha previously founded (and still play in) the band ONSIND, and another leads the band No Ditching.
They have variously cited The Housemartins, Motown, Billy Bragg, The Thermals, Ted Leo, power pop, The Replacements, Heart, The Marked Men, Big Star, Masshysteri, and The Exploding Hearts as influences.
Martha formed in the village of Pity Me, a suburb of Durham in the North East of England. Formed by J.C. Cairns (guitar/vocals), Daniel Ellis (guitar/vocals), Naomi Griffin (bass/vocals), and Nathan Stephens-Griffin (drums/vocals) in the early 2010s, they released their self-titled debut EP in February 2012.
A year later they released the "Sycamore"/"Lost Without You" single on their own Discount Horse label. The band played Indietracks festival for the first time in 2013. After releasing a split single with American artist Spoonboy (David Combs of The Max Levine Ensemble) Martha headed to the studio with MJ of Hookworms to record their first album.
Courting Strong was released by Fortuna Pop! in the U.K. and Salinas Records in the U.S. They followed it with more split singles with American bands Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez and Radiator Hospital, a repeat visit to Indietracks and an appearance at Glastonbury Festival.
Their next album Blisters in the Pit of My Heart, also produced by MJ, was issued in mid-2016 by Dirtnap Records in the U.S. and Fortuna Pop! once again in the U.K.
They toured the UK with Radiator Hospital in late 2015, and played a tour of the UK and Ireland with Joyce Manor in July 2017.
In mid to late April and early May 2018 they, along with Bad Moves of Washington, D.C., supported Jeff Rosenstock for the Northeastern and Midwestern leg of his US tour.
On 17 April 2018 Martha, filling in last minute for Yo La Tengo, were the guest band on an episode of The Chris Gethard Show on truTV.
On 13 December 2018 the band released single "Heart Is Healing"; announcing they had signed to Big Scary Monsters in the UK and EU and had a new album following soon. On 28 January 2019 the band unveiled title track "Love Keeps Kicking" as a single. The video for which was the second directed for the band by friends Ben Epstein and David Combs of The Max Levine Ensemble. The band's third album, Love Keeps Kicking, was released on 5 April 2019.
Dancing in the Street
Martha Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are you ready for a brand new beat?
Summer's here and the time is right
For dancing in the street
They're dancing in Chicago (dancing in the street)
Down in New Orleans (dancing in the street)
In New York City (dancing in the street)
There'll be music everywhere (everywhere)
There'll be swinging, swaying
And records playing
Dancing in the street, oh
It doesn't matter what you wear
Just as long as you are there
So come on, every guy, grab a girl
Everywhere around the world
They'll be dancing (dancing in the street)
They're dancing in the street (dancing in the street)
This is an invitation across the nation
A chance for folks to meet
There'll be laughing, singing, and music swinging
Dancing in the street
Philadelphia, PA (dancing in the street)
Baltimore and D.C., now (dancing in the street)
Can't forget the Motor City (dancing in the street)
All we need is music, sweet music (sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet music)
There'll be music everywhere (everywhere)
There'll be swinging, swaying (swaying)
And records playing (playing)
Dancing in the street, oh
It doesn't matter what you wear
Just as long as you are there
So come on, every guy, grab a girl
Everywhere around the world
They're dancing
They're dancing in the street (dancing in the street)
Way down in L.A. (dancing in the street)
Every day, they're dancing in the street (dancing in the street)
Let's form a big, strong line (dancing in the street)
Get in time, we're dancing in the street (dancing in the street)
Across the ocean blue (dancing in the street)
Me and you, we're dancing in the street
The legendary song "Dancing in the Street" by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas was a revolutionary track that expressed joy and unity that comes with music and dancing. The lyrics describe the excitement and energy that music brings to cities worldwide, from Chicago, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, D.C., and down to L.A. The song portrays an invitation from Martha Reeves and the Vandellas to people around the world, asking them to join them in dancing in the street, regardless of what they wear. It emphasizes the power of music to bring everyone together and create a sense of community that transcends geography and race.
The song was written by Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter, and produced by Stevenson. Released in 1964, "Dancing in the Street" peaked to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 list, and number one on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. The song became a huge hit in the US, UK, and other parts of the world, and over the years, it has become a cultural classic. It has been widely covered by various artists and frequently used in movies, TV shows, and commercials.
Line by Line Meaning
Calling out around the world
Announcing to the entire world
Are you ready for a brand new beat?
Are you prepared for an exciting, fresh rhythm?
Summer's here and the time is right
Summer season has arrived, and it's an ideal time
For dancing in the street
For dancing with others outside, without a care in the world
They're dancing in Chicago (dancing in the street)
People in Chicago are dancing in public
Down in New Orleans (dancing in the street)
People in New Orleans are dancing in public
In New York City (dancing in the street)
People in New York City are dancing in public
All we need is music, sweet music (sweet, sweet, sweet music)
Good music is sufficient to make us joyful
There'll be music everywhere (everywhere)
Music will be present in many places
There'll be swinging, swaying
Everyone will sway in rhythm and groove with the music
And records playing
Recorded music will also be playing
Dancing in the street, oh
Dancing freely in public
It doesn't matter what you wear
Clothes are not important
Just as long as you are there
What really matters is your presence
So come on, every guy, grab a girl
Men, go and get a woman to dance with
Everywhere around the world
Every corner of the world
They'll be dancing (dancing in the street)
People will be dancing
This is an invitation across the nation
Everyone is invited to join in
A chance for folks to meet
A chance for people to connect
There'll be laughing, singing, and music swinging
People will be happy, singing and dancing with the rhythm
Philadelphia, PA (dancing in the street)
In Philadelphia, people are dancing in public
Baltimore and D.C., now (dancing in the street)
In Baltimore and Washington DC, people are dancing in public
Can't forget the Motor City (dancing in the street)
We can't forget to mention Detroit where people are also dancing in public
Way down in L.A. (dancing in the street)
In Los Angeles, people are dancing in public
Every day, they're dancing in the street (dancing in the street)
Every day, people are dancing in public
Let's form a big, strong line (dancing in the street)
Let's all come together to form a strong, united group and dance in public
Get in time, we're dancing in the street (dancing in the street)
Let's get in sync with each other and dance in public
Across the ocean blue (dancing in the street)
Even across the vast ocean blue, people are dancing in public
Me and you, we're dancing in the street
Both of us are dancing happily in public
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Marvin Gaye, William Stevenson, Ivy Hunter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ThatsJustMyBabyDaddy
They were literally singing for our civil rights. ❤️
@debcrockett366
I think they were singing about freedom in America & fun in the Summertime..NO POLITICS!
@danf321
There is someone to politically charge every subject.
@lexluger3490
Lol, it's literally what they were singing about. The song was a euphemism for civil rights rallies happening at the time. 😅 Almost 60 years later and most people are still clueless. America treated black Americans like shit for a very long time, face it, it did happened. Want to fix it? Then fix it. It's not political, it's factual.
@cressapellom4205
@@debcrockett366uh no. It was about civil rights. A simple Google search will tell you that.
@ericafair9983
Now, we can literally let that go because whispers we's free now. 😮
@DudemeisterNL
I absolute love that the timeline I live in has given us Motown!
@hansg6336
It's hard to exaggerate how much influence the Motown sound has had on American pop music. Great stuff to listen to a thousand years from now.
@nickwride2023
The Motown Sound will live for a long time.
@cleaningtim
I could not agree more!