1. Martha Davis … Read Full Bio ↴There are two female vocalists named Martha Davis.
1. Martha Davis (December 14, 1917 – April 6, 1960) was an African-American singer and pianist whose musical comedy act, "Martha Davis & Spouse", was popular in the late 1940s and 1950s.
Davis was born in Wichita, Kansas, and raised in Chicago, Illinois. By the mid-1930s, she had met and been influenced by Fats Waller, and performed regularly as a singer and pianist in Chicago clubs. In 1939, she met, and later married, bass player Calvin Ponder (October 17, 1917 - December 26, 1970), who went on to play in Earl Hines' band.
In 1948, Davis and Ponder moved to California, and Davis developed her recording career on Jewel Records in Hollywood with a trio including Ponder, Ralph Williams (guitar) and Lee Young (drums). Their cover of Dick Haymes' pop hit "Little White Lies" reached # 11 on the Billboard R&B chart, followed by a duet with Louis Jordan, "Daddy-O", from the movie A Song Is Born, which reached the R&B top ten later that year.
Davis and Ponder also began performing together on stage, developing a musical and comedy routine as "Martha Davis & Spouse" which played on their physical characteristics (she was large, he was smaller). The act became hugely popular, touring and having a residency at the Blue Angel in New York. They appeared together in movies including Smart Politics (with Gene Krupa), and in the mid-1950s, variety films Rhythm & Blues Revue, Rock 'n' Roll Revue and Basin Street Revue. Several of their performances were filmed by Snader Telescriptions for video jukeboxes, and they also broadcast on network TV, particularly Garry Moore's CBS show.
In 1957, after a break of several years, they resumed recording for the ABC Paramount label, with whom they cut two LPs. Davis died from cancer in New York in 1960, aged only 42, and Ponder died ten years later, aged only 53.
2. Martha Davis is best known as the lead singer of The Motels, a new wave pop band that scored hits in the 80s with songs such as "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer."
Davis released her first solo album entitled Policy in November of 1987, and had a hit with "Don't Tell Me the Time" (#8 in Australia), but in the U.S. the song only went as far as #80. Soon afterwards, Davis asked to be released from her contract with Capitol.
After leaving Capitol Records, Davis focused on different music styles, and recorded songs for several movie soundtracks.
In 2005 Davis released her second solo project entitled So the Story Goes. She is still touring and recording as "Martha Davis and the Motels."
The Hardest Part Of A Broken Heart
Martha Davis Lyrics
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It always used to make me smile
Sometimes I would say it
Just to hear the sound
I used to love to see you smile
It always made me feel so good
But now your smile is gone
And the love's all been lost
But the hardest part
Of a broken heart
The hardest part of a broken
Heart the hardest part
Of a broken heart
Is pretending it doesn't hurt
Look away from memories
That stare at me from everywhere
Even when I'm alone
It seems you're there
I'm running from the things
That hurt
I run away from everything
I'm tortured every day
By the things I once loved
But the hardest part
Of a broken heart
The hardest part of a broken
Heart the hardest part
Of a broken heart
Is pretending it doesn't hurt
Pretending it doesn't hurt
When I see you on the street
And you can't look at me
Anymore
Pretending it doesn't hurt
When you try to say hello
And I need to touch you so
You'll never know
But the hardest part
Of a broken heart
The hardest part of a broken
Heart the hardest part
Of a broken heart
The lyrics to Martha Davis' "The Hardest Part of a Broken Heart" tell the story of a person who is experiencing heartbreak and is struggling to come to terms with their feelings. The song highlights the pain of losing someone they love and how difficult it is to pretend that they are not hurting. The opening lines speak to the joy they once had in hearing the name of the person they are missing. They describe how saying the name simply for the pleasure of hearing it was a pastime that brought them joy. But now, the smile that used to accompany that name is gone, and the love that once flowed between them has disappeared. The chorus reinforces the main theme of the song, that the hardest part of heartbreak is masquerading as though the hurt isn't there. Martha Davis illustrates the self-deception that can happen after a breakup, pretending that everything is alright when it's not. Her emotive voice drives home the point, making the listener feel the pain that the singer is experiencing.
The second stanza about "running away" from memories is about the struggle to escape the hurt that the memories bring. Even when the singer is entirely alone, the memories still appear to be staring at them, tormenting them. They come to regret the things they loved as being the ones that cause them actual anguish. Here, the song also emphasizes how heartbreak is all-encompassing and that the hurt persists even in moments of solitude. The third and final stanza describes a chance encounter with the person they are missing. The pain is just as acute when their paths cross. Even when the person tries to say hello, the hurt is overwhelming and feeling the need to touch them is prevalent. Despite the surface-level pretending, the singer is truthful about how crushing their heartbreak is.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to love to hear your name
Hearing your name used to bring me joy and happiness
It always used to make me smile
Just hearing your name would make me light up with joy and happiness
Sometimes I would say it
At times, I would utter your name just to hear the sound of it
Just to hear the sound
The sound of your name made me feel happy and alive
I used to love to see you smile
Seeing you happy and smiling brought so much joy to my heart
It always made me feel so good
Your smile was like a breath of fresh air, it made me feel alive and happy
But now your smile is gone
Without your smile, everything seems empty and bleak
And the love's all been lost
The love that once existed between us has faded away
Look away from memories
I try to avoid looking back at the memories that we shared
That stare at me from everywhere
Everywhere I look, your memories seem to be staring back at me
Even when I'm alone
Even when I'm by myself and there's no one else around
It seems you're there
It feels like you're still with me, haunting me everywhere I go
I'm running from the things
Trying to escape from the things that cause me pain and sorrow
That hurt
The things that remind me of our past and the love we once shared
I run away from everything
I try to avoid everything that reminds me of you and our love
I'm tortured every day
Every day is a painful reminder of the love that was lost
By the things I once loved
Even the things I once loved are a constant reminder of the love we once shared
When I see you on the street
When I see you in public
And you can't look at me
And you can't even bring yourself to look at me anymore
Anymore
You don't want to face the memories of our past love
When you try to say hello
When you try to greet me
And I need to touch you so
I have this strong desire to touch you, to feel your presence once again
You'll never know
You'll never understand the depth of my pain and longing for you
But the hardest part
The most difficult aspect
Of a broken heart
Of a heart that's been shattered by a lost love
Is pretending it doesn't hurt
Trying to hide the pain and sorrow of a lost love, trying to pretend it doesn't hurt
The hardest part of a broken
The most challenging aspect of a love that's been lost
Heart the hardest part
The most difficult part
Of a broken heart
Of a heart that's been shattered by the loss of love
Contributed by Makayla W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.