The Reeves family was a musical family. There was always music and singing in their home, consequently, Martha wanted to become a singer.
Reeves first performace was in church singing the hymn, "Jesus met The Woman At The Well". She won a box of chocolate covered cherries.
As a teen she sang with several local girl groups. She was also trained in opera.
She met Motown executive Mickey Stevenson during one of her solo gigs. He invited her to audition for Motown records. Although she went to Motown as a singer, she became their first A&R secretary. She was "The Secretary that could sing her A--off".
When singer Mary Wells missed a recording session, Martha Reeves filled in and was given a recording contract.
Along with the Vandellas, Martha Reeves vibrant lead vocal can be heard on hits like: "Heat Wave", "Quicksand", "Jimmy Mack", "Nowhere to Run" and "Dancing In the Street".
Martha Reeves became the first Motown artist to get a release from her contract in 1972. She became a solo artist and recorded tracks for MCA, Arista, Fantasy and later her own label, Itch records. "Power of Love", Wild Night" and Love Blind" are her most popular solo efforts. Her solo album "Martha Reeves", released in 1974 is still a cult favorite among many fans.
Although her solo career failed to take off properly, Martha Reeves manged to remain an important entertainer gaining continous spots on national television and performing in concerts all over the world.
Today she is still performs solo or with a line-up of Vandellas that consists of her Sisters, Lois and Delphine Reeves.
S.T.
Nowhere To Run
Martha Reeves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide.
It's not love, I'm a running from,
It's the heartbreak I know will come.
'Cause I know you're no good for me, but you've become a part of me.
Ev'rywhere I go, your face I see, ev'ry step I take, you take with me yeah
Nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide
I know you're not good for me, but free of you I'll never be, no.
Each night as I sleep, into my heart you creep.
I wake up feelin' sorry I met you, hoping soon that I'll forget you.
When I look in the mirror to comb my hair
I see your face just a smiling there.
Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide from you baby,
Got nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide.
I know you're no good for me, but you've become a part of me,
How can I fight a lover, that shouldn't be, when it's so deep,
So deep, deep inside of me
My love reaches so high I can't get over it
It's so wide I can't get around it, no
Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide from you baby
Just can't get away from you baby, no matter how I try to
I know you're no good for me, but free of you I'll never be,
Nowhere to run to baby, nowhere to hide, got nowhere to run to baby.
The song "Nowhere To Run" by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas is about a woman who finds herself trapped in a relationship with someone who is not good for her. She realizes that she cannot run away from her feelings or the heartbreak that she knows will come with being involved with this person. She sees this person's face everywhere she goes and cannot escape the hold they have on her. The lyrics express her internal struggle between her love and her logical reasoning that this person is not good for her.
The repetition of "nowhere to run to" and "nowhere to hide" emphasizes the suffocating feeling of being trapped and unable to escape. The lyrics also reveal the self-torture that comes with being involved with someone who is not good for you. She wakes up feeling sorry for meeting this person and hopes to forget them soon. She sees this person's face everywhere she goes, even in the mirror when she combs her hair. The lyrics ultimately express a sense of hopelessness and helplessness, as she cannot seem to escape the emotional grip this person has on her.
Line by Line Meaning
Nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide
I have no escape from you, and nowhere to hide from your influence.
Got nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide.
I am trapped and cannot escape from our relationship and its consequences.
It's not love, I'm a running from,
I am not running away from love, but rather from the pain and heartbreak that I know will eventually come from being with you.
It's the heartbreak I know will come.
I am aware that being with you will cause me pain and heartbreak, and I am trying to avoid that outcome.
'Cause I know you're no good for me, but you've become a part of me.
I understand that you are not good for me, but I have become emotionally attached to you and cannot easily let you go.
Ev'rywhere I go, your face I see, ev'ry step I take, you take with me yeah
Your image is constantly present in my mind, and I cannot escape the memories of our relationship, no matter where I go or what I do.
I know you're not good for me, but free of you I'll never be, no.
I acknowledge that being with you is unhealthy, but I cannot easily break free from our relationship.
Each night as I sleep, into my heart you creep.
Even when I am asleep, thoughts of you and our relationship invade my thoughts and emotions.
I wake up feelin' sorry I met you, hoping soon that I'll forget you.
I experience regret and a desire to forget you upon waking up, as memories of our relationship are so pervasive and difficult to escape.
When I look in the mirror to comb my hair
Even when I am simply taking care of my appearance, thoughts of you and our relationship intrude.
I see your face just a smiling there.
I am haunted by your image and the memories of our relationship, which are pervasive and difficult to escape.
How can I fight a lover, that shouldn't be, when it's so deep,
It is difficult to end our relationship because of the depth of our emotional attachment, even though I know that it is unhealthy and unwise to continue with someone who is wrong for me.
So deep, deep inside of me
My emotions and attachment to you run very deep and are difficult to overcome.
My love reaches so high I can't get over it
My deep feelings of love and attachment to you are overwhelming and impossible to erase or forget.
It's so wide I can't get around it, no
The scope and depth of our relationship and my attachment to you are all-encompassing and impossible to escape or ignore.
Just can't get away from you baby, no matter how I try to
Despite my best efforts, I cannot escape the pervasive memories and emotions related to our relationship, or the impact that it has had on my life.
Nowhere to run to baby, nowhere to hide, got nowhere to run to baby.
I have no escape from the pain and consequences of our relationship, and the memories and emotions associated with it are constantly present and inescapable.
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RUSSELL JONES, JACK BLADES, RICK RUBIN, EARL SIMMONS, OZZY OSBOURNE, SCOTT KIRKLAND, KENNETH DAVID JORDAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Tarantulisimo
Martha Reeves - Lead vocals
Rosalind Ashford & Betty Kelly - background vocals
The Funk Brothers - All instruments
Benny Benjamin: drums
James Jamerson: bass guitar
Earl Van Dyke: Wurlitzer electric piano
Jack Ashford: percussion, tambourine, vibes
Ivy Jo Hunter: Detroit snow chains
Robert White: guitar
Eddie Willis: guitar
Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Edward Holland, Jr. - songwriters
Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland - producers
@markplane5994
I start Spring Cleaning tomorrow and my stereo is going to get abused with Martha, Aretha, Motown and Northern Soul.( if you are familiar with the Northern Soul Genre) Nothing under 50 years old and I am going to literally shake the house as I clean (unless I blow my speakers, which would be a really bad day) Don't know about my hips being loosened, but I could have very well dislocated them by the end of the day. lol.
If you are not from the UK, have a look at this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_soul
Here is a quick preview.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TEyxwXIRPs&list=PLfMaV_DTTyta-hFFXFtw0OyeNqRUfOx9x&index=3
@ramsnover3599
63 yrs old, Detroit Bred, Every 2 days i heard a new motown song come out when i was young...
@markcf83
I don't doubt it for one minute. Motown were prolific.
@ralphsorrenti1602
At 65 I hear this music and I say to myself GOD I was luckly to be alive, when this music first came out. You wil NEVER EVER hear music like this again.
@salimaalazri9664
don't i wish i lived then cause i believe i was born into the wrong era when the musics actually meant something, unlike the garbage the produce these days :(
@motowngirl5891
Never
@beautyan5309
Truth
@frankmalinaro9700
~~ at 73 ..I hear ya...really blessed we are . The crap they call music today is unlistenable to me.ย
My motto is " Pick a decade and be true to it ".
@Snuffnguts
I'm lucky in this gen cause I can listen to it for free lmfao
@authenticallykyle
This song is so recognizable, makes me think of so many movies I love. Congratulations on Martha's Hollywood star today โค
@lettsifo
It has been almost fifty years since I served in the South Vietnam War. But this song a;ways moves me to tears when I think of buddies lost in that senseless war. It still sadden me to think that they were given a chance to grow up and become men. Three of them were still in their teens when they died.