The label's second most-successful all-female singing group after The Supremes, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas were known for a churchier, more southern-styled soul than the Supremes, as typified in Motown hits such as "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave", "Jimmy Mack", "I'm Ready For Love", "My Baby Loves Me", "Nowhere to Run", and, their signature song, "Dancing in the Street".
The group had its origins in Detroit, Michigan in 1957, and had initially gone by the name The Del-Phis. It originally was a quartet comprising childhood friends Martha Reeves, Rosalind Ashford, Annette Beard, and original lead singer Gloria Williams. Williams left after a failed single on the Checkmate label, leaving the quartet as a trio. They changed their name to The Vells signing a deal with Motown's Mel-o-dy label, and singing background for established Motown performers such as Mary Wells and Marvin Gaye before signing a new deal with Motown's Gordy label on September 21, 1962, after which the group changed its name to Martha and the Vandellas.
In 1964, the Vandellas' lineup changed with Betty Kelley replacing Sterling. In 1967, Kelley was fired and was replaced by Martha's younger sister, Sandra "Lois" Reeves. In 1969, Ashford was also fired and replaced by Sandra Tilley. The lineup of the Reeves sisters and Tilley continued after Martha's return from an institution after suffering a nervous breakdown. The group disbanded following a farewell concert, held at Detroit's Cobo Hall on December 21, 1972., however, Reeves still performs with sister Lois and another Reeves sister, Delphine.
In My Lonely Room
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You always flirt around with someone new
But I never criticize the tearful things you do
'Cause I'm so afraid of losing you
But in my lonely room, tears I don't have to hide
'Cause I just lock my door and let myself go
And lay right down and cry
Every place we go, people are whispering
About your flirting ways, & it hurts me so to hear
But in the public's eye I just push behind all my hurt inside
And pretend i don't mind
But in my lonely room, tears I don't have to hide
In my lonely lonely lonely lonely room
I push my pride aside and lay right down & cry
In my lonely room, in my lonely room
Let myself go, lay right down and cry
The lyrics of Martha Reeves & The Vandellas's song "In My Lonely Room" reveal a heart-wrenching tale of insecurity and internal suffering. The singer is clearly in love with someone who is unfaithful and flirts with other people, even right in front of them. Despite the obvious hurt this causes, the singer never criticizes them, instead opting to keep their feelings to themselves in fear of losing them. The singer tries to push their hurt aside and pretend everything is okay in the public eye, but in their lonely room, they have a safe space to let their emotions flow freely.
This song speaks to the universal experience of feeling insecure in a relationship and wanting to hold on to someone despite the pain they cause. The singer's decision to keep silent about their feelings may seem self-destructive, but it is a relatable experience for many people who have been in similar situations. The line "Tears I don't have to hide, 'cause I just lock my door and let myself go" perfectly captures the feeling of finally having a private space to let out all the emotions that have been bottled up for so long.
Line by Line Meaning
Every single time you take me out with you
Whenever you take me out with you
You always flirt around with someone new
You always flirt with someone else
But I never criticize the tearful things you do
I never criticize your behavior that makes me feel sad
'Cause I'm so afraid of losing you
Because I'm scared of losing you
But in my lonely room, tears I don't have to hide
When I'm alone in my room, I don't have to hide my tears
'Cause I just lock my door and let myself go
I lock the door and allow myself to be emotional
And lay right down and cry
I lay down and cry
Every place we go, people are whispering
Wherever we go, people are whispering about us
About your flirting ways, & it hurts me so to hear
They talk about how you flirt, and it hurts me to hear them
But in the public's eye I just push behind all my hurt inside
In public, I hide my pain and keep it to myself
And pretend i don't mind
I pretend that it doesn't bother me
In my lonely room, tears I don't have to hide
But when I'm alone in my room, I don't have to hide my tears
In my lonely lonely lonely lonely room
In my very lonely room
I push my pride aside and lay right down & cry
I set aside my pride and cry alone
In my lonely room, in my lonely room
In my room, where I'm alone and lonely
Let myself go, lay right down and cry
I allow myself to be emotional and cry
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JR., BRIAN HOLLAND, EDWARD HOLLAND, EDWARD, JR. HOLLAND, LAMONT DOZIER, LAMONT HERBERT DOZIER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Fred
One of my favorite Martha and the Vandellas records. If Billboard had a R&B chart, am sure this would have reached top ten on that chart. Why did Billboard stop publishing this chart in 1964?
bradly2007
They were idiots, many great Motown tracks sadly slipped through the cracks are lasting classics will never happen again
TheLeonhamm
Because in late 1963 the Popular Sales Hit Parade charts (radio plays, 45 RPM sales, etc) and the Rhythm & Blues sales were almost identical (Sugar Shack at No. 1 etc). It was probably easier just to let the Hot 100 Pop Chart show the level of sales; by early 1965, though the Pop Hit sales remained similar, a sufficiently large enough turn-over difference had re-emerged (at least in the customarily R & B/ Soul outlets and the Radio Stations dedicated to that style).
https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/60s/1965/Billboard%201965-01-30.pdf
Only a few White US artists appeared on the return list in Jan '65, compared to 12 in the Nov '63 list, and none of the then-dominant British artists featured.
James Monroe
I’ve never heard this Motown cut until now-when it starts it sounds like Lawrence Welk’s band-not The Funk Brothers-I first thought this ain’t no Hitsville USA record?! But when the drums and saxes come in followed by Martha and company-you KNOW that you’re safely in Berry Gordy’s hands! The bubble machine start is forgiven-it’s a real jam! A rare surprise from Motown!!!
Allen Nelson
Great song. Never heard it before.