The label's second most-successful all-female singing group after The Supremes, Martha Reeves and 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 Kelly replacing Annette Beard (now Beard-Sterling). In 1967, Kelly was fired and was replaced by Martha's younger sister, Sandra "Lois" Reeves. In 1969, Ashford was also fired and replaced by Sandra Tilley. It was right about this time that the group's name was officially changed to Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, to conform with the company's recent changes of The Supremes' and The Miracles' names to reflect their featured lead singers. 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.
The story of the group did not end completely with their split-up in 1972, however. While Tilley and Williams (both now deceased) eventually retired, the others continued with their individual career pursuits: Lois sang with the group Quiet Elegance and also sang background for Al Green; Reeves reunited with original Vandellas Ashford and Beard-Sterling for a 1978 benefit concert in Los Angeles; and in 1983, Reeves performed solo at Motown 25, which partly helped her and the Vandellas gain a new audience. In particular, Reeves herself is still known to sing with her sisters Lois and Delphine, often performing as a solo artist under the bill, "Martha Reeves of Martha Reeves and the Vandellas", and still performs all over the world.
Nowhere to Run
Martha and the Vandellas 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 lyrics of Martha and The Vandellas's song Nowhere to Run describe a feeling of entrapment and helplessness when it comes to a toxic relationship. The repetition of "nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide" in the chorus reinforces the idea that the singer feels trapped and unable to escape the situation. The lyrics also suggest that the singer knows that the relationship is not good for them, but they feel unable to break free from it. The line "I know you're no good for me, but you've become a part of me" highlights the difficulty of letting go of someone who has been a significant part of your life. The singer is tormented by the fact that everywhere they go, they are reminded of the person they are trying to escape from.
The final verse of the song adds a new layer to the theme of entrapment. The lyrics suggest that the singer's love for the toxic person is so deep that it feels impossible to fight. The lines "My love reaches so high I can't get over it, it's so wide I can't get around it" highlight the way that the intensity of love can sometimes feel like a trap in its own right. Despite knowing that the relationship is not good for them, the singer feels powerless to break free from their feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide
I feel trapped and exposed with no escape from the pain that I know is coming
Got nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide.
I am defenseless and helpless against the heartbreak that I know is inevitable
It's not love, I'm a running from,
I am not running from love, but from the inevitable heartbreak that comes with being with you
It's the heartbreak I know will come.
I cannot escape the painful end that I know will come from being with you
'Cause I know you're no good for me, but you've become a part of me.
I am aware that you are not good for me, but I cannot help feeling attached to you
Ev'rywhere I go, your face I see, ev'ry step I take, you take with me yeah
Everywhere I go, I cannot escape thoughts of you and how you have become a part of me
I know you're not good for me, but free of you I'll never be, no.
Although I am aware that you are not good for me, I feel like I will never truly be free from you
Each night as I sleep, into my heart you creep.
Even when I am asleep, you still manage to invade my thoughts and feelings
I wake up feelin' sorry I met you, hoping soon that I'll forget you.
In the morning, I wake up with regret for meeting you and I hope that someday I will be able to forget you
When I look in the mirror to comb my hair, I see your face just a smiling there.
Even when I am doing something as simple as combing my hair, I am reminded of you and how you have affected me
I know you're no good for me, but you've become a part of me,
I am aware that you are not good for me, but I cannot help feeling attached to you
How can I fight a lover, that shouldn't be, when it's so deep,
It is difficult for me to fight against my feelings for you, even though I know they are wrong
So deep, deep inside of me
My feelings for you are rooted so deeply inside of me
My love reaches so high I can't get over it
My love for you is so strong that I cannot ignore it or move past it
It's so wide I can't get around it, no
My love for you is all-consuming and I cannot escape it
Just can't get away from you baby, no matter how I try to
No matter how hard I try, I cannot escape or forget about you
Nowhere to run to baby, nowhere to hide, got nowhere to run to baby.
I am lost and vulnerable with no way to protect myself from the pain that I know is coming
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EDWARD JR. HOLLAND, LAMONT DOZIER, BRIAN HOLLAND
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.