First incarnation
Formed in 1971 in Berkeley, California, the band (then called The Warfield Foxes) moved to Los Angeles by 1973 seeking a record deal. The band consisted of Martha Davis on vocals and guitar, Dean Chamberlain on lead guitar, Chuck Wada on 2nd lead guitar and others. While in L.A., the band changed its name to "The Motels" and the line-up consisted of Martha Davis, Dean Chamberlain, Chuck Wada, Robert Newman on drums and Richard d'Andrea on bass. Both Martha Davis and Chuck Wada contributed original songs to the repertoire.
The Motels and two other local bands, The Pop and The Dogs, kicked off the local band scene with a hallmark concert at a self-produced show, 'Radio Free Hollywood' held at the venerable old theatre, Troupers Hall. (Prior to this show, few if any unsigned bands played local high profile clubs like the Whisky and The Roxy.) The band guested on Rodney Bingenheimer's popular radio show.
After recording a demo for Warner Brothers, which was turned down, they were offered a contract with Capitol but the band turned that down by disbanding in 1976. Dean Chamberlain was soon heard again in his band Code Blue and signed to Warner Brothers Records. Richard d'Andrea joined The Pits and later enjoyed almost three years with The Know. Robert Newman is a successful art director and designer. Chuck Wada still writes and performs and is a financial advisor.
Second, most successful incarnation
In March 1978, Martha Davis was approached by lead guitarist Jeff Jourard to form a new Motels. Extensive auditions resulted in a new lineup consisting of Jourard's brother Marty Jourad who played both saxophone and keyboards, Michael Goodroe on bass, and Brian Glascock on drums.
Short on funds, they shared rehearsal space with The Go-Go's at L.A.'s notorious punk basement, The Masque. Playing in Chinatown at Madame Wong's restaurant/nightclub so many times they were nearly the house band, they began to draw a faithful crowd around the L.A. music scene. By Mother's Day 1979, The Motels had signed with Capitol Records and released their first album in September of that same year. Their first single, "Closets and Bullets," made no impact on the charts, but their second single, "Total Control," found its way to the Top 20 in France and the Top 10 in Australia.
In 1980 Jeff Jourard was replaced with Martha's boyfriend Tim McGovern as lead guitarist. The band went back into the studio to record their second album, entitled "Careful." Released in June of 1980, the album made it to the #45 spot on the US album charts. In Europe and the UK, the songs "Days Are OK" and "Whose Problem?" were Top 50 hits, and the latter was also a top hit in Australia. "Danger" was a Top 20 hit in France.
The band hired record producer Val Garay for their next album. The album, "Apocalypso." was scheduled to be released in November 1981, but after hearing the final product Capitol Records rejected it. Frustrated, the band attempted to go back and rerecord the entire album. In the process, Davis and McGovern's relationship had gone sour. By December of 1981 McGovern was no longer in the band. The rest of the members forged on and finished recorded the new album with Val Garay producing. Using studio musicians to fill in for the vacant guitar spot, the band was able to finish the album by March of 1982. Having auditioned several guitarists to take McGovern's place, Guy Perry finally was given the job. The album, now titled "All Four One," was released in March of 1982.
Before any singles were released, the song "Mission of Mercy" had made enough airplay to land the #33 on the Billboard Rock Album Cuts chart. Their first single from the album, "Only the Lonely," found its way into the Top 10 in the U.S. by June. Other hits included "Take the L" and "Forever Mine." Their first successful U.S. album coincided with the emergence of MTV, which led to music videos for both "Only the Lonely" and "Take the L." Martha Davis won a "Best Performance in a Music Video" award in 1982 for her performance in the "Only the Lonely" video. By now, the band had added a sixth member, Scott Thurston.
The Motels returned in 1983 with the album "Little Robbers." Garay by now not only was producing their albums, but their videos as well; and, he became the band's manager. The first single from the album, "Suddenly Last Summer," made its way to the Top 10 in the U.S. The album went gold in the U.S., Canada, and several other countries. Despite their success, the band cancelled their tour and fired Garay as manager for personal reasons.
With new management, the band forged on in 1984. They appeared on Saturday Night Live in January. They recorded songs for two movie soundtracks: "Long Day" was recorded for Moscow on the Hudson and "In the Jungle" was recorded for the movie Teachers.
In 1985 the band released their sixth album "Shock." The first single "Shame" became a Top 30 hit on the pop charts and a Top 20 on the dance charts. Two other singles were released, "Shock," and "Icy Red."
On February 13, 1987, Davis decided to dissolve the band and go solo.She reformed a version of the band called Martha Davis & The Motels, in 1998; as of 2006 she continues to appear under that name with various lineups.
Three members of the 1978 version of the band reunited with Davis in 2004 for an appearance on Bands Reunited; rejoining Davis were Michael Goodroe, Marty Jourard, and Brian Glasscock. Also appearing in that group was Adrian Peritori (aka "Guy Perry.") The Motels also appeared on the U.S. version of Hit Me Baby One More Time in 2006, and on the Nick at Nite reality program "Class Reunion" in 2007.
Albums
Motels (1979) #175 US
Careful (1980) #45 US
Apocalypso (1981) never released
All Four One (1982) #16 US
Little Robbers (1983) #22 US
Shock (1985) #36 US
Policy (1987) #127 US
Edit description
Anthologyland (2001)
So the Story Goes (2004)
There are also other The Motels:
2) The Motels are an alternative/indie rock band consisted of four 15-year-old members formed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2006. The Motels have composed five songs, however, only one ("Under Street Lights") has been professionally recorded, and "Knapsack" is still in progress. Their music has influences from bands such as The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead, Bloc Party, The Libertines, The Velvet Underground, Moptop, Legião Urbana, and Franz Ferdinand.
The band, who has debuted their single Under Street Lights in two New York radios, is made up of Pedro Paulo Ferraz (vocals), Lucas Feith (lead guitar), Antonio Pedro Ferraz (bass guitar), Carlos Eduardo (Kauai) Moliterno (rhythm guitar), and Beto Damazio (drums).
Two versions of Under Street Lights and the demo of Knapsack can be previewed in their website, www.myspace.com/themotelsrio.
(3)The Motels were formed by rock/jazz guitarist Cliff Hanley in 1976, based in Glasgow, Scotland. They mixed funk with punk and added reggae to the mix, with even some bebop creeping in. An extended fill-in by Ronnie Teape for Al Kerr on keyboards also added a bit of prog-rock,too. An early incarnation of the band included Danny Thomson on piano and Louie Rose (of Georgie Fame's Blue Flames) on congas. A lead guitarist, Tam Kerrigan, typical of Glasgow's fine tradition in rock, joined the front line for some months. Several bass players joined, notably the Pastorious-influenced Billy Lang, and Gordon Blank, from another Glasgow band, The Khyber Trifles.There was darkness as well as humour in their music, and they influenced other Scottish bands of the 70s. They eventually split up in London (1981) and the members joined other bands or moved on to session work, Hanley and frontman Craig Lockhart forming a production company.
One Album: Lo-Fi (2008) UK - to hear and download tracks by this band, look for 'Lo-Fi' in Albums.
tag: punkfunk, male vocals, new wave
Anticipating
The Motels Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As we become old friends
And your pretty fingers fidget
With a glass that's close at hand
I sat there and watched you
She sat there and watched you
I sat there and watched her
I went for my drink
She went for her cigarettes
You went for your smile
The night rolled on
Now everything cool
Respectful of rule
Just deviant minds
Keeping track of the time
Anticipating
Every move you'll make
Anticipating
Every step you'll take
Anticipating
Every heart you'll break
When we get through with you
Now evening in full swing
She's moving in darling
She goes down so hard
My head spins around
A little bit frightening
This need so inviting
Our hearts pumping hard
In the cool morning light
Now nothin' is cool
We've thrown out the rules
I swallow my pride
As she takes you aside
I sat there and watched you
I sat there and watched you
I sat there and watched you
I sat there and watched you
The Motels’ song Anticipating is a tale of sudden infatuation and the desire to explore someone new. The lyrics describe a scene where the singer and her friend are conversing with someone they’ve just met, watching their every move and anticipating what they may do next. The anticipation in the lyrics speaks of a primal urge to explore someone new that may not last. The lyrics describe the singer and her friend observing the subject of their attention rather closely. The singer describes the person they have just met in great detail, from their pretty fingers fidgeting to the way they smile, highlighting the intense focus the singer has on her subject.
As the night progresses, the lyrics transition from describing the anticipation to the actions of the night. The need for exploration becomes too inviting to resist, and the song takes an unexpected turn as the singer and her friend explore their newfound connection with their object of desire. The song narrates a story of complete surrender to temptation as the singer forgets about the rules and dives into enjoying the moment with their object of curiosity. The lyrics of Anticipating are honest, raw, and evoke memories of youthful spontaneity and recklessness.
Line by Line Meaning
Conversation thickens
The dialogue between us gets deeper
As we become old friends
As our friendship deepens
And your pretty fingers fidget
Your beautiful hands fidget nervously
With a glass that's close at hand
Holding a drink that is within reach
I sat there and watched you
I observed your every move
She sat there and watched you
She watched you closely
I sat there and watched her
I observed her closely
Watch you
Paying attention to your every move
I went for my drink
I grabbed my own glass of alcohol
She went for her cigarettes
She took a cigarette break
You went for your smile
You put on a friendly smile
The night rolled on
The night went on
Now everything cool
Now everything is calm
Respectful of rule
Obeying the basic social norms
Just deviant minds
Our minds are not conventional
Keeping track of the time
Watching the clock
Anticipating
Expecting
Every move you'll make
Watching every action you take
Every step you'll take
Following your every move
Every heart you'll break
Hoping to see you hurt someone's feelings
When we get through with you
Once we're done with you
Now evening in full swing
Now the party has fully started
She's moving in darling
She's making her move, sweetly
She goes down so hard
She falls for you so deeply
My head spins around
I'm confused by the situation
A little bit frightening
A little bit scary
This need so inviting
This urge is so tempting
Our hearts pumping hard
We feel a strong emotional reaction
In the cool morning light
In the fresh daylight of morning
Now nothin' is cool
Now nothing is calm
We've thrown out the rules
We're breaking all the norms
I swallow my pride
I had to give in to my emotions
As she takes you aside
As she pulls you away to talk privately
I sat there and watched you
I watched you the whole time
I sat there and watched you
I was mesmerized by your moves
I sat there and watched you
I observed you carefully
I sat there and watched you
I kept my eyes on you
Contributed by Owen M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.