Hello
friends! Thanks for checking back with Kyle’s Radio Dial, where we
specialize in bringing you great songs that deserve a second listen!
Today the spotlight falls on a top ten hit from late 1983, recorded
by California based new wave group The Motels. Sit back, and listen
to “Suddenly
Last Summer”.
Comprising of front woman Martha Davis, Guy Perry, Marty Jourard, Michael Goodroe, Brian Glascock, and Scott Thurston, The Motels are best remembered today for their 1982 US #9 hit “Only the Lonely”. However, “Suddenly”, taken from the 1983 LP Little Robbers, equaled the peak position of the earlier hit, yet has been largely forgotten by current terrestrial radio.
From the moment I first heard it as a nine-year old (my age when the song debuted), I detected a bit of an unsettling and despondent vibe… what exactly happened last summer? Why has it affected this woman so much? Why do the descending tones in the bridge of the song give me the chills? (Yes, even at that age, I was interested in figuring out the stories behind popular songs. Don’t judge me.)
For years I assumed “Suddenly” was simply about a bad breakup, though eventually, and after really listening to the lyrics, my interpretation became that the song is about some sort of physical abuse, quite possibly rape. Consider these lines from verse one.
“It happened one summer… It happened one time… It happened forever… For a short time”
The event only happened once and ended quickly, but was devastating enough to seem like it went on forever.
“A place for a moment… an end to a dream… forever I loved you… forever it seemed.”
She truly loved this other person, and was expecting a sweet and emotional interaction (the “moment”), until the event which changed her forever, crushing any future dreams she may have had with this individual.
Though it’s a bit vaguer, the second verse seems to outline her internal conflict in coming to grips with what happened the previous summer. She goes back and forth between wanting to leave, and wanting to stay, and being frightened and feeling alone. The verse ends with her declaring “and wish that I could…”, without further clarification. I assume this means she wishes she could move past this trauma, but the line is rather ambiguous, as I'm sure it was intended.
Now, it was the chorus which really solidified my interpretation of the song…
“One summer never ends... one summer never begins. It keeps me standing still, it takes all of my will, and then suddenly... last summer”.
The summer that “never ends” is the one in which the event occurred, the memory of which she revisits in her mind constantly. The summer that never begins, is the summer that should've been – fun, carefree, relaxing, filled with great memories. The aftermath of emotions is crippling her, and then SUDDENLY, she remembers the event all over again. Pretty deep and heavy stuff for a new wave pop song.
It was only recently that I read a quote from Martha Davis in which she explains that “Suddenly…” was not speaking to a specific relationship or event, but the feeling of melancholy and loss of innocence as one reaches adulthood. She goes on to say that the song was inspired by the final visit of the ice cream truck, as the seasons change from summer to fall. The repeating melody throughout the song was an attempt to mimic the song of the ice cream truck.
I am not one to question her, she wrote the song after all, however, I got something different out of “Suddenly”, and I feel that what makes any work of art great. Different listeners, (or readers, or viewers), can take away from the same work of art many different feelings and interpretations that even the creator may not have intended. Bravo, Martha, “Suddenly” is truly a great song for that very reason.
Nowadays, I hear “Only the Lonely” on the radio several times a year, but it's been forever since I've heard “Suddenly...” probably at least 10 years or more, despite it’s equal chart popularity, and being, arguably, the better song.
So give “Suddenly” a spin, and create your own interpretation of this classic track. Leave me a comment if you’d like to compare notes.
“One summer never ends... one summer never begins. It keeps me standing still, it takes all of my will, and then suddenly... last summer”.
Comprising of front woman Martha Davis, Guy Perry, Marty Jourard, Michael Goodroe, Brian Glascock, and Scott Thurston, The Motels are best remembered today for their 1982 US #9 hit “Only the Lonely”. However, “Suddenly”, taken from the 1983 LP Little Robbers, equaled the peak position of the earlier hit, yet has been largely forgotten by current terrestrial radio.
From the moment I first heard it as a nine-year old (my age when the song debuted), I detected a bit of an unsettling and despondent vibe… what exactly happened last summer? Why has it affected this woman so much? Why do the descending tones in the bridge of the song give me the chills? (Yes, even at that age, I was interested in figuring out the stories behind popular songs. Don’t judge me.)
For years I assumed “Suddenly” was simply about a bad breakup, though eventually, and after really listening to the lyrics, my interpretation became that the song is about some sort of physical abuse, quite possibly rape. Consider these lines from verse one.
“It happened one summer… It happened one time… It happened forever… For a short time”
The event only happened once and ended quickly, but was devastating enough to seem like it went on forever.
“A place for a moment… an end to a dream… forever I loved you… forever it seemed.”
She truly loved this other person, and was expecting a sweet and emotional interaction (the “moment”), until the event which changed her forever, crushing any future dreams she may have had with this individual.
Though it’s a bit vaguer, the second verse seems to outline her internal conflict in coming to grips with what happened the previous summer. She goes back and forth between wanting to leave, and wanting to stay, and being frightened and feeling alone. The verse ends with her declaring “and wish that I could…”, without further clarification. I assume this means she wishes she could move past this trauma, but the line is rather ambiguous, as I'm sure it was intended.
Now, it was the chorus which really solidified my interpretation of the song…
“One summer never ends... one summer never begins. It keeps me standing still, it takes all of my will, and then suddenly... last summer”.
The summer that “never ends” is the one in which the event occurred, the memory of which she revisits in her mind constantly. The summer that never begins, is the summer that should've been – fun, carefree, relaxing, filled with great memories. The aftermath of emotions is crippling her, and then SUDDENLY, she remembers the event all over again. Pretty deep and heavy stuff for a new wave pop song.
It was only recently that I read a quote from Martha Davis in which she explains that “Suddenly…” was not speaking to a specific relationship or event, but the feeling of melancholy and loss of innocence as one reaches adulthood. She goes on to say that the song was inspired by the final visit of the ice cream truck, as the seasons change from summer to fall. The repeating melody throughout the song was an attempt to mimic the song of the ice cream truck.
I am not one to question her, she wrote the song after all, however, I got something different out of “Suddenly”, and I feel that what makes any work of art great. Different listeners, (or readers, or viewers), can take away from the same work of art many different feelings and interpretations that even the creator may not have intended. Bravo, Martha, “Suddenly” is truly a great song for that very reason.
Nowadays, I hear “Only the Lonely” on the radio several times a year, but it's been forever since I've heard “Suddenly...” probably at least 10 years or more, despite it’s equal chart popularity, and being, arguably, the better song.
So give “Suddenly” a spin, and create your own interpretation of this classic track. Leave me a comment if you’d like to compare notes.
“One summer never ends... one summer never begins. It keeps me standing still, it takes all of my will, and then suddenly... last summer”.
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