Songoftheday 3/17/13 - a place for a moment an end to dream, forever I loved you forever it seemed...

The Motels - "Suddenly Last Summer"
from the album Little Robbers (1983)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 13

Today's Song of the Day is by the L.A. new wave group the Motels, who were one of the new success stories of 1982 with their All Four One album which contained their breakthrough top-10 American hit "Only The Lonely".  Although none of the other singles from the set managed to make the top-40, the group had a successful tour as well as an appearance on Saturday Night Live. Right after that, they started preparing their next album, Little Robbers, which came out in the fall of 1983. The first single from the set was just as moody and synth-driven as their previous big hit, and the nostalgic video featured feature head "nerd" Robert Carradine. "Suddenly Last Summer" was written by lead singer Martha Davis and produced by Val Garay, who also helmed the equally moody "Bette Davis Eyes" for Kim Carnes...

"Suddenly" became the band's second (and last so far) top-10 pop hit in the US, matching the peak of their previous hit, while topping the rock chart for the first time for them. It also reaches the top-20 of the dance chart as well, and made the top-40 in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Their Little Robbers album also became their second to reach the top-40 on the sales chart.

Up tomorrow: the Wild Heart succumbs.