Days are OK - The Motels

The singles 'Suddenly last summer' and 'Footsteps' are pretty iconic to me, but I am not really familiar with the Motels's other work. I kept coming across picture discs of 'Days are OK' in shops and record fairs however, and I decided to check the song out. It was OK, I felt. 

The single was released in 1980, and so it actually precedes the other two. It features a louder sound from the band, which I guess is logical: most people mellow with age. The picture disc is a beauty, and so I finally decided to get me a copy. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7584
Found: Discogs.com, received 22 February 2025
Tracks: 'Days are OK' / 'Slow town'

Footsteps - The Motels

The single 'Footsteps' was taken from The Motels' 1983 album 'Little robbers', just like previous single 'Suddenly last summer'. While that single was a top 10 hit in various countries, this single did not chart in any territory.

My buying the single was the direct result of hearing it over and over on the radio, until one day I recorded it. Eight years later, I found the single. I have to say I spent a long time searching for it, but it wasn't widely available.

My collection: 7" single no. 1463
Found: Parkpop, Den Haag, June 27, 1991

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Footsteps' / 'Into the heartland'

Suddenly last summer - The Motels

'Suddenly last summer' was a number one hit for the Motels in the US. In the Netherlands, it reached number 11 in the Dutch Top 40 in the winter (!) of 1983/84.

Lead singer Martha Davis has said in various radio interviews that the song was written while reflecting on her life and how you know summer is ending when you hear the ice cream truck go by for the last time and you know he won't be back for a while. She also has stated the song is about losing one's virginity.

My collection: 7" single no. 630

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1988

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Suddenly last summer' / 'Some things never change'

Download: here