Expert: Bong Santos - 7/14/2006

Question
There is a song from the 80's that I really love.  Every now and then a radio station here plays it but they have no DJ's on this station.  So, I never get name and artist.  I'm going to give you some of what I remember of it and see if you can figure it out.

"Warm or One (not sure what she is saying here) Summer Ends, Warm (or one) Summer never begins.  "And then suddenly that Summer"....  

That is about all I can come up with.  It sounds like Pat Benatar but I don't think it is her.

Kelly

Answer
Dear Kelly,

I think I got your song. I love this song. Great Clues!
The title is SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER by THE MOTELS. THE MOTELS were formed back in 1972 by charismatic singer MARTHA DAVIS in Berkeley, California. The band went through a lot of line-up changes until 1979 when the so-called classic line-up was formed with her brother sax/keyboard player MARTY DAVIS, bassist MICHAEL GOODROE, guitarist GUY PERRY and drummer BRIAN GLASCOCK. They recorded under Capitol Records. SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER is from their fourth album titled LITTLE ROBBERS released in 1983. The song went as high as #9 on the Hot 100 Charts on November 19, 1983. It also generated the hit REMEMBER THE NIGHTS (#36, January 28, 1984). Together with ONLY THE LONELY (which also hit #9, July 7, 1982) from 1982's ALL FOUR ONE set, SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER were their biggest hits. MARTHA DAVIS went solo in 1987 but has since reunited with the band this time renamed THE MOTELS FEATURING MARTHA DAVIS.

Here is its lyrics:

SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER / THE MOTELS

It happened one summer, it happened one time
It happened forever, for a short time
A place for a moment, an end to dream
Forever I loved you, forever it seemed

CHORUS:

One summer never ends, one summer never began
It keeps me standing still, it takes all my will
And then suddenly last summer
Sometimes I never leave, but sometimes I would
Sometimes I stay too long, sometimes I would
Sometimes it frightens me, sometimes it would
Sometimes I'm all alone and wish that I could

CHORUS

And then suddenly last summer

CHORUS

And then suddenly last summer

Until suddenly last summer
And then suddenly last summer
Until suddenly last summer...

FADE

Maraming salamat po!

BONG M. SANTOS
Manila, Philippines