Song · The Motels
“Suddenly Last Summer” by The Motels
From the album Little Robbers (1983)
“Suddenly Last Summer” by The Motels appears on 3 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 2003 and 2026. It was first released in 1983 on the album Little Robbers. Its best result is #153 on the WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #4,983 alternative song of all time.
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"Suddenly Last Summer" led the way for Little Robbers, the fourth album from American new wave band the Motels, in 1983, and it's Martha Davis's song through and through: she wrote it alone and sings it, with Val Garay producing and recording and Doug Sax on the mix. Capitol put it out with "Some Things Never Change" on the flip.
It's a song about endings. Davis has tied it to the loss of innocence and of virginity, and to that moment when the ice cream truck makes its final pass of the season and you know it's gone for a good while. Underneath is a loss that comes round like the seasons, and the fresh starts that follow it. It reached number nine on the Hot 100, and on Billboard's rock tracks chart it went all the way to the top.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 778 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2021 | 799 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
| 2026 | 153 | WFPK | WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s | 498 |
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