The Motels are an American new wave band from Berkeley, California, that is best known for the singles "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer", each of which peaked at No.

[3] Hoping for better exposure and seeking a recording contract, the Warfield Foxes moved to Los Angeles in 1975.

The Motels and two other local bands, The Pop and The Dogs, participated in a self-produced show titled Radio Free Hollywood at Troupers Hall,[6] a performance space at a home for retired actors.

[7] Before this show, few if any unsigned bands played local high-profile clubs like the Whisky a Go Go and The Roxy Theatre.

At this point, The Motels rejected the Capitol offer and disbanded, citing musical differences among the band members.

[5] One song from their Warner Bros. demo, "Counting", was included on the Rhino Records compilation Saturday Night Pogo, released in 1978.

[8] In March 1978, Davis and lead guitarist Jeff Jourard (formerly of a pre-fame version of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) decided to reform The Motels.

[5] Extensive auditions resulted in a new line-up of the band, consisting of Jourard's brother Marty, who played both the saxophone and keyboards, Michael Goodroe on bass, and Brian Glascock on drums.

Craig Krampf, according to Garay, played all the drums on the record; Waddy Wachtel was featured on guitar, while bass duties were split among two studio players.

Adrian Peritore (also known as Guy Perry) was hired in late January 1982 and played lead guitar on some of the tracks, including "He Hit Me".

For albums, The Motels line-up was Davis and a revolving cast of musicians; for concerts there was a definitive band that included Thurston on additional keyboards and guitars.

[17] In August 1983, at the insistence of Garay, David Platshon was added on drums with Glascock reluctantly moving over to percussion.

[19] The first leg of the Little Robbers tour, which included an appearance on Saturday Night Live, started in January 1984 but ended abruptly in February with the firing of Garay as manager for personal reasons.

In late 1984, Capitol Records brought in producer Richie Zito in an attempt to maintain the band's commercialism.

In 1997, Martha Davis began appearing live with a band composed of Erik Lemaire (guitar), Adrian Burke (bass), Jason Loree (drums), and David Van Pattoen (keyboards/guitar).

In 2001 the band changed to a compact, four piece ensemble with Davis and Taras being accompanied by Fritz Lewak (drums) and David Sutton (bass).

The Motels featuring Martha Davis also appeared on the U.S. version of Hit Me, Baby, One More Time and toured the U.S. and Australia in 2007.

The album contains acoustic versions of past hits, B-sides and Davis solo material, including new recordings of "Take The L", "Only the Lonely", and "Suddenly Last Summer".

[35] At the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010, Davis made available two direct to download releases, one of which, "Mr. Grey", was a single from her forthcoming album, then provisionally known as the Jazz CD.

[37] As of late summer 2011, Davis put her jazz album (rechristened as "I Have My Standards") on hold, but she still plans to release it down the line.

[39][40] The Motels began 2013 performances on January 25 at the NAMM convention in their "Living Legends" special concert series on the Main Stage.

[42] During the 2013 tour, the band was listed in flyers and websites as "Martha Davis and the Motels", with a lineup consisting of Nicholas Johns (bass), Eric Gardner (drums), Clint Walsh (guitar) and Marty Jourard (sax/keyboards).

[43] Subsequently, original Motels sax and keyboard player Marty Jourard rejoined the band for many 2014 dates, including a sellout show at the Whisky a Go Go, which was celebrating its 50th anniversary.

[44] The Whisky a Go Go concert was recorded with Emmy Award–winning cinematographer Roy H. Wagner and with direction by choreographer Denise Faye, known for her work on Chicago and Burlesque.

[48] The years 2015 and 2016 saw many more concerts, which included a "Lost 80s Live" tour with bands such as Flock of Seagulls, Berlin, Tommy Tutone, and Wang Chung.

[50][51] In January 2023, a US show was announced: the band will play at the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena, California on May 20, 2023.