Nowhere to Run (song)

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This article is about the Martha and the Vandellas song. For other songs with the same title, see Nowhere to Run (disambiguation).
"Nowhere to Run"
Nowhere to Run by Martha and the Vandellas US 1965 vinyl.jpg
A-side label of one of U.S. vinyl releases
Single by Martha and the Vandellas
from the album Dance Party
B-side"Motoring"
ReleasedFebruary 10, 1965
RecordedHitsville U.S.A. (Studio A); October 21, 1964
GenrePop, soul
Length2:55
LabelGordy
G 7039
Songwriter(s)Holland–Dozier–Holland
Producer(s)Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland
Martha and the Vandellas singles chronology
"Wild One"
(1964) 		"Nowhere to Run"
(1965) 		"You've Been in Love Too Long"
(1965)

"Nowhere to Run" is a 1965 pop single by Martha and the Vandellas for the Gordy (Motown) label and is one of the group's signature songs. The song, written and produced by Motown's main production team of Holland–Dozier–Holland, depicts the story of a woman trapped in a bad relationship with a man she cannot help but love.

History[]

Holland-Dozier-Holland and the Funk Brothers band gave the song a large, hard-driving instrumentation sound similar to the sound of prior "Dancing in the Street" with snow chains used as percussion alongside the tambourine and drums.

Billboard described the song as a "good dance beat piece of material which features a gospel piano and a wailin' vocal."[1]

Included on their 1965 third album, Dance Party, "Nowhere to Run" hit number eight on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, and number five on the Billboard R&B Singles chart.[2] It also charted in the UK peaking at number twenty-six on the chart. The single release was backed with "Motoring".

This version was ranked #358 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[3]

This song is featured in Bringing Out the Dead,[4] Baby Driver and the video game Spec Ops: The Line

Covers[]

  • In July 1988, following the success of the film Good Morning Vietnam, the song was re-released in the UK by A&M Records, with James Brown's "I Got You (I Feel Good)" on the flip side. The single spent three weeks on the UK chart reaching its highest position of number 52 by 24 July 1988.[5]
  • On her 1971 covers album Gonna Take a Miracle, singer-songwriter Laura Nyro performed a version with backing vocals by the group Labelle.

Personnel[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[7] Silver 200,000double-dagger

double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[]

  1. ^ "Singles Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. February 20, 1965. p. 24. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 378.
  3. ^ "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". RollingStone.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  4. ^ "Bringing Out the Dead (1999) - Soundtracks". IMDb.com. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  5. ^ Guinness Book of British Hit Singles, 12th Edition, 1999
  6. ^ Liner notes. The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 5: 1965, Hip-O Select – B0006755-02, August 4, 2006
  7. ^ "British single certifications – Martha Reeves & the Vandellas – Nowhere to Run". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
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