"Take the L" is a song by American new wave band

The Motels 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. 9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, in 1982 and 1983, respectively. ...

, which was released in 1982 as the second single from their third studio album ''

All Four One ''All Four One'' is the third studio album by new wave band the Motels, released in 1982. It features the Top 10 hit " Only the Lonely", and the follow-up hit " Take the L". Both songs were assisted by popular MTV music videos. The album was r ...

''. The song was written by Marty Jourard, Martha Davis and

Carter Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to: Geography United States * Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Carter, Montana, a census-designated place * Carter ...

, and produced by

Val Garay Val Garay (born May 9, 1942) is an American recording engineer and record producer who has worked with Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Kim Carnes, The Motels, Neil Diamond and others. Garay also co-founded Los Angeles recording studio Record One ...

. "Take the L" peaked at number 52 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

Background

"Take the L" originated with the band's keyboardist and saxophone player Marty Jourard, who had been working on the song for a while. He had a simple progression, but felt "it didn't sound right" until Martha Davis suggested he swap the order of the two chords around. The song's title and repeated line of the chorus ("Take the L out of lover and it's over") came from the producer of the band's first two albums,

. During a conversation with the producer, Jourard revealed he was in the process of breaking up with his girlfriend, to which Carter responded with the line. Jourard told the ''Messenger-Press'' in 1982, "When I first heard the ine it was beyond corny, it was almost camp." The Motels recorded "Take the L" in one take on December 7, 1981.

Music video

The song's music video was directed by

Russell Mulcahy Russell Mulcahy ( ; born 23 June 1953) is an Australian director of film, television, and music videos. He began his career directing music videos for artists like Elton John and Duran Duran, before making his feature directorial debut with the ...

Critical reception

On its release, ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' commented, "Here, the songstress' mournful wailings are accompanied by a marching rhythm on the oft-repeated hook. It's undeniably catchy if not exactly upbeat." Jim Whiteford of the Scottish newspaper '' The Kilmarnock Standard'' described the song as a "mid-tempo rocker" with a "very reasonable American production". He added, "The band haven't issued anything

n the UK N, or n, is the fourteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

for over a year, so this new beginning may get them noticed if the radio folk give them some breathing space."

Track listing

7–inch single (US and Canada) #"Take the L" – 3:42 #"Mission of Mercy" – 3:02 7–inch promotional single (US) #"Take the L" – 3:42 #"Take the L" – 3:42 7–inch single (UK, Ireland and the Netherlands) #"Take the L (Out of Lover)" – 3:42 #"Change My Mind" – 3:21 7–inch single (Germany and South Africa) #"Take the L" – 3:42 #"Change My Mind" – 3:21 7–inch single (Australasia and Spain) #"Take the L" – 3:42 #"

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss) "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King for girl group the Crystals under the guidance of Phil Spector in 1962. Goffin and King wrote the song after discovering that their babysitter and singer "L ...

" – 2:28 7–inch single (Japan) #"Take the L" – 3:42 #"So L.A" – 3:35

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the ''All Four One'' LP inner sleeve notes. The Motels * Martha Davis – vocals * Marty Jourard – keyboards * Michael Goodroe – bass *

Brian Glascock Brian Glascock (born 17 July 1948, Islington, North London) is an English rock drummer for The Gods, Toe Fat, Carmen, Captain Beyond, Soy Cowboy, and primarily for The Motels. He also played on albums by Dolly Parton, Iggy Pop, and Joan Armatra ...

– drums * Guy Perry – guitar Production *

– producer

Charts

References

{{authority control 1982 songs 1982 singles The Motels songs Capitol Records singles Songs written by Martha Davis (musician)