Take the L (song)

"Take the L" is a song by American new wave band The Motels, which was released in 1982 as the second single from their third studio album All Four One. The song was written by Marty Jourard, Martha Davis and Carter, and produced by Val Garay. "Take the L" peaked at number 52 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[1]

"Take the L"
Single by The Motels
from the album All Four One
B-side"Mission of Mercy"
Released1982
Recorded1981
Length3:42
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Val Garay
The Motels singles chronology
"Only the Lonely"
(1982)		 "Take the L"
(1982)		 "Forever Mine"
(1982)
Music video
"Take the L" on YouTube

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.[2] 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, Carter. 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.[3] Jourard told the Messenger-Press in 1982, "When I first heard the [line], it was beyond corny, it was almost camp."[4] The Motels recorded "Take the L" in one take on December 7, 1981.[2]

Music video

The song's music video was directed by Russell Mulcahy.[5]

Critical reception

On its release, Cash Box 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."[6] 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 [in the UK] for over a year, so this new beginning may get them noticed if the radio folk give them some breathing space."[7]

Track listing

7–inch single (US and Canada)[8]

  1. "Take the L" – 3:42
  2. "Mission of Mercy" – 3:02

7–inch promotional single (US)[9]

  1. "Take the L" – 3:42
  2. "Take the L" – 3:42

7–inch single (UK, Ireland and the Netherlands)[10][11]

  1. "Take the L (Out of Lover)" – 3:42
  2. "Change My Mind" – 3:21

7–inch single (Germany and South Africa)[12][13]

  1. "Take the L" – 3:42
  2. "Change My Mind" – 3:21

7–inch single (Australasia and Spain)[14][15]

  1. "Take the L" – 3:42
  2. "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)" – 2:28

7–inch single (Japan)[16]

  1. "Take the L" – 3:42
  2. "So L.A" – 3:35

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the All Four One LP inner sleeve notes.[17]

The Motels

Production

Charts
Chart (1982) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[18] 21
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] 44
UK Record Business Bubbling Under Singles 101-150[20] 119
US Billboard Hot 100[1] 52
US Cash Box Top 100 Singles[21] 48

References
  1. "Hot 100 Singles". Billboard. Vol. 94, no. 40. Billboard Publications, Inc. October 9, 1982. p. 64. ISSN 0006-2510.
  2. "Apocalypso/All Four One 1981-1982". jourard.com. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  3. "VH1 Bands Reunited - The Motels". VH1. Archived from the original on November 1, 2004. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  4. Wosahla, Steve (September 16, 1982). "In the Groove". Messenger-Press. p. 6.
  5. "The Motels' Martha Davis talks about releasing their lost album Apocalypso, David Fincher, and love scenes with nerds". The Golden Age of Music Video. August 12, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  6. "Reviews: Singles". Cash Box. Vol. 44, no. 13. August 21, 1982. p. 8. ISSN 0008-7289.
  7. Whiteford, Jim (11 June 1982). "Records". The Kilmarnock Standard. p. 12.
  8. Take the L (US and Canada 7-inch single sleeve). The Motels. Capitol Records. 1982. B-5149.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. Take the L (US 7-inch promotional single sleeve). The Motels. Capitol Records. 1982. P-B-5149.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. Take the L (Out of Lover) (UK and Ireland 7-inch single sleeve). The Motels. Capitol Records. 1982. CL 245.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. Take the L (Out of Lover) (Netherlands 7-inch single sleeve). The Motels. Capitol Records. 1982. 1A 006-86520.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. Take the L (Out of Lover) (Germany 7-inch single sleeve). The Motels. Capitol Records. 1982. 1C 006-86 520.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. Take the L (South Africa 7-inch single sleeve). The Motels. Capitol Records. 1982. JCL 727.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. Take the L (Australasia 7-inch single sleeve). The Motels. Capitol Records. 1982. CP-762.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. Take the L (Spain 7-inch single sleeve). The Motels. Capitol Records. 1982. 10C 006-086-619.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. Take the L (Japan 7-inch single sleeve). The Motels. Capitol Records. 1982. ECS-17276.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. All Four One (US vinyl LP inner sleeve notes). The Motels. Capitol Records. 1982. ST-12177.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 209. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  19. "The Motels – Take The L". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  20. "Bubbling Under Singles 101-150". Record Business. Vol. 5, no. 9. April 17, 1982. p. 7.
  21. Downey, Pat; Albert, George; Hoffman, Frank (1994). Cash Box Pop Singles Charts, 1950-1993. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, Inc. p. 240. ISBN 1563083167. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
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