Song: “Nowhere to Run”

Formed by a group of friends in Detroit, the Vandellas sang backup on a number of Marvin Gaye songs. After Alabama-born Martha Reeves joined as the headliner, the group released a string of hits — “(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave,” “Dancing in the Street,” and “Quicksand” — before being supplanted by The Supremes as the top Motown girl group.

Written by hit-makers Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Brian Holland, “Nowhere to Run” is a classic “I love you but you don’t love me” song. It was the group’s highest charting single, reaching #8 on the charts. The percussion includes the use of tire snow chains, which gives it a sparkle beyond what you might get from a tambourine.

• Holland, Dozier, and Holland were writing songs for all of the artists here — Gaye, The Supremes, and Martha and the Vandellas. The Four Tops were another major act they wrote a string of hits for at the time.

In addition to the woes of love, the song was also inspired by a young man Dozier encountered at a party. Just drafted into the Vietnam War, the man felt he had “nowhere to run.” He would die in action months later, after stepping on a landmine. He was 19.

Janet Jackson intended on recording a remake of this on her 1990 Rhythm Nation 1814 album before being persuaded by songwriters Jam and Lewis to record a different song with a similar beat. The result was her American chart-topper “Escapade.”

The song has been featured in films like Baby Driver and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, as well as on TV shows like Suits and WKRP in Cincinnati.

Enjoy!