Leaving Here

Album: Motown Classic Hits, Vol 2. (1963)
Charted: 76
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Before he became one-third of Motown's premier songwriting and production trio Holland-Dozier-Holland, Eddie Holland had several minor hits as a solo artist. However, due to stage fright he preferred working behind the scenes. Holland recorded this song shortly after he teamed up with his brother and Lamont Dozier. He recalled to Mojo magazine February 2009: "My brother Brian and Lamont Dozier handed me the rhythm track, Lamont gave me the title and while I gave it a listen I just thought, I want to get a hit on this myself. So I just said, 'Let me sing.' They were fine with that. What attracted me was the feeling, the emotion of the instrumentation, and the gospel backgrounds.

    The lyrics came to me immediately. When you're in your teens and early twenties, the females the same age around you, they're always complaining about their guys. 'He doesn't understand me! He's not sensitive enough! He ignores me!' And the guys just don't think. I was addressing what could happen if the girls decided to leave. The recording worked like if we recording any other artist. I went into the booth, sang the song, Lamont and Brian were producing. Does it really convey what I want to say? I knew it did but listening to it now, it needed to be slower. They cut it way too fast on me. Maybe they were having a joke! (laughs)."
  • A number of Rock bands have covered this song, including The Who, The Byrds, Motorhead and Pearl Jam. Motorhead's version, which was inspired by the Byrds cover, was their debut single release. It didn't chart at the time, but a live recording was the lead track on their 1980 EP The Golden Years, which reached #8 in the UK.

Comments: 1

  • Stefanie from Rock Hill, ScWhile he may have thought the song was too fast, I think that may work for the urgency of the lyrics. Leving Here is a good song imo.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real Group

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real GroupSong Writing

The leader of the Modern A Cappella movement talks about the genre.

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet SprocketSongwriter Interviews

The "All I Want" singer went through a long depression, playing some shows when he didn't want to be alive.

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul Station

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul StationSongwriter Interviews

Paul Stanley on his soul music project, the Kiss songs with the biggest soul influence, and the non-make-up era of the band.

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up Musicians

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up MusiciansSong Writing

Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.

Daryl Hall

Daryl HallSongwriter Interviews

Daryl Hall's TV show is a hit, and he's been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - only one of these developments excites him.