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Suzanne Vega

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Suzanne Vega is an American singer-songwriter, born in 1959 in Santa Monica and raised in New York. She studied English literature at Barnard College and performed in small venues in Greenwich Village, in the circle around the Fast Folk songwriters. In 1984 she got a contract with a major label, as one of the first Fast Folk artists. Her debut album Suzanne Vega came out in 1985 on A&M with, among others, Marlene on the Wall. She also wrote the lyrics and sang on two songs of Songs from Liquid Days by Philip Glass.

Music and breakthrough

The breakthrough came with Solitude Standing (1987) and the single Luka, which is about an abused child. Years later Vega said that the song also referred to her own experiences. In 1989 she was the first woman to headline Glastonbury. The a cappella song Tom's Diner from that same album was remixed into a dance track in 1990 by the British production duo DNA and became her biggest hit. Later albums are Days of Open Hand (1990), 99.9 F° (1992) and Nine Objects of Desire (1996). In 2025 Flying with Angels came out.

Influence

The music is folk-oriented and sounds light and precise, with acoustic guitar and a cool, almost spoken style of singing. Her recording of Tom's Diner was used as a test in the development of the MP3 format, which earned her the nickname Mother of the MP3.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Tom's Diner and notice how her voice sounds without accompaniment: almost spoken, with a quietly told story about an ordinary morning in a café.

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: Artists