Here wishing a Happy Birthday to Suzanne Vega, who turned 65 on July 11. Vega emerged from the New York City folk scene in the mid-1980s, and soon won acclaim for her introspective and melodic songs.
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Vega found her greatest commercial successful with her second album, Solitude Standing, which was released in 1987. The album featured the singer/songwriter’s biggest hit, the emotional pop-rock ballad “Luka,” which was sung from the perspective of a young victim of child abuse. The tune reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Solitude Standing also featured the original a cappella version of “Tom’s Diner” (more about that song below).
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Vega has released nine studio albums, although she has put out new record of original tunes since Lover, Beloved: Songs from an Evening with Carson McCullers in 2016.
Suzanne also has collaborated with various musicians throughout her long career. To celebrate Vega’s birthday, here are four interesting collaborative songs she recorded with other artists:
“In a Lonely Place” – The Smithereens (1986)
“In a Lonely Place” was a song featured on alternative-rock band The Smithereens’ 1986 debut album, Especially for You. Frontman Pat DiNizio duets with Vega on the tune, which has a jazzy, Brazilian-pop feel similar to that of the famous “The Girl from Ipanema,” a 1964 hit for Astrud Gilberto & Stan Getz.
In fact, DiNizio initially had approached Gilberto to sing on “In a Lonely Place,” thinking he’d be perfect for his song. He eventually asked Suzanne, whom he’d worked with at an office.
“In a Lonely Place” was named after a 1950 movie that starred Humphrey Bogart, and the tune reflected that flick’s film noir feel. Some of the song’s lyrics were adapted from the movie’s dialogue.
Vega appears in the black-and-white music video for the tune, which got some MTV airplay when it was released.
“Tom’s Diner” – DNA Featuring Suzanne Vega (1990)
As mentioned earlier, “Tom’s Diner” was an a cappella song Suzanne included on her 1987 album Solitude Standing. In 1990, the British electronic-music production duo of DNA (Nick Batt and Neal Slateford) remixed “Tom’s Diner,” combining it with a beat taken from the 1989 Soul II Soul hit “Keep On Movin.’”
DNA hadn’t asked Vega’s permission to do their remix, and Suzanne considered suing the duo at first. She decided against pursuing a lawsuit, and instead, her label, A&M Records wound up releasing the track.
The “Tom’s Diner” remix became a big hit, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaking at No. 2 on the U.K. singles chart.
In a 2016 interview with The Guardian, Vega admitted that she initially “cringed” when she heard about the remix, but she had a change of heart as soon as she listened to the actual track.
“[T]o my great relief I loved what DNA had done,” she told the newspaper. “I thought it would be played in a few dance clubs and that would be it, but it surpassed everyone’s expectations. I even got a plaque for it being one of the most played R&B songs—funny for a folk singer.”
“Angel (Lust)” – Joe Jackson (1997)
In 1997, Joe Jackson released an ambitious concept album titled Heaven & Hell that offered a classical-music-influenced song cycle based on the seven deadly sins. Jackson tapped various guest singers to take on different roles in the project.
Vega is featured on a track titled “Angel (Lust),” as the voice of a temptress character, the “Fallen Angel.” The song also features opera singer Dawn Upshaw as the “Angel.”
“Erie Canal” – Dan Zanes & Friends (2000)
Former Del Fuegos frontman Dan Zanes launched a career as a children’s music artist with his 2001 album Rocket Ship Beach. Credit to Dan Zanes & Friends, the project featured Zanes collaborating with a variety of guest artists, including Vega, Sheryl Crow, and Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke.
Rocket Ship Beach featured a mix of kids songs, standards, and traditional country and folk tunes. Vega sings charming and catchy version a version the early-1900s folk song “Erie Canal.”
Vega’s 2024 Tour Plans
Vega kicks off a European leg of her 2024 Old Songs, New Songs and Other Songs Tour on Friday, July 12, in Monselice, Italy. The outing is mapped out through an August 4 show in Heuvelland, Belgium.
Suzanne will then launch a U.S. trek that scheduled from a September 19 appearance at the Bourbon & Beyond Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. through an October 6 concert in Groton, Massachusetts.
Tickets for Vega’s concerts are on sale now via a variety of outlets, including StubHub.
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