Luka (song)
Encyclopedia
"Luka" is a song recorded by Suzanne Vega
and released as a single
in 1987. It remains her highest-charting hit in the United States, reaching #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
. This song was one of the earliest to deal with child abuse
and domestic violence
. One critic said, "the 'happy' music is a metaphorical denial, making this seem beautiful and serene while discussing something terrible and devastating. It is a wonderful use of tune as a metaphor for how many abuse victims also deny their abuse, and is a profound classic".
& Candice Reckinge. It was shot over 3 days, in New York City. The part of Luka was played by actor Jason Cerbone
, who was chosen after the directors auditioned more than 90 children for the part.
Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Nadine Vega is an American songwriter and singer known for her eclectic folk-inspired music.Two of Vega's songs reached the top 10 of various international chart listings: "Luka" and "Tom's Diner"...
and released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1987. It remains her highest-charting hit in the United States, reaching #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. This song was one of the earliest to deal with child abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
and domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
. One critic said, "the 'happy' music is a metaphorical denial, making this seem beautiful and serene while discussing something terrible and devastating. It is a wonderful use of tune as a metaphor for how many abuse victims also deny their abuse, and is a profound classic".
Music video
This video was directed by Michael PattersonMichael Patterson
Michael Patterson is an experimental film artist, teacher, and a commercial film director specializing in TV spots and music videos. He currently teaches animation at the Division of Animation and Digital Arts at the USC School of Cinematic Arts...
& Candice Reckinge. It was shot over 3 days, in New York City. The part of Luka was played by actor Jason Cerbone
Jason Cerbone
Jason Cerbone is an actor from Yonkers, New York.He got his start acting at age 4, appearing on a commercial for Sesame Street. He signed with the Ford Modeling Agency in New York City at age 7. Jason later appeared in Bon Jovi's "Silent Night" music video, as well as the title character in...
, who was chosen after the directors auditioned more than 90 children for the part.
Charts
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 21 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 9 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 5 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 24 |
| Ireland Singles Chart | 11 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 8 |
| Polish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 2 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
23 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
3 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
3 |
| U.S. Billboard Album Rock Tracks | 15 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Latin Songs Hot Latin Songs Hot Latin Songs is a record chart published by Billboard magazine. It is often recognized as the most important music chart for Spanish language Latin music in the American music market. It was established by the magazine on September 6, 1986 with La Guirnalda by Rocío Dúrcal being the first song... |
48 |
Covers
- The song was covered by The LemonheadsThe LemonheadsThe Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band first formed in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member....
on their 1989 album, LickLick (album)Lick is the third album by The Lemonheads and the last to feature founding member Ben Deily. It was released in 1989 and was the group's last album before signing to major label Atlantic. Due to a typo on the album itself, many believe that this record was actually released in 1988, but this...
. - British indie group EasyworldEasyworldEasyworld were a British indie alternative rock/pop band hailing from Eastbourne, consisting of David Ford on vocals, Jo Taylor on bass and Glenn Hooper on drums, active between 2001 and 2004...
covered the song on the B side to their 2004 single "'til the day". - The song was covered in a bossa novaBossa novaBossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
style by Japanese band The IndigoThe IndigoThe Indigo is a Japanese band originally composed of on vocals, on composition and arrangement, and on bass. They were first formed in 1998 and released their debut Maxi single Blue on May 24, 2000. This was followed by their 2nd Maxi Single on August 30, 2000, and their first full album Blue...
on their 2004 album My Fair Melodies 2. - Laith Al-DeenLaith Al-DeenLaith Al-Deen, born February 20, 1972 in Karlsruhe, Germany, is a German language pop musician.-Biography and Career:Born of an Iraqi father and German mother, Al-Deen grew up in the United States and Mannheim, Germany...
covered the song on his 2009 album Session. - Olivia OngOlivia OngOlivia Ong is a Singaporean singer. She sings mostly in English but developed her career singing in English and Japanese. In addition, she has released rare tracks, recorded in Mandarin, and Cantonese which can be found on limited edition albums.-Biography:...
also covered the song on her eponymous 2010 album. - Kasey ChambersKasey ChambersKasey Chambers is an Australian country singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of steel guitar player Bill Chambers, and the sister of musician and producer Nash Chambers.-Solo success:...
covered the song on her 2011 album, Storybook.
In popular culture
- Irish musician, Luka BloomLuka BloomLuka Bloom is an Irish folk-rock singer-songwriter. He is the younger brother of Irish folk singer Christy Moore.-Early life:...
, took the first name of his stage persona from the song title. - Homer SimpsonHomer SimpsonHomer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
sings this song in an up-beat attitude while driving Snake's souped-up sports car in the ninth season SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "Realty BitesRealty Bites"Realty Bites" is the ninth episode of the animated television series The Simpsons ninth season, which originally aired December 7, 1997 on Fox. The episode sees Marge becoming a real estate agent, meanwhile Homer enjoys Snake's new car. It was written by Dan Greaney and directed by Swinton O...
". - In 1988 Paola TurciPaola TurciHer musical debut was 1986 at the Festival of Sanremo with the song the "Yesterday Man", written by Mario Castelnuovo and appearing on her first album Ragazza sola ragazza blu...
recorded an Italian translation of the song, titled "Mi chiamo Luca" (My name is Luka). The song is contained in her debut album, Ragazza sola, Ragazza blu. - In the webcomic Penny ArcadePenny Arcade (webcomic)Penny Arcade is a webcomic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. The comic debuted in 1998 on the website loonygames.com. Since then, Holkins and Krahulik have established their own site, which is typically updated with a new comic...
, characters Gabe and Tycho refer to their neighbour Charles as "Luka" because he "lives on the second floor", "lives upstairs from [them]", and "[they've] seen him before". - Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, lead guitarist of Blue Oyster Cult, and his wife made an unreleased parody of this song called "My Name is Loofa", changing it into a song about the eponymous sponge.
- In the 2002 film Looking for Leonard, when Joel BissonnetteJoel BissonnetteJoel Bissonnette is an American actor.He is originally from Baltimore, Maryland, but was raised in Montreal, Canada. He is a graduate of the Dawson College Theatre Program in Montreal and has been in several plays. He is best known as Arnaud DeFöhn from the SciFi channel's show Invisible Man. He...
's character introduces himself as Luka to Jo (Kim HuffmanKim HuffmanKim Huffman is a Canadian actress born in St. Catharines, Ontario.She trained to be an opera singer, but is mostly known for her television and cinema roles.Hoffman played Donna in the Toronto production of Mamma Mia! from 2004-2005...
), she asks him "Luka, like the song?" then tells him that the song used to be played on the radio "all the time," and that it drove her "out of [her] mind." - In the television show ScrubsScrubs (TV series)Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
, in the episode "My Therapeutic Month", when Dr. TurkChristopher TurkChristopher Duncan Turk, M.D., is a fictional character played by Donald Faison on the American comedy-drama Scrubs. Turk has appeared in every episode except three Season 8 episodes, "My Saving Grace", "My New Role" and "My Lawyer's in Love". Donald Faison is the only original cast member,...
(Donald FaisonDonald FaisonDonald Adeosun Faison is an American actor, comedian, and voice actor best known for his role as Dr. Chris Turk in the ABC comedy-drama Scrubs and as Murray in the film Clueless and the subsequent television series of the same name.Faison has also co-starred in the films Remember the Titans ,...
) is being quizzed by Dr. Cox (John C. McGinleyJohn C. McGinleyJohn Christopher McGinley is an American actor, most notable for his roles as Perry Cox in Scrubs, Bob Slydell in Office Space, Sergeant Red O'Neill in Oliver Stone's Platoon and Marv in Stone's Wall Street. He has also written and produced for television and film...
) about lupusLupusLupus most commonly refers to the disease systemic lupus erythematosus.Lupus may also refer to:-Medicine:* Lupus erythematosus, a chronic autoimmune disease with several different forms...
, he replies "Lupus? Does she live on the second floor? [singing] Does she live upstairs from you?"