Solitude Standing
Encyclopedia
Solitude Standing is Suzanne Vega
's platinum second album
, released in 1987
. It is the most popular and critically acclaimed of her career. As can be seen by the CD insert, many of the songs had been written prior to 1987 (see track listing for dates).
in 1986–87 except as noted.
Track listing note: On the original LP album
release, side one was composed of tracks 1-5; side two, of tracks 6-11.
Singles
In addition, a 1990 version of "Tom's Diner" (DNA featuring Suzanne Vega) made #1 in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, #2 in the UK and Ireland, #5 in the USA and #8 in New Zealand.
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"...
's platinum second album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, released in 1987
1987 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1987.See also:Record labels established in 1987-January-February:*January 3 – Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
. It is the most popular and critically acclaimed of her career. As can be seen by the CD insert, many of the songs had been written prior to 1987 (see track listing for dates).
Song notes
- "Tom's Diner" was included twice on the album with its accapella vocal as the first track and its instrumental version as the last track.
- "Night Vision" was inspired by the poem "Juan Gris" by Paul ÉluardPaul ÉluardPaul Éluard, born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel , was a French poet who was one of the founders of the surrealist movement.-Biography:...
.
- "Calypso" is based on The Odyssey, namely the part in which Calypso is forced to let Odysseus go.
Track listing
All songs written by Suzanne VegaSuzanne 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"...
in 1986–87 except as noted.
- "Tom's DinerTom's Diner"Tom's Diner" is an a cappella pop song written in 1981 by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. It was first released as a track on the January 1984 issue of Fast Folk Musical Magazine. When first featured on one of her own studio albums, it appeared as the first track of her Solitude Standing...
" – 2:09 (written 1981) - "LukaLuka (song)"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...
" – 3:52 (written 1984) - "Ironbound/Fancy Poultry" (Vega, Anton Sanko) – 6:19
- "In the Eye" (Vega, Marc Shulman) – 4:16
- "Night Vision" (Vega, Sanko) – 2:47
- "Solitude Standing" (Vega, Visceglia, Sanko, Shulman, Stephen Ferrera) – 4:49
- "Calypso" – 4:14 (written 1978)
- "Language" (Vega, Visceglia) – 3:57
- "Gypsy" – 4:04 (written 1978) Produced by Steve Addabbo, Lenny Kaye and Mitch EasterMitch EasterMitch Easter is a songwriter, musician, and producer. As a producer, he is probably best known for his work with R.E.M. from 1981 through 1984, though he has also worked with many other acts including The Hang Ups, Pavement, Suzanne Vega, Game Theory, Marshall Crenshaw, Velvet Crush, and...
- "Wooden Horse (Caspar HauserKaspar HauserKaspar Hauser was a German youth who claimed to have grown up in the total isolation of a darkened cell. Hauser's claims, and his subsequent death by stabbing, sparked much debate and controversy....
’s Song)" (Vega, Visceglia, Sanko, Shulman, Ferrera) – 5:13 - "Tom's Diner (RepriseRepriseReprise is a fundamental device in the history of art. In literature, a reprise consists of the rewriting of another work; in music, a reprise is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the...
)" – 2:40
Track listing note: On the original LP album
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
release, side one was composed of tracks 1-5; side two, of tracks 6-11.
Personnel
- Suzanne VegaSuzanne VegaSuzanne 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"...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, acoustic guitar - Michael Visceglia – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
on 11 - Anton Sanko – synthesizers, classical guitarClassical guitarThe classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
on 5 - Marc Shulman – electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
s - Stephen Ferrera – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Additional personnel
- Johnny Gordon – guitar solo on 2
- Shawn ColvinShawn ColvinShawn Colvin is an American singer-songwriter and musician.-Childhood and early career:Colvin was born in Vermillion, South Dakota. Her formative years were spent in the town of Carbondale, Illinois, where she attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She learned to play guitar at the age...
– backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
on 2 - Sue EvansSue EvansSue Evans is an American jazz percussionist.Evans played piano before switching to drums. She studied under Warren Smith and Sonny Igoe, and graduated in 1969 from the High School of Music and Art. She was Judy Collins's touring drummer from 1969 to 1973, and worked with Gil Evans from 1969 to 1982...
– percussion on 7, drums on 9 - Mitch EasterMitch EasterMitch Easter is a songwriter, musician, and producer. As a producer, he is probably best known for his work with R.E.M. from 1981 through 1984, though he has also worked with many other acts including The Hang Ups, Pavement, Suzanne Vega, Game Theory, Marshall Crenshaw, Velvet Crush, and...
– rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
on 9 - Steve Addabbo – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
on 9 - Frank ChristianFrank Christian (singer-songwriter)Frank Christian is a Greenwich Village-based singer-songwriter and guitarist. His best known song, "Three Flights Up" was recorded by Nanci Griffith for her Grammy award-winning 1992 release Other Voices, Other Rooms....
– electric guitar on 9
Technical personnel
- Steve Addabbo – producer, recording engineer
- Lenny KayeLenny KayeLenny Kaye is an American guitarist, composer and writer who is best known as a member of the Patti Smith Group.- Early life :...
– producer - Mitch EasterMitch EasterMitch Easter is a songwriter, musician, and producer. As a producer, he is probably best known for his work with R.E.M. from 1981 through 1984, though he has also worked with many other acts including The Hang Ups, Pavement, Suzanne Vega, Game Theory, Marshall Crenshaw, Velvet Crush, and...
– producer on 9 - Rod O'Brien – recording engineer
- Shelly YakusShelly YakusShelly Yakus is considered as one of the best engineers and mixers in the music industry. Formerly chief engineer and vice president of A&M Records, Yakus' engineering work has help sell in excess of one hundred million records, equaling over one billion dollars in sales...
– mixing engineer
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Peak Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
11 |
| 1987 | New Zealand albums chart | 1 |
| 1987 | UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
2 |
| 1987 | Australia albums chart | 7 |
| 1987 | West Germany albums chart | 6 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart | Peak Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | "Luka" | Billboard Adult Contemporary Tracks 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 |
| 1987 | "Luka" | Billboard Hot Latin Tracks | 48 |
| 1987 | "Luka" | 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 |
| 1987 | "Solitude Standing" | Billboard Hot 100 | 94 |
| 1987 | "Luka" | 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 |
| 1987 | "Luka" | Sweden singles chart | 2 |
| 1987 | "Luka" | Ireland singles chart | 11 |
| 1987 | "Tom's Diner" | Ireland singles chart | 26 |
| 1987 | "Luka" | New Zealand singles chart | 8 |
| 1987 | "Solitude Standing" | New Zealand singles chart | 45 |
In addition, a 1990 version of "Tom's Diner" (DNA featuring Suzanne Vega) made #1 in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, #2 in the UK and Ireland, #5 in the USA and #8 in New Zealand.
Certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| BPI British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... – UK |
Gold | May 5, 1987 |
| BPI – UK | Platinum | June 9, 1987 |
| RIAA Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... – U.S. |
Gold | July 15, 1987 |
| CRIA Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... – Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
Gold | August 13, 1987 |
| CRIA – Canada | Platinum | September 16, 1987 |
| RIAA – USA | Platinum | October 22, 1997 |