Solitude Standing - Suzanne Vega

...cassette album (remember those?) called Solitude Standing. Time travel forwards from 1987 to 2005 and you see me with several Suzanne Vega albums (now on CD) and I'm still listening to Solitude Standing even now ~ a true test of music standing the test of time!

~~~THE SINGER.

For those who don't know, Suzanne Nadine Vega was born in Santa Monica, California back in July 1959. Her family moved to Spanish Harlem in New ...
...as the first song on Solitude Standing. The song is actually quite upbeat and has lots of energy. It is surprisingly bright and cheerful given that the subject matter is the physical abuse of a small child (although some people think it is about the abuse of a woman by her husband/partner, I have always considered Luka to be a little child...all a matter of interpretation I suppose). This is an excellent song and really gives the suggestion that ... more

I've been a fan of Suzanne Vega since I first heard her haunting voice on the radio in the late 1980s. I didn't know who she was and asked around to find out what the song I had heard was called and who the singer was. I discovered the song was called Luka and the artist was Suzanne Vega. A quick trip to Hudsons later and I was the proud owner of a cassette album (remember those?) called Solitude Standing. Time travel forwards from 1987 to 2005 and you see me with several Suzanne Vega albums (now on CD) and I'm still listening to Solitude Standing even now ~ a true test of music standing the test of time!

~~~THE SINGER.

For those who don't know, Suzanne Nadine Vega was born in Santa Monica, California back in July 1959. Her family moved to Spanish Harlem in New York in 1961 (when her mother married Ed Vega). Suzanne grew up here and speaks both English and Spanish.

~~~THE CD.

***Tom's Diner***

At just over two minutes this is a pretty short acapella track. You may remember it more from the later version released by DNA which did have music. This is a well sung piece but is a little slow and perhaps not the most dynamic track to start an album with. I also think the song is a bit disjointed in places and quite difficult to listen to.

"Oh, this rain
It will continue
Through the morning
As I'm listening"

***Luka***

This is the song that really got my attention and interest in the first place and would have been much better placed as the first song on Solitude Standing. The song is actually quite upbeat and has lots of energy. It is surprisingly bright and cheerful given that the subject matter is the physical abuse of a small child (although some people think it is about the abuse of a woman by her husband/partner, I have always considered Luka to be a little child...all a matter of interpretation I suppose). This is an excellent song and really gives the suggestion that such awful things can happen anywhere ~ especially where you wouldn't expect!

"I guess I'd like to be alone
With nothing broken, nothing thrown"

***Ironbound/Fancy Poultry***

This is another typical Vega track ~ her distinctive voice is powerful and paints a picture of markets and poultry sellers. Not my favourite track on the CD, but it does show case Vega's voice well and brings out the slightly "folky" side of her repertoire. The market mentioned in the song seems to paint a picture of the Spanish quarter where she grew up and shows quite a bleak environment, despite the melodic words and music.

"Fancy poultry parts sold here.
Breasts and thighs and hearts.
Backs are cheap and wings are nearly free.
Nearly free"

***In the Eye***

This is another rather odd take on life from Vega. The song seems to be about someone who is about to be killed and is unafraid. The words are quite stark and short and the song is a little abrupt and simple in structure. I think this is one of those songs that is better to listen to than to analyze! I find the music in this one a little more jarring than in many of Vega's other tracks.

"If you were to kill me now right here
I would still look you in the eye"

***Night Vision***

Night Vision is another example of Vega's writing talent. The words flow rhythmically and are quite beautiful and poetic. This is a song that can be enjoyed on different levels. It is lovely to listen too but, as with many of the songs on this album, slightly disturbing and the meaning is unsure.

"Now I watch you falling into sleep
Watch your fist curl against the sheet
Watch your lips fall open and your eyes dim"

***Solitude Standing***

The title track of the album is one of my favourite Suzanne Vega songs ever. I think it is actually better than the more well known songs like Luka and Tom's Diner. I think the arrangement of the song is great, there is an energy that isn't present in some of the songs and there is a more of a feel good factor too. The sentiment of Solitude Standing is dark though and is, I think, about isolation and loneliness. A top class tune that gets inside my head every time I hear it. It is also a good song to place half way through the album. The energy keeps the attention of the listener well and keeps that interest going enough to want to continue listening.

"Solitude stands in the doorway
And I'm struck once again by her black silhouette
By her long cool stare and her silence
I suddenly remember each time we've met"

***Calypso***

The album continues in fine style with the lovely Calypso, the well crafted tale of love and loss on an island (I picture it as a sunny Caribbean island). It flows beautifully and is a very relaxing song to listen to. I also see a darker side to this song ~ it is almost as if Calypso is a Siren who has lured the sailor in and kept him on her island. Lyrically and musically this is a great song and one of the high points of the album.

"Salt of the waves
And of tears
And though he, pulled away
I kept him here for years
I let him go"

***Language***

This isn't one of my favourite Vega tracks by any means. I found it quite difficult to connect to and, although well written and performed, I didn't find it had the powerful element of some of the other songs. It seems to be about words and how sometimes people don't mean what they say and that words can be misinterpreted.

"I won't use words again
They don't mean what I meant
They don't say what I said"

***Gypsy***

Some people have said that they don't like this track, but I really do. It is soft, folky and carried me along with the words and flowing music. To me this song paints a picture ~ it is descriptive and reminds me of the song a minstrel would sing. It is quite a romantic tale and is a little less depressing than some of the images Vega gives the listener.

"You come from far away
With pictures in your eyes"

***Wooden Horse (Casper Hauser's song)***

This song intrigued me when I first heard it. I wasn't quite sure what it was all about, so I actually did a bit of research to find out about Casper Hauser. It turned out that he was a boy found (aged 16) all alone in Nuremburg after being deprived of all human contact throughout his childhood. When you know the history of Casper the song has more meaning and is quite a moving folk story. He couldn't speak and hadn't seen the simple things that we take for granted. This is a very good song that would have been a very strong way to end the album.

"I came out of the darkness
Holding one thing
I know I have a power
I am afraid I may be killed"

***Tom's Diner (Reprise)***

Solitude Standing ends as it began with Tom's Diner. This time it is an instrumental version ~ in direct contrast to the acapella version that started the listener's journey through the album.

~~~WHAT TANGE THOUGHT.

This is a good album but NOT a stunning one! There are outstanding tracks (like Luka, Solitude Standing, Gypsy and Calypso), but there are also a few weaker links that let it down a bit in places. When compared to her first (self titled Album) this one isn't quite as sharp and as easy to listen to. Suzanne Vega (released originally in 1985) is more acoustic and this one is a little more up tempo and has more of a rocky song at times.

Despite my criticisms when comparing this to some of Vega's other work I am still impressed with Solitude Standing and really rate it as a whole. It is more dramatic than her debut album and manages to combine different elements to make a "different" and listenable sound. It starts slowly and builds gradually to a middle section that is energetic and challenging. Throughout it is lyrically impressive, although occasionally let down by a couple of slightly jarring instrumental bits!

Vega's voice is a real pleasure to listen to ~ slightly husky, folky and very pleasing on the ear. She sings with feeling and is able to immerse me, as the listener, completely in the song. I have been known to pass a good few hours listening without realising I have been engrossed for song. I can give no greater recommendation than that!

For me it has continued to be a favourite album and one that is never far from my CD player. I will always have a soft spot for Solitude Standing ~ it marked the start of my Suzanne Vega music collection. I still remember the first time I heard Luka on the radio and I'm really glad I took the time to find out more about this talented female vocalist.

***My copy of the CD of Solitude Standing was purchased a long time ago. It is currently priced at £8.99 in HMV if you fancy buying it***
 

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