Solitude Standing
| Solitude Standing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Suzanne Vega | ||||
| Released | April 1, 1987 | |||
| Recorded | 1986–87 | |||
| Studio |
Bearsville Studios, Woodstock, New York RPM Sound Studios, New York City | |||
| Genre | Folk rock | |||
| Length | 44:20 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producer |
Steve Addabbo Lenny Kaye | |||
| Suzanne Vega chronology | ||||
| ||||
Solitude Standing is the second album by singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. 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).
Song notes
- "Tom's Diner" was included twice on the album with its a cappella vocal as the first track and its instrumental version as the last track.
- "Night Vision" was inspired by the poem "Juan Gris" by Paul Éluard.[1]
- "Calypso" is based on The Odyssey, namely the part in which Calypso is forced to let Odysseus go.
- "Gypsy" is mentioned in the book The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, in which the main character Charlie includes it on one of his mixtapes.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Robert Christgau | C+[3] |
| People | (positive)[4] |
| Rolling Stone | (positive)[5] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [6] |
Track listing
All songs written by Suzanne Vega in 1986–87 except as noted.[1]
- "Tom's Diner" – 2:09 (written 1981)
- "Luka" – 3:52 (written 1984)
- "Ironbound/Fancy Poultry" (Vega, Anton Sanko) – 6:19
- "In the Eye" (Vega, Marc Shulman) – 4:16
- "Night Vision" (Vega, Anton Sanko) – 2:47
- "Solitude Standing" (Vega, Michael Visceglia, Anton Sanko, Marc Shulman, Stephen Ferrera) – 4:49
- "Calypso" – 4:14 (written 1978)
- "Language" (Vega, Michael Visceglia) – 3:57
- "Gypsy" – 4:04 (written 1978) Produced by Steve Addabbo, Lenny Kaye and Mitch Easter
- "Wooden Horse (Caspar Hauser’s Song)" (Vega, Michael Visceglia, Anton Sanko, Marc Shulman, Stephen Ferrera) – 5:13
- "Tom's Diner (Reprise)" – 2:40
Track listing note: On the original LP album release, side one was composed of tracks 1–5; side two, of tracks 6–11.[1]
Personnel
- Suzanne Vega – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Michael Visceglia – bass, synthesizer on 11
- Anton Sanko – synthesizers, classical guitar on 5
- Marc Shulman – electric guitars
- Stephen Ferrera – drums, percussion
Additional personnel
- Johnny Gordon – guitar solo on 2
- Shawn Colvin – backing vocals on 2
- Sue Evans – percussion on 7, drums on 9
- Mitch Easter – rhythm guitar on 9
- Steve Addabbo – guitar on 9
- Frank Christian – electric guitar on 9
Technical personnel
- Steve Addabbo – producer, recording engineer
- Lenny Kaye – producer
- Mitch Easter – producer on 9
- Rod O'Brien – recording engineer
- Shelly Yakus – mixing engineer
Charts
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] | 7 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[8] | 3 |
| Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[9] | 14 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] | 6 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[11] | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[12] | 2 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[13] | 1 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[14] | 8 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[15] | 2 |
| US Billboard 200[16] | 11 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Peak Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | "Gypsy" | UK Singles Chart | 77[17] |
| 1987 | "Luka" | Billboard Adult Contemporary Tracks | 3[18] |
| Billboard Hot 100 | 3[18] | ||
| Billboard Hot Latin Tracks | 48[18] | ||
| Billboard Mainstream Rock | 15[18] | ||
| Ireland singles chart | 11 | ||
| New Zealand singles chart | 8 | ||
| Sweden singles chart | 2 | ||
| UK Singles Chart | 23[19] | ||
| "Tom's Diner" | Ireland singles chart | 26 | |
| UK Singles Chart | 58[20] | ||
| "Solitude Standing" | Billboard Hot 100 | 94[18] | |
| New Zealand singles chart | 45 | ||
| UK Singles Chart | 79[21] |
In addition, a 1990 version of "Tom's Diner" (DNA featuring Suzanne Vega) reached number one in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, number two in the United Kingdom and Ireland, number five in the United States and number eight in New Zealand.
Certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| BPI – UK | Gold | May 5, 1987[22] |
| BPI – UK | Platinum | June 9, 1987[22] |
| RIAA – U.S. | Gold | July 15, 1987[23] |
| CRIA – Canada | Gold | August 13, 1987[24] |
| CRIA – Canada | Platinum | September 16, 1987[24] |
| RIAA – USA | Platinum | October 22, 1997[23] |
25th anniversary
In 2012, to mark the 25th anniversary of the album's release, Suzanne Vega played four celebratory concerts in which the album was performed in its entirety. The first was in Copley Square, Boston on July 28; the second and third were at City Winery in New York on October 9 (7pm and 10pm shows); and the fourth at London's Barbican Theatre on October 16.
A limited edition 2-CD set, titled Solitude Standing: Live at the Barbican, was produced by Concert Live and made available for purchase instantly after the final show, as well as online.
Notes
- 1 2 3 Suzanne Vega. Solitude Standing (A&M Records, 1987).
- ↑ Ruhlmann, William. Solitude Standing at AllMusic. Retrieved 14 April 2006.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (July 28, 1987). "Consumer Guide July 28, 1987". The Village Voice. Retrieved 20 November 2011. Also posted at "CG: Solitude Standing". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 14 April 2006.
- ↑ Novak, Ralph; Hiltbrand, David (May 25, 1987). "Picks and Pans Review: Solitude Standing Suzanne Vega". People. 27 (21). Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- ↑ Browne, David (June 18, 1987). "Suzanne Vega: Solitude Standing : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone (502). Archived from the original on 26 June 2007. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
- ↑ "Acclaimed Music – Solitude Standing". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
- ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 329. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and June 19, 1988.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
- ↑ "Officialcharts.de – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
- ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
- ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
- ↑ "Suzanne Vega – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Suzanne Vega. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
- ↑ http://www.theofficialcharts.com/search-results-album/_/Gypsy#single
- 1 2 3 4 5 Solitude Standing – Suzanne Vega > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles at AllMusic. Retrieved 11 May 2008.
- ↑ "UK Top 40 Hit Database". Retrieved 2008-05-11.
- ↑ http://www.theofficialcharts.com/search-results-album/_/Tom's+Diner#single
- ↑ http://www.theofficialcharts.com/search-results-album/_/Solitude+Standing#single
- 1 2 "BPI Certified Awards". Retrieved 2008-05-11.
- 1 2 "RIAA Gold and Platinum". Retrieved 2008-05-11.
- 1 2 "CRIA Certifications". Retrieved 2008-05-11.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/19/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.