Solitude Standing
Solitude Standing | ||||
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Studio album by Suzanne Vega | ||||
Released | April 1, 1987 | |||
Recorded | 1986–87 | |||
Studio |
Bearsville Studios, Woodstock, New York RPM Sound Studios, New York City; Carnegie Hill Studios; A&M Studios, Hollywood; Celestial Sound Studios, New York City | |||
Genre | Folk rock | |||
Length | 44:20 | |||
Label | A&M | |||
Producer |
Steve Addabbo Lenny Kaye | |||
Suzanne Vega chronology | ||||
|
Professional ratings | |
---|---|
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Los Angeles Times | |
Orlando Sentinel | |
The Philadelphia Inquirer | |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
The Village Voice | C+[6] |
Solitude Standing is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. Released in 1987, it is the most popular and critically acclaimed of her career. Many songs were written prior to 1987.
25th anniversary
In 2012, to mark the 25th anniversary of the album's release, 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 Hudson Square, New York City 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.
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.[7]
- "Calypso" is based on the Odyssey, namely the part in which Calypso is forced to let Odysseus go. [8]
- "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.
- Vega once stated she wrote "Gypsy" when she was only 18 years old (what would be 1977) which means the song was written 10 years before it was first released. [9]
Track listing
All tracks written by Suzanne Vega except where noted.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Tom's Diner" | 2:09 |
2. | "Luka" | 3:52 |
3. | "Ironbound/Fancy Poultry" (Vega/Anton Sanko) | 6:19 |
4. | "In the Eye" (Vega/Marc Shulman) | 4:16 |
5. | "Night Vision" (Vega/Sanko) | 2:47 |
6. | "Solitude Standing" (Vega/Sanko/Shulman/Michael Visceglia/Stephen Ferrera) | 4:49 |
7. | "Calypso" | 4:14 |
8. | "Language" (Vega/Visceglia) | 3:57 |
9. | "Gypsy" | 4:04 |
10. | "Wooden Horse (Caspar Hauser's Song)" (Vega/Visceglia/Sanko/Shulman/Ferrera) | 5:13 |
11. | "Tom's Diner (Reprise)" | 2:40 |
Personnel
- Suzanne Vega – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Marc Shulman – electric guitars
- Anton Sanko – synthesizers, classical guitar on 5
- Michael Visceglia – bass guitar, additional synthesizer on 11
- Stephen Ferrera – drums, percussion
Additional personnel
- Shawn Colvin – backing vocals on 2
- Mitch Easter – rhythm guitar on 9
- Steve Addabbo – guitar on 9
- Frank Christian – electric guitar on 9
- Jon Gordon – guitar solo on 2
- Sue Evans – percussion on 7, drums on 9
Production
- Steve Addabbo – producer, engineer
- Lenny Kaye – producer
- Mitch Easter – producer on 9
- Ronald K. Fierstein – executive producer
- Rod O'Brien – engineer
- Shelly Yakus – mixing
- Jeffrey Gold – art direction
- Melanie Nissen – art direction, design
- Paula Bullwinkel – cover photography
Charts
Chart (1987) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report)[10] | 7 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[11] | 3 |
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[12] | 14 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] | 6 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[14] | 1 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[15] | 2 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[16] | 1 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] | 8 |
UK Albums (OCC)[18] | 2 |
US Billboard 200[19] | 11 |
Singles
Year | Single | Chart | Peak Position |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | "Gypsy" | UK Singles Chart | 77[20] |
1987 | "Luka" | Billboard Adult Contemporary Tracks | 3[21] |
Billboard Hot 100 | 3[21] | ||
Billboard Hot Latin Tracks | 48[21] | ||
Billboard Mainstream Rock | 15[21] | ||
Ireland singles chart | 11 | ||
New Zealand singles chart | 8 | ||
Sweden singles chart | 2 | ||
UK Singles Chart | 23[22] | ||
"Tom's Diner" | Ireland singles chart | 26 | |
UK Singles Chart | 58[23] | ||
"Solitude Standing" | Billboard Hot 100 | 94[21] | |
New Zealand singles chart | 45 | ||
UK Singles Chart | 79[24] |
In addition, a 1990 version of "Tom's Diner" (DNA featuring Suzanne Vega) reached number-one in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, No. 2 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, No. 5 in the United States and No. 8 in New Zealand.
Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[25] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada)[26] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
France (SNEP)[27] | 2× Gold | 200,000* |
Germany (BVMI)[28] | Gold | 250,000^ |
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[29] | Gold | 10,000* |
Norway (IFPI Norway)[30] | Gold | 50,000* |
Sweden (GLF)[31] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[32] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[33] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
Worldwide (IFPI) | N/A | 5,000,000 [34] |
*sales figures based on certification alone |
References
- ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "Solitude Standing – Suzanne Vega". AllMusic. Retrieved April 14, 2006.
- ↑ Willman, Chris (May 3, 1987). "Zen Over Zip In Vega's 'Solitude'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
- ↑ Duffy, Thom (May 24, 1987). "Suzanne Vega". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
- ↑ Tucker, Ken (May 10, 1987). "Suzanne Vega's coming of age". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ↑ Evans, Paul; Berger, Arion (2004). "Suzanne Vega". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp. 845–46. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (July 28, 1987). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
- ↑ Suzanne Vega. Solitude Standing (A&M Records, 1987).
- ↑ "Suzanne Vega - Calypso". Paste Magazine. 22 July 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ↑ Weinreich, Regina (22 February 2017). "Suzanne Vega at the Café Carlyle: Lover, Beloved". HuffPost. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ↑ 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)". Billboard. 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
- ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1987 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Suzanne Vega – Suzanne Vega". Music Canada.
- ↑ "French album certifications – Suzanne Vega – Suzanne Vega" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
- ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Suzanne Vega; 'Suzanne Vega')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- ↑ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1988". IFPI Hong Kong.
- ↑ "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
- ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Suzanne Vega – Suzanne Vega". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Suzanne Vega in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ↑ "American album certifications – Suzanne Vega – Suzanne Vega". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
- ↑ Meter, Jonathan van (9 July 2007). "Lady of the Canyons". NY Mag. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
External links
- Solitude Standing at Discogs (list of releases)