Can someone please tell us the point of Suzanne Vega's 1987 hit, "Tom's Diner"? Sure, we love it and all, but why? It's not really about anything and the vaguely danceable beat doesn't match Vega's melancholic lyrics. Could it be the song became so popular simply because people were stunned into aural confusion?
At least "Luka" makes a bit more sense. Give it a look-a, after the jump…
Why Is White Collar’s Matthew Bomer’s Sexuality Such a Secret? (215)
· N.A. says: @cjb: Wow! Thank you for your comments, I agree completely. »
· N.A. says: @Jen: I’ve heard that he’s openly gay among the people around him (friends... »
· N.A. says: @N.A.: Just to clarify, I’m not homophobic at all. I celebrate the liberty to live... »
Oprah’s Out, Rosie’s In: O’Donnell’s Big 2011 Daytime Return (11)
· Geoff M says: @blah: you’re right! My bad. I totally forgot about that mess. »
Boy Scouts Celebrate 100th Anniversary With Unveiling of Decades Worth of Sex Abuse Cover-Ups (19)
· Joshua says: I was in the scouts (in the UK) for all of my teenage years, was openly gay and never... »
Glee’s Matthew Morrison Will Tell You Very Politely He’s Straight. Until You Start Being a Dick About It (15)
· ChrisM says: @Lover The point is the word accusation has a negative connotation. What the... »
What’s It Like to Kiss Lady Gaga? This Queer Bodybuilder Knows (9)
· jason says: Sometimes I think that stupid women declare themselves bi for the purpose of empathizing... »
· jason says: Dance music is a gay man’s domain. Why, then, are dance song videos being... »
· bruce says: Yes, why can’t a man use male bisexuality as a marketing ploy? Why is it only... »
Lt. Dan Choi + Capt. Jim Pietrangelo Plead Not Guilty, Will Go to Trial (27)
· Ted B. (Charging Rhino) says: Is Lt. Choi taking a stand, …or just taking a stage bow? With... »
The original "Tom's Diner" track was completely a cappella, off the Solitude Standing album. IIRC, the remix was done by DNA without Vega's knowledge or permission.
Also, Wikipedia says the original was released in 1981, and the remix in 1990. Neither of those is 1987. Not saying they're right and you're wrong, but something's wrong somewhere.
Also accorpding to Wikipedia, the song is about looking at life through a pane of glass and never actually getting involved in it directly. Yes, putting that on a dance beat doesn't make a lot of sense, but since when has that stopped people from making dance remixes?
for example: "Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)"
Oh Jesus, that was a hideous song.
"Left of Center" is the Suzanne Vega track to remember…
http://youtube.com/watch?v=iZNCnfS5SeY
All I know, The dancer in the black shorts has got a pair of thighs on him. Lawd !! What I would do to have my face between those legs !!! Yum !!!!
EdWoody,
the song is from the album 'Solitude Standing' which was released in 1987 (like it is said in the second sentence at the Wikipedia page you're referring to). On the album there are two versions of the song: first the a cappella which opens the album, and then the instrumental, which closes it. This was one of my favourite albums in 1987-88 and I listened to it a lot. It's still a beautiful album although like many albums from my past I rarely listen to it anymore.
Also it is said in the song's Wikipedia page that Vega's record company bought the DNA remix after it had made rounds in the clubs, and this was done because Vega liked the remix and didn't want go to court with copyright infringement. The DNA remix was pretty huge here in Europe when it was released, I remember hearing it everywhere.
And then the question asked by Queerty: what is the point of this song? (Apparently you are talking about the remix.) The original a cappella has got a nice poem-like moment-in-time quality to it, and of course Suzanne's voice brings its own charisma to it. The dance version… well, it sort of mixes two quite different elements in it: Suzanne Vega's bard-like traditional singer quality with modern electronic beats. One example of a bit of a same kind of contradicting was this huge hit 'Sadeness (Part 1)' by Enigma in 1990:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ie-lihykN3k