Luka (song)

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"Luka"

Single by Suzanne Vega
from the album Solitude Standing
Released	1987
Writer(s)	Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega singles chronology
"?" (?)	"Luka" (1987)	"?" (?)

"Luka" is a song recorded by Suzanne Vega and released in 1987.

"Luka" is about child abuse from the perspective of a neighbor talking with the protagonist of the song. A boy, called Luka, is evasive about what sounds are coming from his apartment. He eventually opens up, trying to understand his situation. Why is he getting beaten? Is he clumsy, loud, crazy, proud? It doesn't make sense. All he is learned is that "they only hit until you cry." Then, after the writer tries to engage him again, "it's not your business anyway" and he would "just like to be alone."

Since Luka can be a woman's name as well, many also inteprete it as being about spousal abuse, though Suzanne Vega has confirmed that "Luka" is indeed about child abuse. She said that, in real life, she knew a boy called Luka, on whom she based the song, but he wasn't abused.

"A few years ago, I used to see this group of children playing in front of my building, and there was one of them, whose name was Luka, who seemed a little bit distinctive from the other children. I always remembered his name, and I always remembered his face, and I didn't know much about him, but he just seemed set apart from these other children that I would see playing. And his character is what I based the song Luka on. In the song, the boy Luka is an abused child -- In real life I don't think he was. I think he was just different." Suzanne Vega, in a Swedish television special recorded 3 November 1987. [1]

Suzanne also recorded a Spanish version of the song in the studio (same exact music track) which is fairly difficult to find.

The song was covered by The Lemonheads on their 1989 album 'Lick'.

The song is referenced in a Simpsons episode (909) where Homer begins singing, "My name is Luka. I live on the second floor." while driving his car when suddenly the town villain jumps from a bridge into Homer's car. This occurs in the episode where Marge becomes a real estate agent and sells a haunted house to the Flanders'.