Solitude Standing

Solitude Standing
Studio album by Suzanne Vega
Released	April 1, 1987
Recorded	1986–87 Bearsville Studios, Woodstock, NY, RPM Sound Studios, NYC
Genre	Folk rock
Length	44:20
Label	A&M
Producer	Steve Addabbo, Lenny Kaye
Suzanne Vega chronology
Suzanne Vega (1985) Solitude Standing (1987) Days of Open Hand (1990)

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]

1. "Tom's Diner" – 2:09 (written 1981)
2. "Luka" – 3:52 (written 1984)
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, Visceglia, Sanko, Shulman, Stephen Ferrera) – 4:49
7. "Calypso" – 4:14 (written 1978)
8. "Language" (Vega, Visceglia) – 3:57
9. "Gypsy" – 4:04 (written 1978) Produced by Steve Addabbo, Lenny Kaye and Mitch Easter
10. "Wooden Horse (Caspar Hauser’s Song)" (Vega, Visceglia, Sanko, Shulman, Ferrera) – 5:13
11. "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

Singles

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

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

External links

• The Album Pages fansite: Solitude Standing link
• Suzanne Vega Discography: solo albums page link