99.9F°

99.9F° (pronounced Ninety-Nine Point Nine Fahrenheit Degrees) is the fourth album by American singer and songwriter Suzanne Vega.[8] Released in 1992, the album marked a departure for Vega, as she embraced a more electronic, experimental sound.[9] It peaked at No. 86 on Billboard magazine's album chart and was Vega's fourth Top 20 album in the U.K. The single "Blood Makes Noise" reached No.1 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart.

99.9F°
Studio album by
Suzanne Vega
ReleasedSeptember 8, 1992 (1992-09-08)
RecordedFebruary-June 1992
StudioDreamland (Bearsville, New York), The Sound Factory (Los Angeles), The Magic Shop (New York City)
GenreAlternative rock, folk rock
Length37:20
LabelA&M[1]
ProducerMitchell Froom
Suzanne Vega chronology
Days of Open Hand
(1990)		 99.9F°
(1992)		 Nine Objects of Desire
(1996)
Singles from 99.9F°
  1. "In Liverpool"
    Released: 1992
  2. "99.9F°"
    Released: 1992
  3. "Blood Makes Noise"
    Released: August 1992
  4. "When Heroes Go Down"
    Released: 1993
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Calgary HeraldA[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[1]
Entertainment WeeklyA[4]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]

The album was certified gold (500,000 copies sold) by the RIAA in October 1997. It was certified silver in the UK (60,000 copies sold) by the BPI in March 1993.

99.9F° was the first of two of Vega's albums to be produced by Mitchell Froom, whom she later married.[8]

Critical reception

The New York Times wrote: "By far Vega's most rewarding record, 99.9 F degrees ... is the first album in which she breaks almost completely away from the conventions of the New York folk milieu that nurtured her."[10] Trouser Press wrote that "many of the songs display a new interest in space and sound, using both in an almost sculptural fashion, creating a compelling amalgam that industrializes folk music."[11]

Vega has gone on to refer to 99.9F° as her favorite of all her albums.[12]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Suzanne Vega except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rock in This Pocket (Song of David)" 3:20
2."Blood Makes Noise" 2:28
3."In Liverpool" 4:40
4."99.9F°" 3:16
5."Blood Sings" 3:17
6."Fat Man and Dancing Girl"Vega, Mitchell Froom2:19
7."(If You Were) In My Movie" 3:05
8."As a Child" 2:55
9."Bad Wisdom" 3:23
10."When Heroes Go Down" 1:54
11."As Girls Go" 3:27
12."Song of Sand"Vega, Nils Petter Molvær3:05
13."Private Goes Public" (European and Japanese bonus track) 1:57

Personnel

Additional personnel

Technical

  • Ronald K. Fierstein – executive producer
  • Tchad Blake – engineer, mixing
  • Len Peltier, Suzanne Vega – art direction

Charts
Chart performance for 99.9F°
Chart (1992) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[13] 56
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[14] 70
German Albums (Media Control)[15] 27
New Zealand Albums (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 38
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[17] 45
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 24
UK Albums (OCC)[19] 20
US Billboard 200[20] 86

Singles
Year Single Chart Peak position
1992 "99.9F°" UK Singles (Official Chart Company)[21] 46
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[22] 13
"Blood Makes Noise" Canada Top Singles (RPM)[23] 63
New Zealand (RIANZ)[24] 42
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[21] 60
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[22] 1
"In Liverpool" UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[21] 52
1993 "When Heroes Go Down" UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[21] 58

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[25] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[26] Gold 500,000^
Summaries
Worldwide — 650,000[27]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 409.
  2. "Review". AllMusic.
  3. R. Matiisen, Janet (13 September 1992). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
  4. Browne, David. "99.9 F review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  5. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 1194.
  6. "Suzanne Vega - 99.9F° CD Album". Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  7. "Acclaimed Music - 99.9F°". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  8. "Suzanne Vega | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  9. "A Musical Misfit Once Again : Suzanne Vega Breaks Her Self-Defined Mold With '99.9 F'". Los Angeles Times. February 10, 1993.
  10. Holden, Stephen (October 11, 1992). "RECORDINGS VIEW; Suzanne Vega's Version Of the Human Comedy (Published 1992)" – via NYTimes.com.
  11. "Suzanne Vega". Trouser Press. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  12. Tedder, Michael (10 September 2020). "We've Got a File on You: Suzanne Vega". Stereogum. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  13. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 294.
  14. "Suzanne Vega – 99.9 °F" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  15. "Suzanne Vega - 99.9 °F". Charts.de. Media Control. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  16. "Suzanne Vega – 99.9 °F". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  17. "Suzanne Vega – 99.9 °F". Swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  18. "Suzanne Vega – 99.9 °F". Swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  19. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  20. "Suzanne Vega Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  21. "SUZANNE VEGA - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  22. "Suzanne Vega - Chart history - Billboard". Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  23. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". RPM. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  24. "SUZANNE VEGA - BLOOD MAKES NOISE (SONG)". Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  25. "British album certifications – Suzanne Vega – 99.9F°". British Phonographic Industry.
  26. "American album certifications – Suzanne Vega – 99.9F°". Recording Industry Association of America.
  27. Boehm, Mike (26 November 1996). "In the Thick of It : Motherhood Has Changed Singer-Songwriter Suzanne Vega's Approach to Work--and Life". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
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