Solitude Standing

Solitude Standing is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, released on April 1, 1987, by A&M Records. It is the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed album of Vega's, being certified Platinum in the US and reaching number 11 on the Billboard 200.

Solitude Standing
Studio album by
Suzanne Vega
ReleasedApril 1, 1987 (1987-04-01)
RecordedSeptember 1986–January 1987
Studio
Genre
Length44:20
LabelA&M
Producer
Suzanne Vega chronology
Suzanne Vega
(1985)		 Solitude Standing
(1987)		 Days of Open Hand
(1990)
Singles from Solitude Standing
  1. "Gypsy"
    Released: April 1987
  2. "Luka"
    Released: May 21, 1987
  3. "Tom's Diner"
    Released: June 1987
  4. "Solitude Standing"
    Released: August 1987
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Los Angeles Times[2]
Orlando Sentinel[3]
The Philadelphia Inquirer[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]
The Village VoiceC+[6]

Overview

"Tom's Diner" was included twice on the album; the a cappella version was the first track, and the instrumental version was the last track. In 1990, a remixed version of the song featuring DNA reached number five in the US. The song was later used to test prototype MP3 compression software.[7] "Night Vision" was inspired by the poem "Juan Gris" by Paul Éluard.[8] "Calypso" is based on the Odyssey, namely the part in which Calypso is forced to let Odysseus go.[9] It is mentioned in the work All the Young Dudes (fan fiction) by MsKingBean89 in which Odysseus and Calypso's relationship mirrors Remus and Grant's. "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 (which would be 1977) which means the song was written 10 years before it was first released.[10]

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 two-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.

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Tom's Diner"Suzanne Vega2:09
2."Luka"Vega3:52
3."Ironbound/Fancy Poultry"
6:19
4."In the Eye"
  • Vega
  • Marc Shulman
4:16
5."Night Vision"
  • Vega
  • Sanko
2:47
Total length:19:23
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Solitude Standing"
  • Vega
  • Michael Visceglia
  • Sanko
  • Marc Shulman
  • Stephen Ferrera
4:49
2."Calypso"Vega4:14
3."Language"
  • Vega
  • Visceglia
3:57
4."Gypsy"Vega4:04
5."Wooden Horse (Caspar Hauser's Song)"
  • Vega
  • Visceglia
  • Sanko
  • Shulman
  • Ferrera
5:13
6."Tom's Diner (Reprise)"Vega2:40
Total length:24:57

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

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

Certifications and sales
Certifications and sales for Solitude Standing
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[37] Gold 25,000[37]
Brazil — 50,000[38]
Canada (Music Canada)[39] Platinum 100,000^
France (SNEP)[40] 2× Gold 200,000*
Germany (BVMI)[41] Gold 250,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[42] Gold 10,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[43] Gold 50,000[43]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[44] Platinum 15,000^
Singapore — 12,000[45]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[46] Gold 50,000^
Sweden (GLF)[47] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[48] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[49] Platinum 1,000,000^
Summaries
Worldwide — 5,000,000[50]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Ruhlmann, William. "Solitude Standing – Suzanne Vega". AllMusic. Retrieved April 14, 2006.
  2. Willman, Chris (May 3, 1987). "Zen Over Zip In Vega's 'Solitude'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  3. Duffy, Thom (May 24, 1987). "Suzanne Vega". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  4. Tucker, Ken (May 10, 1987). "Suzanne Vega's coming of age". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  5. Evans, Paul; Berger, Arion (2004). "Suzanne Vega". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 845–46. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  6. Christgau, Robert (July 28, 1987). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  7. "Tom's Diner and the Origin of MP3s – Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog". Retrieved 2022-11-12.
  8. Suzanne Vega. Solitude Standing (A&M Records, 1987).
  9. "Suzanne Vega - Calypso". Paste Magazine. 22 July 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  10. Weinreich, Regina (22 February 2017). "Suzanne Vega at the Café Carlyle: Lover, Beloved". HuffPost. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  11. Kent 1993, p. 329
  12. "Austriancharts.at – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  13. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0871". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  14. "Dutchcharts.nl – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  15. "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4, no. 37. September 19, 1987. p. 20. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  16. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  17. "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste". InfoDisc (in French). Retrieved September 4, 2021. Select "Suzanne VEGA" from the drop-down menu and click "OK".
  18. "Offiziellecharts.de – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  19. "Ísland (LP-plötur)". DV (in Icelandic). September 18, 1987. p. 43. ISSN 1021-8254 – via Timarit.is.
  20. "Charts.nz – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  21. "Norwegiancharts.com – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  22. "Swedishcharts.com – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  23. "Swisscharts.com – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  24. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  25. "Suzanne Vega Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  26. Kent 1993, p. 439
  27. "Jahreshitparade Alben 1987". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  28. "Top 100 Albums of '87". RPM. Vol. 47, no. 12. December 26, 1987. p. 9. ISSN 0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  29. "Jaaroverzichten – LP 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  30. "European Charts of the Year 1987 – Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4, no. 51/52. December 26, 1987. p. 35. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  31. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1987" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  32. "Top Selling Albums of 1987". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  33. "Topp 40 Album Sommer 1987" (in Norwegian). VG-lista. Archived from the original on September 16, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  34. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1987". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  35. "Gallup Year End Charts 1987 – Albums" (PDF). Record Mirror. January 23, 1988. p. 37. ISSN 0144-5804 – via World Radio History.
  36. "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1987". Billboard. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  37. "Standing Success" (PDF). Music & Media. May 7, 1988. p. 9. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  38. Souza, Tarik de (6 January 1988). "Um bom ano para o disco". Jornal do Brasil. p. 36. Retrieved 18 March 2023 – via National Library of Brazil.
  39. "Canadian album certifications – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing". Music Canada. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  40. "French album certifications – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved June 11, 2019. Select SUZANNE VEGA and click OK. 
  41. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Suzanne Vega; 'Solitude Standing')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  42. "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1988". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  43. "Gold & Platinum Awards 1987" (PDF). Music & Media. December 26, 1987. p. 44. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  44. "New Zealand album certifications – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  45. "Women top the pop charts". The Straits Times. December 27, 1987. p. 16. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  46. Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990 (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN 8480486392.
  47. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-17. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  48. "British album certifications – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  49. "American album certifications – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  50. Meter, Jonathan van (July 9, 2007). "Lady of the Canyons". NY Mag. Retrieved August 17, 2018.

Bibliography
  • Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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