Solitude Standing

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Solitude Standing
File:Pongnan21-1-.jpg
Studio album by
Suzanne Vega
ReleasedApril 1, 1987
RecordedSeptember 1986 – January 1987
Studio
Genre
Length42:20
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 15, 1987
  3. "Tom's Diner"
    Released: June 1987
  4. "Solitude Standing"
    Released: August 1987

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 career, being certified Platinum in the U.S. and reaching number 11 on the Billboard 200.

Overview

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"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 by English electronic music producers DNA reached number five in the U.S. The song was later used to test prototype MP3 compression software.[1] "Night Vision" was inspired by the poem "Juan Gris" by French poet Paul Éluard.[2] "Calypso" is based on the Odyssey, namely the part in which Calypso is forced to let Odysseus go.[3] "Gypsy" is mentioned in the book The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999) 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 ten years before it was first released.[4]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star[5]
Los Angeles TimesStarStarStarHalf star[6]
Orlando SentinelStarStarStarStar[7]
The Philadelphia InquirerStarStarStarStar[8]
The Rolling Stone Album GuideStarStarStarHalf star[9]
SoundsStarStarStarStarHalf star[10]
Uncut8/10[11]
The Village VoiceC+[12]

In Rolling Stone, David Browne said that the mixture of older and newer compositions on Solitude Standing resulted in an album "shakier and less focused" than Vega's eponymous debut studio album, but also one that "unwittingly shows where Vega has been and where she's going", concluding that with her "growth as a singer and writer", she "has managed to beat the sophomore jinx while giving the singer-songwriter a good name once again."[13] People called it an "elegantly crafted, alarmingly accessible" record whose production provides Vega "enough room to profit from the pop grooves on the album without weakening her strength as a folkie."[14]

Retrospectively, AllMusic critic William Ruhlmann deemed Solitude Standing a "triumph" and attributed its artistic success to "its diversity", noting that Vega had crafted "an album of story songs set in a variety of musical contexts" and "developed more as a singer without losing the focused intonation that had made her debut".[5]

25th anniversary

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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

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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
  • 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

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  • 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

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Certifications and sales

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Certifications and sales for Solitude Standing
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[41] Gold 25,000[41]
Brazil — 50,000[42]
Canada (Music Canada)[43] Platinum 100,000^
France (SNEP)[44] 2× Gold 200,000*
Germany (BVMI)[45] Gold 250,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[46] Gold 10,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[47] Gold 50,000[47]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[48] Platinum 15,000^
Singapore — 12,000[49]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[50] Gold 50,000^
Sweden (GLF)[51] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[52] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[53] Platinum 1,000,000^
Summaries
Worldwide — 5,000,000[54]

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

References

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  1. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ Suzanne Vega. Solitude Standing (A&M Records, 1987).
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  15. ^ Kent 1993, p. 329
  16. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  17. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0871". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  18. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  19. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  22. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  23. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  24. ^ "Charts.nz – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  25. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  26. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  27. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  28. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  29. ^ "Suzanne Vega Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  30. ^ Kent 1993, p. 439
  31. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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Bibliography

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  • Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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