Very true it was also a test audio vinyl album record for record players such as Dual, Rega Planar and Linn Sondek etc at Hifi Audio file shops thats where I first heard Toms Diner late 80's
@Bryce Katz: almost... The guy who'd created the (then) experimental technology knew the human voice would be the toughest instrument to translate without destroying the sound, so this song was chosen to truly test how well the algorithm worked. If it sounded awful he knew he had more work to do on his software. This is a great song and a stellar performance, and therefore a wise choice. EDIT (thanks JTD472): I should've better clarified † my point, which is the distinction between clarity (i.e. sound quality) and the organic familiarity we all have in our innate ability to recognize the human voice. Using this track to test, he'd know instantly if it sounded wrong. † har.
Fun fact : the exterior of the real Tom's Diner was used for the exteriors of Monks Cafe in Seinfeld. Another fun fact : Vega has said she wrote the song in 1981/2, and she based elements of the song on actual events. So... at one point she reads the funnies in the paper. Only two newspapers in New York City carried comic strips in 1981/2. And of those, in that period only the New York Post carried a front page story about the death of an actor, William Holden. And Holden did indeed die from a fall resulting from his drinking excessively. Which means the day the song refers to has got to be the day that story was published, which was Wednesday, November 18, 1981.
Wow! I actually know who William Holden was...excellent! I also used to think that Luka was about wife battering because Luka wasn't a common name in the UK but I saw her explanation of it. This is wonderful!
her smile at 3:50. i know that smile, i know that feeling. she's at the point in the performance where she's like: i had one shot to do this for a huge TV, audience and i just offiically killed it and ya now i'm pretty much done. i love you, suzanne vega. you're one of the most underrated songwriters of our time.
The thing about Suzanne Vega is that she sings poetry but she doesn't make it sound like poetry, she makes it sound like life. It's only after you think about it for a while that you realize how layered and deep her words are. I always loved the line about the woman who doesn't actually see her she just sees her own reflection. Talk about cutting to the bare truth.
It's not just her voice, it's the pauses in between aswell. It's like she is letting you take in the words and and picture the situation in your mind brilliant.
Went to see Suzanne's concert in Nijmegen, The Netherlands , shortly after Solitude standing had been released. Must have been about '88 somewhere. To my surprise she opened the show with Tom's Diner, acappella... She looked so adorably shy singing this, and even more so when the audience exploded with applause at the end, and 35 + years later I still know the lyrics and it still gives me goosebumps! Describing a place and moment in time in a song like this without the aid of any musical instrument is art in the true meaning of the word. It's like a vocal painting. Fantastic. Thank you Suzanne.
The performance makes the song even better. Her little snaps and bounces, the way she looks into the camera and away from it, the movement of the camera, the lighting, the silence of the audience, everything about this video is perfectly in sync with the vibe of the song and it all meshes together with magical cohesion to something almost unreal and ethereal. I don't know if I've ever seen a live performance as perfectly executed as this.
@@turtleneckferret Much much more difficult than you can imagine. Make a recording of yourself doing an original piece. I promise it will sound nothing like what you think it will as you practice beforehand. Seriously. Try it. People who are good at stuff make it look incredibly easy. Most people think they can do comedy-- I mean, look, it's so easy, right? Try it! I did a few times and it was brutal. Back behind the guitar it was for me...
@@makemelaughaturcommentchal4769 I'm not talented as you, but I can sing this song, for me it worked simple. i sang this song for too much time and somehow it started to sound good.
I haven't heard the last verse before, and it really completes the song for me. it kinda solidifies how she's looking back at the phases of her life, the man she was going to marry and her own youth, before arguments or whatever happened split them up, before the rain. and her catching the train to finally move on from that stage and go on with life.
Yes so steady and the way she manages the pauses to get a seamless breath in unnoticed just demonstrated her ability to sing with out looking like she was 🎶
I went to my first dance club at 15 in 1988, so the DNA version was right in my time. Ended up being a professional DJ for 16 years. Played it many times.
She impresses the hell out of me. That is one hard song to sing and hit all the notes, AND A cappella without changing key, AND looking at the camera without breaking. What a pro!
@@aadilharoon1807 You literally replied to the explanation. It's very hard to do. Give it a try. Would I want to sit through 3 hours of it? No. But she never performs 3 hours of it.
When the voice is the instrument... this was nice. So many songs are over powered by instruments, but tis forces you to hear every lyric which I had never heard all of before.
26 years ago I fell in love with the song when first hearing it on the radio. I did not speak much English let alone understanding the meaning of the lyrics. Now I understand everything Vega said in this video.
Wow. For a VHS the image quality is fantastic. Incredible voice singing without any instrumental at all. I once heard Sinead O'Connor saying that Suzanne Vega was "wish wash music"; well maybe the lyrics are about banal things, but common banal things make the most of our existence, and if can't see beauty on that you don't have poetry in your heart. Suzanne Vega is not pretentiously profound, but it is profound because touch us deep inside.
Her lyrics are brilliant and often profound. Leonard Cohen was a big fan of hers (as was she of him) - he even interviewed her and tried to analyze what she was saying in her lyrics. "Tom's Dinner" is a slice-of-life song, but also brilliant.
I consider it analogous to minimalist painting. It may be, in fact, a simple painting that anyone could technically paint but "anyone" didn't paint it. It took a genius to paint it. Same thing with Tom's Diner... simple yet genius.
Airton Granero I disagree that her lyrics are about banal things. Tom’s Diner, maybe, but not her other songs e.g. Penitent, Soap and Water, Rosemary, Solitude Standing
Sinead O'Connr is famous for singing other peoples' songs... i.e. Prince, Marley, Traditional and etc. Oh yeah, and she's famous for something else... I liked your comment about Vega. Her clever slice of life approach to songwriting might not be considered high brow but it is far more relatable and far less pretentious.
She’s so gorgeous. The way she tells the story and acts the song touches my soul in such an odd way. It’s like I’m there and I’m looking at a reflection that’s not me looking back at me.
Her talent and beauty come from perceived simplicity. It’s much more complicated than it seems but the perception of being simple grabs the audience. She’s talented as a live performer also. Great video clip.
This has been a favorite song of mine for years! Have always loved how mesmerizing it is, and how you can visualize everything about it. This little history lesson on it was an added bonus because of my love for history. Thank you for sharing. 🙂👍
Suzanne Vega, Kate Bush, Dido and Laurie Anderson. They all have their own inimical sound, quite distinct. In a world where so many sound so alike. We need more individuals with their individuality. Thank you for posting this, it takes me back :-).
Good comparison with Dido that you've made! Dido to me seems to have been a bit of the follow-up at the turn of rhe millennium to Suzanne Vega going of of this performance. Their melancholic, calm and relaxed atmosphere and vibe is very similar and they both have a very mellow, understated and laid-back tone of voice and style of singing.
@@laustcawz2089 Well I hope they are just SMART ENOUGH to STAY THE FUCK AWAY from the PEDO FIELD. RIGHT HERE IN THE WEB is the only thing they need to make it. You Sign that contract, You Have SOLD Your SOUL, LITERALLY!
I’m so sorry you people lack the courage to go find new artists. But don’t blame technology on your inability to move away from the music you grew up with.
When I was on active duty at Aberdeen Proving Ground in MD, we woke every morning to this song being broadcast over the loudspeakers at the football field where we assembled in the pre-dawn hours for PT and then a battalion run. Every time I hear this song, I'm transported back in space & time to 1991 to chilly dark mornings doing leg lifts on wet grass at that Army post on the Chesapeake. Duh Daht Duh-dut - Da Dadu Dut - Dut Daht Daduht Dah Daduhdah...
This song was part of my Childhood and i heard it mostly in the morning when i had to get up for school. The chill vibes and her soothing voice always gave me such calm vibes that made getting up and preparing for school so much more bearable.
No piercings, tattoos, student loan debts. Single mother, Cutting herself Vaginal herpes, Several abortions, Many multiple partners, Social media addiction, Psychiatric medications
@xxx xxx No no, I'm not confused. I love all the people you listed and I play guitar and Ukulele myself. I was referring to the list that Dr Skillz mentioned. The cliche of the Indie pop girl and her ukulele that sometimes pollutes the youtubes. It's a thing, but you have to be on the right wavelength to get the joke.
@@doortech8227 "pollutes" and guitar pollutes music since 60s, so what? it's an instrument, it's cheap and easy to play so people grab it and play music. but ofcourse, ukulele is absolutely different and a meme because "stoopid wymyn can't learn a REAL instrument"
This was a favorite of a now gone friend of mine, Mrs. Marina Chávez, an academic and scholar in Mexico's Universidad Autónoma. Here's to her, for her kindness. RIP.
She builts up this simple picture with one disturbing sentence in mind: I am thinking of your voice... I love how this plot twist strikes suddenly with all the power of loneliness.
@@monikaszymanowska5142 yeah, if you take it metaphorically, I guess you're right. But it's raining that day. "...she is shaking her umbrella". "...her hair has gotten wet". So I always took it as SV fondly looking back on nice times she spent with that "voice", back when picnics were still an option. As opposed to today... in the rain. But I neither mean to be pedantic, nor deflate your romantic notions of this awesome Prose. I probably commented, mostly... because one of my best friends growing up, was a Szymanowski! Have a nice day :]
Fun fact #2: Karlheinz Brandenburg worked as an electrical engineer in the early 1980s and was developing a music compression standard for the company he was working at. This very song Brandenburg adopted for testing purposes. Each time he refined the MP3 scheme, he made sure it didn't affect the subtlety of Suzannes' voice. After the final product, he dubbed Vega the "Mother of MP3"
Used this version to analyse at uni. Thought it was going to be simple but in actual fact, a single line melody only made it a much more difficult a task. Great song. A stand out for sure.
Thank you for posting this. Never knew all that info. Loved that song now I love it even more. Brilliant ear by those boys. And she is awesome. Simply classic
I fell in love with this voice years ago when I was a young kid and heard this on the radio as the dance song she speaks of. It is amazing to be able to put a face to the voice. It all makes my heart ache and yearn for a time when I was younger.
I am sitting In the morning At the diner On the corner I am waiting At the counter For the man To pour the coffee And he fills it Only halfway And before I even argue He is looking Out the window At somebody Coming in "It is always Nice to see you" Says the man Behind the counter To the woman Who has come in She is shaking Her umbrella And I look The other way As they are kissing Their hellos And I'm pretending Not to see them And instead I pour the milk I open Up the paper There's a story Of an actor Who had died While he was drinking It was no one I had heard of And I'm turning To the horoscope And looking For the funnies When I'm feeling Someone watching me And so I raise my head There's a woman On the outside Looking inside Does she see me? No, she does not Really see me 'Cause she sees Her own reflection And I'm trying Not to notice That she's hitching Up her skirt And while she's Straightening her stockings Her hair Has gotten wet Oh, this rain It will continue Through the morning As I'm listening To the bells Of the cathedral I am thinking Of your voice And of the midnight picnic Once upon a time Before the rain began I finish up my coffee And it's time to catch the train
This album was one of my absolute favorites in the 80s. Vega's songs are so well crafted and beautiful and, as a singer myself, a joy to sing. Her voice is pure and I just love her.
Fun fact: The recording of Tom's Diner was so clear it was used as the test audio in the creation of the MP3 compression algorithm.
Interesting, I didn’t know that. I wish this copy was just as clear :)
Very true it was also a test audio vinyl album record for record players such as Dual, Rega Planar and Linn Sondek etc at Hifi Audio file shops thats where I first heard Toms Diner late 80's
thank you for this great fact
@Bryce Katz: almost... The guy who'd created the (then) experimental technology knew the human voice would be the toughest instrument to translate without destroying the sound, so this song was chosen to truly test how well the algorithm worked. If it sounded awful he knew he had more work to do on his software. This is a great song and a stellar performance, and therefore a wise choice.
EDIT (thanks JTD472): I should've better clarified † my point, which is the distinction between clarity (i.e. sound quality) and the organic familiarity we all have in our innate ability to recognize the human voice. Using this track to test, he'd know instantly if it sounded wrong.
† har.
True.
Fun fact : the exterior of the real Tom's Diner was used for the exteriors of Monks Cafe in Seinfeld.
Another fun fact : Vega has said she wrote the song in 1981/2, and she based elements of the song on actual events. So... at one point she reads the funnies in the paper. Only two newspapers in New York City carried comic strips in 1981/2. And of those, in that period only the New York Post carried a front page story about the death of an actor, William Holden. And Holden did indeed die from a fall resulting from his drinking excessively. Which means the day the song refers to has got to be the day that story was published, which was Wednesday, November 18, 1981.
You just made the song deeper in ways you wouldn't believe.
Now that's some cool back tracking you did there. You're definitely in for the Sherlock Award. Good job. 👍🏼
Wow! I actually know who William Holden was...excellent! I also used to think that Luka was about wife battering because Luka wasn't a common name in the UK but I saw her explanation of it. This is wonderful!
K
nice sleuthing! but there is an easier way to find out (i'm sure other actors died in that time!) ask suzanne!
This is one of the most mesmerizing videos I've ever seen, her eyes and voice are magic.
One of the most alluring women ever 😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😩😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
#westandwithUkraine 💙💛
Just wanted to write something like that. And thank you for supporting Ukraine♥
lets not be simpy guys...... focus on her art and not her face
@@AC-mp7cx Why? Both her voice and facial expressions are amazing all together.
her smile at 3:50. i know that smile, i know that feeling. she's at the point in the performance where she's like: i had one shot to do this for a huge TV, audience and i just offiically killed it and ya now i'm pretty much done. i love you, suzanne vega. you're one of the most underrated songwriters of our time.
Our time? ALL time.
You don’t know shit
@@Pinhead101 Do you know "shit"?
Is "shit" all you know? Lighten up, dude.
It could be just trapped wind
@@tatchy1001 LOL
It's not just her voice, it's her gaze, her eyes.
You're gay
@@turtleneckferret XDDSDD how does admiring womans eyes makes someone gay, please explaing this, I always wanted to learn morons logic
@@turtleneckferret LMAO
@@turtleneckferret Troll alert!
Michael played test cricket for Australia - very unlikely to be gay. And he's right about Suzanne's eyes.
The thing about Suzanne Vega is that she sings poetry but she doesn't make it sound like poetry, she makes it sound like life. It's only after you think about it for a while that you realize how layered and deep her words are. I always loved the line about the woman who doesn't actually see her she just sees her own reflection. Talk about cutting to the bare truth.
You hit the nail on the head.
Rubbish
@@lewisc215 Lol.
@@lewisc215 Ah, you mean, "Bah! Humbug!"
Fred
It's not just her voice, it's the pauses in between aswell. It's like she is letting you take in the words and and picture the situation in your mind brilliant.
She has such a beautiful and calming voice.
Yep like warm milk☺️☺️
Went to see Suzanne's concert in Nijmegen, The Netherlands , shortly after Solitude standing had been released. Must have been about '88 somewhere.
To my surprise she opened the show with Tom's Diner, acappella... She looked so adorably shy singing this, and even more so when the audience exploded with applause at the end, and 35 + years later I still know the lyrics and it still gives me goosebumps!
Describing a place and moment in time in a song like this without the aid of any musical instrument is art in the true meaning of the word. It's like a vocal painting. Fantastic. Thank you Suzanne.
The performance makes the song even better. Her little snaps and bounces, the way she looks into the camera and away from it, the movement of the camera, the lighting, the silence of the audience, everything about this video is perfectly in sync with the vibe of the song and it all meshes together with magical cohesion to something almost unreal and ethereal. I don't know if I've ever seen a live performance as perfectly executed as this.
Agree.
Thank you for saying what i felt
YES!!!!!!
@taxid3rmy 😂
I dont think there's an audience at all. lol
Imagine the guts it takes to do this song with no instruments to hide behind
@@turtleneckferret I can’t. I’m in a band and I can’t sing without playing my guitar or my keyboardist
@@turtleneckferret Much much more difficult than you can imagine. Make a recording of yourself doing an original piece. I promise it will sound nothing like what you think it will as you practice beforehand. Seriously. Try it.
People who are good at stuff make it look incredibly easy. Most people think they can do comedy-- I mean, look, it's so easy, right? Try it! I did a few times and it was brutal. Back behind the guitar it was for me...
@@makemelaughaturcommentchal4769 I'm not talented as you, but I can sing this song, for me it worked simple. i sang this song for too much time and somehow it started to sound good.
@@sodiumchloride3876
I heard those around you jammed forks in their ears as it was less painful
@@dustinevans2895 lol
She is singing a 5 minute stage play as we become mesmerized by her complete beauty.
I haven't heard the last verse before, and it really completes the song for me. it kinda solidifies how she's looking back at the phases of her life, the man she was going to marry and her own youth, before arguments or whatever happened split them up, before the rain. and her catching the train to finally move on from that stage and go on with life.
agree! wish they kept it in the DNA remix.
I love the sly looks that she gives to the side. Her expressions make you feel like she’s there in the diner.
Sure do
makes me feel like I'M there myself
I just noticed that when I saw her look up in avoidance as the elderly woman “lifted up her skirt”.
Beautiful voice. Very natural and soothing.
iamknosound Alabama
Yes
Yes so steady and the way she manages the pauses to get a seamless breath in unnoticed just demonstrated her ability to sing with out looking like she was 🎶
Not heard this in years. I still knew all the lyrics, all the breaks. Great voice, amazing delivery.
She is a pure genius.Creating such perfect lyrics just by sitting on the diner is mindboggling indeed.
This is the original asmr right there, could listen all day to her ramblings about all her meals
MidnightSkyline the only asmr that doesn’t make me cringe in pain and want to punch the person in their throats.
But like most ASMR women, too beautiful not to get well, hypnotized.
Asmr is a an example of the culture of weakness
@@ronaldtartaglia4459 facepalm, what you said is more like an example of your intellectual weakness
That is not what asmr is...
She's so beautiful
Yeah, she's stunning.
And such a genius
She looks just like Emily Blunt
Yesh
She didn't need makeup
I love the DNA version, but I love the original version better.
Suzanne Vega is really great.
1990 habe ich die Vinyl Single gekauft, Vorderseite DNA Rückseite acapella, ich finde beides gleich gut
AnnenMayKantereit and Giant Rooks did a cover in 2019. To me, it's the best version of this song that I've heard to date
I went to my first dance club at 15 in 1988, so the DNA version was right in my time. Ended up being a professional DJ for 16 years. Played it many times.
She is beautiful and her voice is amazing.
She impresses the hell out of me. That is one hard song to sing and hit all the notes, AND A cappella without changing key, AND looking at the camera without breaking. What a pro!
@@aadilharoon1807 You literally replied to the explanation. It's very hard to do. Give it a try. Would I want to sit through 3 hours of it? No. But she never performs 3 hours of it.
Her voice is like rose petals touching my eardrums. very talented!
I feel the same.
very cute and sweet
@@scott7521 Her voice reminds me of Ricky Lee Jones voice which was sampled by The Orb in the song Little Fluffy Clouds. So soothing, caring.
pity she ruins a good coffee
As pure as a poem to melody you could get. Just Brilliant.
I actually really enjoyed the stops and starts. It adds a certain element that I can't fully describe. It was a mesmerizing performance.
This is the definition of ELEGANCE.
I think she sang an Edward Hopper painting.
So I'm not the only one who had the same impression
Love red head ladies
Damn, sir.
I always picture "Nighthawks" when I listen to this song. Good call.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nighthawks_(painting)
Clear and firm voice...and she always mantains the rythm with body for a good syncro
When the voice is the instrument... this was nice.
So many songs are over powered by instruments, but tis forces you to hear every lyric which I had never heard all of before.
Her beauty is underrated.
Shut up
She's amazing
She shares a strong resemblance with Katy Perry.
I always thought she reminded me of Fiona Apple
She is much more sexy then pretty much any girl that is half naked nowadays. Just to way she acts, and her voice, her mannerisms are ver attractive.
Who's listening to this wonderful song in April 2020? I love this so much! : )
April. Take care.
I am!! It’s been a favourite ever since the movie Untamed Heart ❤️
Lockdown soundtrack. Solitude standing makes a lot of sense in northern Italy and around the world these days...
The dimples at the end. Beautiful.
26 years ago I fell in love with the song when first hearing it on the radio. I did not speak much English let alone understanding the meaning of the lyrics.
Now I understand everything Vega said in this video.
Wow. For a VHS the image quality is fantastic. Incredible voice singing without any instrumental at all. I once heard Sinead O'Connor saying that Suzanne Vega was "wish wash music"; well maybe the lyrics are about banal things, but common banal things make the most of our existence, and if can't see beauty on that you don't have poetry in your heart. Suzanne Vega is not pretentiously profound, but it is profound because touch us deep inside.
Her lyrics are brilliant and often profound. Leonard Cohen was a big fan of hers (as was she of him) - he even interviewed her and tried to analyze what she was saying in her lyrics. "Tom's Dinner" is a slice-of-life song, but also brilliant.
It's not VHS. It's U-Matic, a Sony professionnal format with 4 times the resolution of the VHS, and not the bloody bottom artifact JVC never fixed.
I consider it analogous to minimalist painting. It may be, in fact, a simple painting that anyone could technically paint but "anyone" didn't paint it. It took a genius to paint it. Same thing with Tom's Diner... simple yet genius.
Airton Granero I disagree that her lyrics are about banal things. Tom’s Diner, maybe, but not her other songs e.g. Penitent, Soap and Water, Rosemary, Solitude Standing
Sinead O'Connr is famous for singing other peoples' songs... i.e. Prince, Marley, Traditional and etc. Oh yeah, and she's famous for something else...
I liked your comment about Vega. Her clever slice of life approach to songwriting might not be considered high brow but it is far more relatable and far less pretentious.
Her eye game is expert. Like all around she is expert
She’s so gorgeous. The way she tells the story and acts the song touches my soul in such an odd way. It’s like I’m there and I’m looking at a reflection that’s not me looking back at me.
Her talent and beauty come from perceived simplicity. It’s much more complicated than it seems but the perception of being simple grabs the audience. She’s talented as a live performer also. Great video clip.
I do not know how to describe it but this song moved me inside. Beautiful.
thatIlluminati _ REEEEEEEEEEEEEE
do you have ovaries?
@Andrej Ilic it's the way she delivered it, through the melody and stuff
@@Jkrazy83 “jean was far from the best” lol
Who else was going, "doot-doot-do-doot, doot-doot-do-doot..." in between the verses?
Everyone was...
in my head
I came here for that!! Yell
@@stinkypete2722 I wasn't. You don't speak for me.
Бoom-booboom-boom-boom boom)))))
I know this song so well, but it’s the first time I’ve seen it sung live. Simply magical.
This has been a favorite song of mine for years! Have always loved how mesmerizing it is, and how you can visualize everything about it. This little history lesson on it was an added bonus because of my love for history. Thank you for sharing. 🙂👍
Suzanne Vega, Kate Bush, Dido and Laurie Anderson.
They all have their own inimical sound, quite distinct. In a world where so many sound so alike.
We need more individuals with their individuality.
Thank you for posting this, it takes me back :-).
Good comparison with Dido that you've made! Dido to me seems to have been a bit of the follow-up at the turn of rhe millennium to Suzanne Vega going of of this performance. Their melancholic, calm and relaxed atmosphere and vibe is very similar and they both have a very mellow, understated and laid-back tone of voice and style of singing.
there are no more Real singers, they VOICE OVERS/TONE BOXES.
@@getphuked2 There are still real singers, but most get little, if any, attention from the media (especially if they're starting out).
@@laustcawz2089 Well I hope they are just SMART ENOUGH to STAY THE FUCK AWAY from the PEDO FIELD.
RIGHT HERE IN THE WEB is the only thing they need to make it.
You Sign that contract, You Have SOLD Your SOUL, LITERALLY!
I’m so sorry you people lack the courage to go find new artists. But don’t blame technology on your inability to move away from the music you grew up with.
Mulder: "Agent Scully, what did you see?"
Scully: "I was sitting in the morning at the Dinner in the corner...
Ha Ha
When I was on active duty at Aberdeen Proving Ground in MD, we woke every morning to this song being broadcast over the loudspeakers at the football field where we assembled in the pre-dawn hours for PT and then a battalion run. Every time I hear this song, I'm transported back in space & time to 1991 to chilly dark mornings doing leg lifts on wet grass at that Army post on the Chesapeake. Duh Daht Duh-dut - Da Dadu Dut - Dut Daht Daduht Dah Daduhdah...
This always will feel like the most honest version.
I like the way she moves her eyes. Such a gorgeous artist.
Such a beautiful person deserves all comes her way!
Charlie Magri Absolutely
are you fucking insane
*tips hat*
Wait a minute... what about the ugly people? Do they also deserve all that comes their way ?
You're stupid
This song was part of my Childhood and i heard it mostly in the morning when i had to get up for school. The chill vibes and her soothing voice always gave me such calm vibes that made getting up and preparing for school so much more bearable.
Every little thing about this video is pure perfection
She has a perfect voice for this song. Nobody else could of pulled this off
No one dares to sing this on American Idol.
Many people can pull this off.
@@tabularasa0606 yea i agree with you but idk. it’s something about hearing it from the storyteller herself
amazing voice and great song, also pretty awesome quality for a VHS rip
Neil Sheriff
"i shot the sheriff.... but i did not shoot thr deputy...."
As someone has commented, It's not VHS. It's U-Matic, a Sony professional format with 4 times the resolution of the VHS
America's most underrated performer.
Wouldn't that officially be someone we never heard of? 🤔
@@abellopez. I don't know.
Never underrated by me. The whole album was the best of the decade. One of the greatest, most original, of all time.
@@abellopez. No. Underrated dies not mean unknown.
@@BritishBeachcomber I agree that underrated doesn't equal unknown.
You said "America's most underrated", which is on a whole 'nother level.
Woah. Unbelievably clean. She knows it sounds so easy, but she also knows better.
No vocal fry, no auto tune, no indie pop girl...just really good singing.
No piercings,
tattoos,
student loan debts.
Single mother,
Cutting herself
Vaginal herpes,
Several abortions,
Many multiple partners,
Social media addiction,
Psychiatric medications
You forgot "No Ukulele"
@xxx xxx No no, I'm not confused. I love all the people you listed and I play guitar and Ukulele myself. I was referring to the list that Dr Skillz mentioned. The cliche of the Indie pop girl and her ukulele that sometimes pollutes the youtubes. It's a thing, but you have to be on the right wavelength to get the joke.
popular thing bad
@@doortech8227 "pollutes"
and guitar pollutes music since 60s, so what? it's an instrument, it's cheap and easy to play so people grab it and play music. but ofcourse, ukulele is absolutely different and a meme because "stoopid wymyn can't learn a REAL instrument"
This was a favorite of a now gone friend of mine, Mrs. Marina Chávez, an academic and scholar in Mexico's Universidad Autónoma. Here's to her, for her kindness. RIP.
Wow. Such beautiful timing and pace, such an intimate little study of a snap shot of time. Amazing
One of the most beautiful songs ever made. I'm a story teller rapper. This was one of my main influences as a child! Love you Suzanne Vega
Listening to her voice is like drinking fresh glass of water from the purists waterfall.
Purest. Purists Waterfall sounds like some sort of retreat camp for indoctrinating youth into the KKK.
pabloplato 😆😆😆
@@pabloplato what!? Oh hell no, if you knew where im from you wouldn't have posted that so fast. 🖐🏾
"I have spoken"
@@stryker9816 I'm not condoning such places, I'm just telling you what your inadvertent phrase brings to mind.
She's just a Goddess, thats why
I always love her voice. Healing me
Love Acapella performances like this so much, just raw honest and pure versions of the song.
Maaaaan, this is amazing!! How come I have never listened to this!
Loved it!
she is so beautiful , smart and talented .I love you susanne
This song was a pure classic in the UK 😁
Yep!
A J sure is
Aggreed
This song moved me back then and I still love it!
Such a beautiful voice! The best song and voices are often heard without any musical instruments.
She builts up this simple picture with one disturbing sentence in mind: I am thinking of your voice... I love how this plot twist strikes suddenly with all the power of loneliness.
Could be a fond recollection :]
....there's no real context!
@@CaalamusTube "once upon a time before the rain began" sounds quite obvious to me but you're right, we should think positively:-).
@@monikaszymanowska5142 yeah, if you take it metaphorically, I guess you're right. But it's raining that day. "...she is shaking her umbrella". "...her hair has gotten wet". So I always took it as SV fondly looking back on nice times she spent with that "voice", back when picnics were still an option. As opposed to today... in the rain.
But I neither mean to be pedantic, nor deflate your romantic notions of this awesome Prose.
I probably commented, mostly... because one of my best friends growing up, was a Szymanowski! Have a nice day :]
@@CaalamusTube But of course:-). The more different things people can read out of it, the better.
@@monikaszymanowska5142 :]
im a songwriter, but i've always wanted to write in a stream of consciousness like Suzanne Vega did in this song. in my mind, it's - perfect.
A very simple and beautiful cut of everyone's life. Very well written.
WOW! That was fantastic. I've never heard this version. I remember her singing it with music. This is a timeless classic. Thank you.
Fun fact #2: Karlheinz Brandenburg worked as an electrical engineer in the early 1980s and was developing a music compression standard for the company he was working at. This very song Brandenburg adopted for testing purposes. Each time he refined the MP3 scheme, he made sure it didn't affect the subtlety of Suzannes' voice. After the final product, he dubbed Vega the "Mother of MP3"
Used this version to analyse at uni. Thought it was going to be simple but in actual fact, a single line melody only made it a much more difficult a task. Great song. A stand out for sure.
can you share your analysis with us? : )
Yes I'm curious too. The song sounds easy to harmonize, but once you start there are actually lots of ways it could be done.
I love when she's suddenly looking straight at the camera. And that smile that comes stealing over her near the end of the song. Brilliant.
Thank you for posting this. Never knew all that info. Loved that song now I love it even more. Brilliant ear by those boys. And she is awesome. Simply classic
wow, sends shivers. Love this song
One of those songs that paints pictures with its words. A Masterpiece!
Thank you for sharing this!
Watching her sing this gave me chills. This was incredibly hypnotic without the music and production of the official song.
The original song on her album doesn’t have any music, it’s exactly like she’s singing it here.
You're thinking of the remake by the band DNA, which was a hit in 1990, about three years later.
I couldn’t agree more it’s hard to look away while watching this 😊😊
That was lovely..thank you x
thank you for uploading :) I've never heard her talk about this song I'm happy to get some background.
Astonishing woman. Thank you for this precious piece of art.❤
love suzanne, great to hear this thank you for posting
This is one of those ubiquitous songs of the late 80s and early 90s that was always playing on the alternative radio stations.
It’s a classic.
I think that just reached No 1 in the ASMR music charts.
What a great tune that was/still is
Natural perfection! A song I grew up with and amazing to this day!
Two dimples which are turned on her cheeks make her beauty perfect. Her voice is as beautiful as her smile.
what a singer,voice and BEAUTY!!her album is original in my room!!
Such a kind sensitive person, obviously. What an angelic spirit.
I fell in love with this voice years ago when I was a young kid and heard this on the radio as the dance song she speaks of. It is amazing to be able to put a face to the voice. It all makes my heart ache and yearn for a time when I was younger.
Thanks for sharing, I'm glad to hear the story and such a nice appearance and aura
Thanks Suzanne for helping to create the MP3 format.
My dad introduced me to her song
It came to my head today and I love her
I'm literally crying
What?
I'm happy for you. Never lose that.
Proof that talent and inspiration are crucial. You needn't suffer to write a marvelous piece
Hermoso, perfecta afinación, tiempos, etc. Hermosa Susan. Todo lo que canta y escribe. Te amo Susan.
Omg, 30 years later she’s still so sweet. I fell in with Marlena on the wall, but this is still so beautiful
I am sitting
In the morning
At the diner
On the corner
I am waiting
At the counter
For the man
To pour the coffee
And he fills it
Only halfway
And before
I even argue
He is looking
Out the window
At somebody
Coming in
"It is always
Nice to see you"
Says the man
Behind the counter
To the woman
Who has come in
She is shaking
Her umbrella
And I look
The other way
As they are kissing
Their hellos
And I'm pretending
Not to see them
And instead
I pour the milk
I open
Up the paper
There's a story
Of an actor
Who had died
While he was drinking
It was no one
I had heard of
And I'm turning
To the horoscope
And looking
For the funnies
When I'm feeling
Someone watching me
And so
I raise my head
There's a woman
On the outside
Looking inside
Does she see me?
No, she does not
Really see me
'Cause she sees
Her own reflection
And I'm trying
Not to notice
That she's hitching
Up her skirt
And while she's
Straightening her stockings
Her hair
Has gotten wet
Oh, this rain
It will continue
Through the morning
As I'm listening
To the bells
Of the cathedral
I am thinking
Of your voice
And of the midnight picnic
Once upon a time
Before the rain began
I finish up my coffee
And it's time to catch the train
And my life is gone...
@@simona4315 NO MUERAS!
Thank You! I thought it was a French Hip Hop Song!😀
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
thinking of your voice... synesthesia
I never realized how beautiful she was (is).
So many years have passed since I was listening to this song often. I got goose bumps like long time a go.
That was absolutely amazing! I remember this song being released and it was a veritable force of nature. I loved it then and still do now.
Muitos anos que eu não ouvia essa canção.
Bela recordação
Parabéns Suzanne Vega
This album was one of my absolute favorites in the 80s. Vega's songs are so well crafted and beautiful and, as a singer myself, a joy to sing. Her voice is pure and I just love her.
Absolutely wonderful... I love it 👍🏼
While listening, out of curiosity I picked up my guitar and played along. She was 100% spot on A440. Impressive.