"Solitude Standing" is a song by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. It was released on April 1, 1987 as the title track to her second studio album and as the album's fourth and final single in August of that year. The song became the second of three songs by Vega to crack the Billboard Hot 100.
| "Solitude Standing" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Suzanne Vega | ||||
| from the album Solitude Standing | ||||
| B-side | "Ironbound/Fancy Poultry" | |||
| Released | August 1987 | |||
| Genre | Alternative pop[1] | |||
| Length | 4:49 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | ||||
| Suzanne Vega singles chronology | ||||
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Background
editVega wrote "Solitude Standing" in collaboration with her backing band, as opposed to previous works which were written alone.[2] Lyrically, the song personifies "solitude" as a woman, whom Vega described as "a third character in a relationship".[2]
Upon its release as a single, "Solitude Standing" peaked at number 94 in the US.[3] In the UK, the song peaked at number 79.[4]
Track listing
edit- "Solitude Standing" (Suzanne Vega, Michael Visceglia, Anton Sanko, Marc Shulman, Stephen Ferrera) – 4:34
- "Ironbound/Fancy Poultry" (Vega, Sanko) – 6:17
Personnel
edit- Suzanne Vega – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Michael Visceglia – bass guitar
- Anton Sanko – synthesizer
- Marc Shulman – electric guitar
- Stephen Ferrera – drums, percussion
Charts
edit| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] | 91 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[6] | 45 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[4] | 79 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[3] | 94 |
| US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard)[3] | 43 |
References
edit- ^ Feyre, Ryan (April 1, 2017). "From the Record Crate: Suzanne Vega – "Solitude Standing" (1987)". The Young Folks. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ a b Suzanne Vega. Solitude Standing – The Story Behind the Song (interview).
- ^ a b c "Suzanne Vega Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ a b "Suzanne Vega". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 329. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and June 5, 1988.
- ^ "Suzanne Vega". charts.nz. Retrieved June 4, 2023.