Suzanne Vega

Over the past 20 years, Suzanne Vega has become one of the most talented storytellers in music today. From her first big hit, "Luka," about an abused child to "(I'll Never Be) Your Maggie May", about love and rejection, Vega has always crafted thoughtful lyrics against beautifully woven music. Her words flow with keen poetry, and her voice remains steady, like cool, casual commentary on some of life's most troubling topics. And after five wonderful, critically-acclaimed albums, it just feels right for Vega to release her greatest hits compilation, Retrospective: The Best of Suzanne Vega.

The commercial success of "Luka" and "Tom's Diner" opened the minds of many record company executives, and as a result, Vega is often credited for the resurgence of folky female singer-songwriters like Tracy Chapman, Edie Brickell, Shawn Colvin and Michelle Shocked from the late 80s through the early 90s.

Vega grew up in Manhattan as a shy, quiet child who enjoyed expressing herself through poetry and music. Her mother was a jazz guitarist. Novelist stepfather Ed Vega encouraged her interests in the arts, often singing folk songs around the apartment. Vega's love and admiration for artists like Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen grew stronger, and she attempted to write her own songs at age fourteen.

When she enrolled in the High School for Performing Arts, however, she decided to study dance instead of music. After high school Vega majored in Literature at Barnard College, and concurrently began performing at folk festivals and clubs. Soon she became one of the leading singer-songwriters in Manhattan's Lower East Side folk scene in the early 80s and, eventually, one of the leading female singer-songwriters in the country with hit song after hit song, including "Luka," "Tom's Diner," "99.9F°," "Blood Makes Noise, "Left of Center," "Calypso," "Gypsy" and "The Queen and the Soldier."

Vega took some time out in between her current Retrospective tour gigs to talk with ASCAP about how her songwriting has changed over the years, what she thinks of anti-folk music, what advice she has for aspiring singer-songwriters today, and what to expect on her next album.

When you look back at the last 20 years of your career, what are you most proud of?
First of all, I'm proud to still be around making music. It's a difficult industry to last in. I'm happy that I'm still around. Also, I was successful on a much larger scale than I had ever imagined. I sort of imagined that I would be a low profile singer-songwriter writing mostly artistic songs, and I never really expected to have the Top 40 success that I had. Just the fact that "Luka" and "Tom's Diner" were big hits -- I'm really proud of those things.

Did it surprise you?
Yeah. On the one hand, I was excited and a little puzzled because I had been working for such a long time before that. "Tom's Diner" was written in 1982 and didn't become a hit until 1990. It was the same with "Luka." I had written "Luka" back in 1984, and it wasn't a hit until 1987. It was just puzzling to me. We were all working really hard. It was overwhelming. But, still, there was that pride of having done something that reached so many people.

When you can touch so many people with songs like "Luka," it must be pretty rewarding.
Yeah. It's an amazing feeling. Especially since that particular song is a very special song. It's a song about child abuse, so therefore it does touch a lot of people in a different way than if it were, say, a love song or some other kind of song.

What is the biggest challenge you face as a songwriter?
How to keep and maintain that audience -- but that's more as a performer. As a songwriter it's really more how to keep growing, expanding stylistically, and maintaining the trademarks of what you already do but still grow and still keep it interesting for yourself and your audience.

How do you think you've done that over the years?
One of the ways is just by paying more attention to melody, which in the beginning, I have to say, I didn't really think about. To me, songwriting was about the words and the intention of the lyrics to the point where some of my very early songs just didn't have any melody at all. And as I've gotten older I've become more aware of melody and the meaning of what a melody is. A lot of times that's where the emotion of the song is. It's the real emotional story that's being told and sometimes it goes in opposition to the lyrics.

The other thing is that if you work with new people they'll give you new ideas; new producers will have a different way of interpreting something that you've done and that always keeps it really fresh.

What inspires you to write a song?
Anything from something that somebody says or a dream I might have or a phrase or a memory. It can be almost anything. The only thing is that it speaks to me in a certain way and then I know for myself, "Oh, that could be a really good thing to write about."

Can you give an example of something that recently inspired you?
The last song I finished, "Anniversary," was written September 16, 2002, right after the anniversary of 9-11 in New York City. That particular day there was this strange wind that had come up all over New York and whirled around. There was this rumor going around that those were the souls of the people who had been lost in the World Trade Center. So all of that kind of combined to make this image, and that's the last thing I wrote about.

Do you think things that inspire you have changed over the years?
Yeah, it's changed. I guess when I was in my 20s there was a lot of romantic fantasy. Maybe I'm not as likely to do that at the moment.

What would you be likely to write about now, as far as romance and love is concerned?
I don't know. I haven't finished any other songs. So I can't answer that for you until I do some work and hopefully in the fall I'll have some time to sit down and finish a bunch of things I've started.

So you're working towards a new album right now?
Yeah, I always have a bunch of songs on the back burner.

Do you start with an idea for a new album or is it kind of just something that develops?
No, I just look at the songs as they come out and then figure out if there's a theme going on -- what ties all these songs together? Then usually there is something if I can find it.

You put out a "Best of" album in 1999. Why did you feel the need to release another greatest hits compilation?
The "Best Of" album came out in 1998 and it was released everywhere except the United States. So it was always an issue of when are we going to do one in the U.S. In this case, it coincided with the end of my recording contract with A&M Records. I've only been on one label -- I was on A&M for nineteen years, so I felt that this was a good time to look back and say, "This is what I've done with this one label."

How did you choose the songs for Retrospective?
Mostly it was the songs that had been singles, but also the songs that I knew people liked to hear. The songs people ask for which are usually the same everywhere. You know, "Gypsy" and "The Queen and The Soldier". There's a few off of every album that people really know. So those were the obvious ones and then the record company wanted older songs and I wanted newer songs. But in the end I think we made a good collection.

What is one song on the CD that you never get sick of performing?
"Penitent." I am always in that mood of asking, "What is it that I can do? What is it that is expected of me?" It's a very questioning song, and if I'm not in that frame of mind, I can get myself there very easily. And the other one is "Caramel." It's very sensual, and it's really fun to sing. And I can usually get myself worked up for "Blood Makes Noise," too.

Many people credit you for the resurgence of singer-songwriters back in the 80s and 90s. What are your thoughts on that?
I think it's interesting. I think that I was a surprise to many people, not just myself, and when I was successful I think I did show people that there was an audience to be had for that kind of music. So I think there's a grain of truth to it, but it's not something I think about a lot.

Do you have a lot of current young singer-songwriters approaching you?
Sometimes... I get sent a lot of CDs, which I have to say is really hard because I don't really have the time to sit and listen to them. I don't even have the time to listen to the CDs that I buy myself. I'm just at a phase in my life where if I'm not on the road, then I'm taking care of my daughter -- so it's really hard for me to sit and really get into someone else's music, especially an unrecorded singer-songwriter. It's really hard to kind of sit down and evaluate and try and give advice -- it's almost impossible. On the other hand, one of those who gave me an early demo tape turned out to be the Indigo Girls. Years later, I was like,"Oh yeah, they gave me their tape." They were very persistent about what they did, and they forged a great career for themselves.

Did you ever talk to them about that?
No, I met them at Lillith Fair, but by that point we were way beyond, "Remember that demo tape you sent?" It was sort of irrelevant by then.

Back then people used to think that folk music wasn't relevant any more. Do you think folk music is relevant today?
Yeah, I always do, and the thing is that it changes. It's not just pure folk music. It becomes something done by, say, Ani DiFranco, who twists it and turns it into her own thing. I think folk music will always be the root of a basic kind of music because first of all, it's economically easy. It's the kind of music you play when you have no money, when you're just sitting in your room and you have something to say and you want to figure out how to say it. You don't need a band, you don't need production, you don't need anything except the will to do it, and that's what will make it endure.

Speaking of Ani DiFranco, what do you think of the anti-folk movement?
I think it's interesting. There's an actual anti-folk movement down on the Lower East Side, kind of run by this guy Latch, who I used to know from the Folk City days. In some ways I find that inspiring because I felt that I was trying to do a bit of that myself back when punk was big. A song like "Cracking" was meant to be very anti-folk. But on the other hand, why limit yourself in that way? Why say you're anti-folk? Why not just write? I would prefer to do because I'd want the freedom. If I want to write "The Queen and The Soldier," which is a pretty folky song, why would I limit myself? Why can't I just do all of it? That's how I see it.

It seems like female singer-songwriters are making a comeback these days. Do you have any advice for other aspiring female singer-songwriters?
Yeah. When people approach me and they talk to me about it, some people approach me with the wrong end. They're like, "How can I get a record deal?" When I was 16 I wanted a record deal, too. I remember writing to Judy Collins when I was 16 years old and sending it to her care of ASCAP. And I got a nice letter back from her lawyer saying Ms. Collins doesn't accept unsolicited material. So that was the end of that. But you can't go about it getting the record deal first.

My advice to anybody who wants to be a songwriter is write the songs, figure out what you want to say, why is what you're saying different from what anybody else is saying, and do you really have your own style or are you just trying to impress your friends? Refine what you have to say, perform in front of an audience, which is the best way of refining what you have to say, and once you've done that, then the business will come to you if you're doing it well. That's my feeling.

It also seems like synthesizers are making a come back in the form or electroclash and a renewed interest in new wave. People once thought you'd produce dance tracks when you added the synthesizer. Ever think of trying that route again?
Yeah, I do remixes all the time. I mean, some of them work and some of them don't. We recently did a remix of "Penitent." It was okay. It wasn't great. It's really hard to put your finger on why something works and why something else doesn't. It's also one of those things that I don't think you can actually force. Maybe one of these days I'll get to work with one of those really great techno guys like Mirwais or the guy who does Beth Orton's records, William Orbit. That would be fun. I'd love to do something like that. But you have to kind of take your shots as they come up, so we'll see about that.

One of the most striking aspects of your music is your cool delivery of lyrics that hold intense, emotional stories. Do you think that was a reflection of your introverted personality — quiet on the outside and passionate and thoughtful inside?
Yeah. Although I think it's just my nature. I don't think I was quiet in order to get people to listen to me. I think it's just my personality. It's something that if I could have changed, I probably would. If I could be more emotionally outspoken like some of my relatives, I think maybe I would have been happier in the long run. But on the other hand, it's my nature. It's the way it is, and I've made peace with it. And that's fine, too.

You have some of the most literate lyrics of any other songwriter. Do you think that other songwriters these days are lacking that?
Oh yeah. That goes without saying. But you can have a great song that's not particularly literate. I love a lot of songs, and then there's some songs that are surprisingly literate if you actually look at them on the page. A song like the Four Tops' single, "Bernadette." It's this impassioned vocal, and if you look at the words it's really about this transcendent love, which is just amazing. The lyrics are really amazing, but when you just listen to it it just sounds like a guy singing "Bernadette." It sounds like your average love song. But there's something about the words that are really transcendent, it's almost like Bernadette represents not only the love of this man's life, but his life itself. So I think a song can be really powerful without being particularly literate. I think Dar Williams is very literate, but sometimes she doesn't always affect me emotionally.

Can you describe your creative process? Do the lyrics or the music come first?
It's changing all the time. It used to be that I would start with a melody and then work on the lyrics. But now it comes in all different ways. Sometimes I finish the lyrics completely before I write the melody. Sometimes the melody comes first, and I have to figure out what is the story that this melody is telling. So it comes in all different ways.

Do you ever get writer's block? How do you deal with that?
Yeah, but I don't really think of it that way. I'm a slow writer and I just know that I am that way and usually there's some ideas percolating even if I'm not finishing anything. So I try to be gentle with myself and not judge myself by saying, "Oh, I have writer's block." It's really more a question of getting the time to sit down and finish those things that I have started.

Who are your current inspirations?
I love The Strokes actually. It's funny because it has nothing to do with songwriting. It's really more about their musicianship. I like their attitude. I like the lyrics that I can wedge or tease out from whatever they're talking. So when I want to put myself in a good mood, I listen to them. There's some songwriters that I've bought their CDs and I have to listen to them. I bought Madonna's new CD, American Life, but I haven't had a chance to listen to it. I bought Cat Power's new CD, but I haven't had a chance to listen to it.

Do you see any similarities between you and Cat Power?
Well I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet. I think there might be, but I don't know. I'm just intrigued because I see her picture everywhere. You know when I listen to Beth Orton's music, I like the production. I can't tell whether we're even on the same page lyrically because she doesn't really print her lyrics. And there have been times where I've really liked Liz Phair and really liked PJ Harvey. I guess Liz Phair is working on a new album. We'll see about that.

You wrote a collection of poems, short stories and journalistic pieces called The Passionate Eye. Would you ever consider writing, say, a novel-length elaboration of "Luka"?
No, that had never occurred to me. I guess that with "Luka" I just thought that it is what it is and we'll leave it alone. I never thought of exploring it further, though that's an interesting idea. One of these days when I have a moment, and I'm not on tour I'd love to write something more full length, just in general, not about "Luka."

What's up next for you?
Yeah. When I'm done touring I'd love to just come off the road and finish up a bunch of things that I've started. Having a retrospective and looking back is fine and I enjoy doing it, but I'm also getting itchy to kind of look towards the future and figure out what the new group of songs is going to be like.

Do you think that people will be surprised by the sound of the new music?
Possibly. But so much about that depends on the producer. It's kind of like a new period for me. I'll have to figure out who the new record company is going to be, who the new producer is going to be, and what the new songs are going to be. So there is a lot to look forward to.

For more from Suzanne Vega, listen to her Audio Portrait >>>

— Jin Moon