LUKA
“Luka” is a song recorded by Suzanne Vega and released as a single in 1987. It remains her highest-charting hit in the United States, reaching number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Vega also recorded a Spanish-language version of the song, featured on the single. “Luka” earned Vega nominations at the 1988 Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. (More from Wikipedia)
Suzanne Vega was basically an acoustic artist when she started out, and she scored a major hit in 1987 with “Luka” from her second album Solitude Standing. In 1990, an anonymous duo called DNA released a bootleg single based on an a capella track from that album called “Tom’s Diner” that was set to an electronic beat; originally released under the name “Oh Suzanne”, they had an unexpected hit song a full 3 years after her album came out (and nearly 10 years after Vega originally wrote the song). Suzanne Vega allowed the single to be issued legitimately and subsequently released several albums of her own with an edgier sound, as well as Tom’s Album that included several other unsolicited versions of this same song.
(March 2012)
