When Suzanne Vega emerged from New York City’s folk scene in the mid-’80s, the singer-songwriter tradition that bloomed during the ’70s had fizzled out. The major figures had gone into mainstream pop and rock or more experimental directions, and the audience and market had dried up. Vega’s self-titled debut and the follow-up, the platinum-selling Solitude Standing, revived the genre, especially for female singer-songwriters, laying the foundation for the Lilith Fair tours, which she participated in, the following decade.
Following her literary and musical inspirations, she’s continued to write terrific songs and make great albums, displaying excellent taste and sharp wit. Last month, she released her first set of original material in 11 years (2016’s Lover, Beloved consisted of songs for her one-woman show about writer Carson McCullers, and 2020’s An Evening of New York Songs & Stories was a live recording), which she shared in her recent appearance at the Lincoln Theatre.
Accompanied by her long-time associate Gerry Leonard on electric guitar and joined during the set by cellist Stephanie Winters, Vega started with guaranteed crowd pleasers. “Marlene On The Wall,” from her debut, is inspired by the life and career of actress Marlene Dietrich. It was the first of four from songs from that album: She also played “Small Blue Thing,” “Some Journey,” and “The Soldier and the Queen,” which has the quality of a timeless folktale. The title cut from 99.9 F° was produced by her ex-husband Mitchell Froom; presented in a stripped-down context on Tuesday night, the recorded version sees her experimenting with synthesizers and drum machines. “Caramel,” from Objects of Desire, is another product of that collaboration.
“Gypsy,” which appears on Solitude Standing, chronicles Suzanne’s first love affair. The summer she was 18, she worked as a counselor (disco dancing and folk singing) at a girl’s camp in upstate New York. Down the road was a camp for boys, and the counselors would meet at a bar in between (the drinking age then was 18). One of the boy’s counselors approached her, asking her if she liked Leonard Cohen, who is, along with Bob Dylan and Lou Reed (who both figured into the night), one of her principal influences. They were a couple for six weeks, after which she returned to New York City, where she grew up, to study literature at Barnard College, and he went back to his native England. Years later, they reconnected and have stayed in contact.
Watch Suzanne Vega perform “Gypsy” live on Soundcheck via YouTube:
As artists age, their work often tackles more mature themes. Part of the joy of following an artist you love is seeing these changes. The youthful concerns of “Gypsy” contrast with the subject matter of “Flying with Angels,” which deals with caregiving. “Speaker’s Corner,” which Vega started writing two years ago, is a rare political song in her catalog, dealing with free speech. The chambermaid in Bob Dylan’s “I Want You” inspired “The Chambermaid,” about the women who clean up — literally and figuratively — for great men. Suzanne related how, when she opened for Bob in 2012, she thanked him and kissed him on the cheek. She said this was a mistake, describing Dylan as “shy.” (If you’re looking a strange, curly-haired, creative little Jew, I’m a decent substitute.)
Vega rounded out the set with old favorites: “Left of Center,” “I Never Wear White,” “Luka,” and “Tom’s Diner.” “Luka” takes on a rather improbable subject for a song that got so popular: child abuse. For her encore, she broke out Lou Reed’s “Walk On The Wild Side,” which she regularly performs, and two more new songs, “Love Thief” and “Galway,” a paean to the Irish town that also inspired Steve Earle’s “The Galway Girl.”
Forty years after releasing her debut, Suzanne Vega, like the songwriters who inspired, now has her own artistic children. And she’s still making great music, writing worldly songs that celebrate her wide variety of passions and interests.
Here are some photos of Suzanne Vega performing live at Lincoln Theatre in DC on June 10, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
