Rock on: the minimalist, industrial-style setting for the video of When Heroes Go Down perfectly reflected the tone of the song
It was difficult to restrict myself to a single song from Suzanne Vega's great catalogue to honour as the first to feature in this occasional 'Love the Song' series.
However, I've gone for one of her more unusual outings, When Heroes Go Down. It is probablythe most out-and-out rocking number she has released. And at just under two minutes long, it is also one of the briefest slices of pop/rock.
It was the fourth and final single from the 99.9F album of 1992, which itself was a huge departure for Vega, breaking away from the folk-pop of her first three albums. The album featured industrial-sounding beats and percussion and some stark lyricism and vocals, and sent the American singer-songwriter into new territory. It was a bold step, and came two years after her famed song Tom's Diner had been sampled and repackaged by the British dance music duo DNA, sending it to the top of the charts.
The musical experimentation of 99.9F produced a host of memorable tracks, including the title song 99.9F, Blood Makes Noise, and In Liverpool.
What I love about When Heroes Go Down is its driving rock beat, the straightforward, powerful lyrics, Vega's assured vocals, and the way it manages to squeeze in a momentary change of pace, even in the rarified space of its 120 seconds entirety. In fact, my only complaint is that it is too short. I'd happily listen to another few minutes of this rocker.
A setlist from a Suzanne Vega concert in 2013, featuring her most famous hits Luka and Tom's Diner
Today wasn't a rainy day, but there have been plenty in the past month. On one of the wettest I found myself ducking in and out of bus shelters as I made my way to work, because with seven miles to cover on a moped scooter, trying to ride through torrential cloudbursts was not advisable.
When it rains in Bermuda it is common to see moped and bike riders seeking cover in roadside bus shelters, sometimes taking their bike with them, to get out of the worst of the weather and wait for a break before continuing their journey.
This day was an exceptionally unpleasant one, with unpredictable squalls sending pummeling rain sweeping across the island at almost five-minute intervals. If you were riding a bike it was nigh on impossible to get anywhere without being drenched.
And so it was that I found myself dashing to a stone-built bus shelter to sit out the next blast of rain, my banana-yellow rain suit dripping and my bike parked on the pavement next to the shelter. Moments later I was joined by another rider. He was heading in the opposite direction and was just as soggy.
We exchanged greetings and commented on how the rain was ensuring it would take three-times as long for us to get where we were going. We stood and watched the world around us being washed, then the other rider started to hum to himself. It was a tune I instantly recognised - Suzanne Vega's Tom's Diner.
The song first appeared as an a cappella track on Vega's 1987 album Solitude Standing. Its catchy melody spanned the world after British dance music duo DNA remixed the track in 1990 and created a global smash hit.
Hearing the song being hummed unexpectedly on that rainy morning transported me back to the summer of 1987 when I first heard it and soon afterwards attended a performance by Vega at the small outdoor amphitheatre in London's Regent's Park.
In my younger days I listened to a fairly wide spectrum of music. Today, there are only four contemporary - and still active - musical artists that I follow closely. Suzanne Vega is one of them.
I've been fortunate to see her in concert at various stages of her career, and to have collected each of her albums as they have been released. My life has been enriched as a result.
Standing in a stone-walled bus shelter with rain clattering all around, it was uplifting to hear a stranger hum the refrain of Tom's Diner. Great tunes take on a life of their own, and you never know where you'll encounter a sweet musical memory.
The rain stopped and we got on our bikes and rode off in opposite directions. I now had Tom's Diner echoing in my mind as I headed for work where at least one of my colleague has the "do do do do" part of Tom's Diner set as a cell phone ringtone.
Below is a video of Suzanne Vega performing the original a cappella version of Tom's Diner. You can hear the more widely known DNA remix of the track, which starts with the 'do do do do' refrain, here
