| "Marlene on the Wall" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cover of the 1986 re-release (7") | ||||
| Single by Suzanne Vega | ||||
| from the album Suzanne Vega | ||||
| Studio | Celestial Sound (New York City) | |||
| Genre | Folk [1] | |||
| Length | 3:37 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Songwriter | Suzanne Vega | |||
| Producers | ||||
| Suzanne Vega singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Marlene on the Wall" on YouTube | ||||
"Marlene on the Wall" is a song by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. In addition to being her debut single,it appears on her eponymous debut studio album,released in 1985 by A&M Records.
While the song failed to make any impact on the charts with its initial release,it became Vega's first top 40 hit on the UK singles chart upon a re-release in 1986. [2] It has gone on to become one of Vega's best-known songs [3] and has been included on the greatest hits albums Tried &True (1998) and Retrospective (2003).
The title of the song refers to German and American actress and singer Marlene Dietrich. [4] Inspired by a poster of the actress,Vega said of the song:"I was thinking,'If Marlene really had eyes that could see –if she was actually a sentient being,instead of just a picture on my wall –what advice would she give me and what was to be seen?'" [5]
While Vega felt unsure about the song at first,considering it too private and obscure,her guitarist at the time,Jon Gordon,convinced her to keep the song as a show-opener due to its upbeat nature. [5]
Spin wrote the song is "on the small scale... about a troubled,even masochistic relationship;on the big scale its[ sic ] about the limits of what one will endure in the name of love." [6]
Upon its original release,"Marlene on the Wall" failed to gain much success,stalling at number 83 on the UK singles chart. [7] However,after being re-released in 1986,it became her first top 40 hit,peaking at number 21. [2] It remains her highest-charting song in the UK. The song found its greatest success in Ireland,where it peaked at number 9,becoming her first top 10 hit in any country. [8]
All songs written by Suzanne Vega.
Original release
1986 re-release (7")
1986 re-release (10")
Side one
Side two
| Chart (1985–1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) [9] | 39 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [10] | 13 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) [11] | 27 |
| Ireland (IRMA) [8] | 9 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [2] | 21 |