"Luka"
Artwork for North American releases, also used for French and Japanese releases
Single by Suzanne Vega
from the album Solitude Standing
B-side"Night Vision"
ReleasedMay 21, 1987 (1987-05-21)[1]
Genre
Length3:48
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Suzanne Vega
Producer(s)
Suzanne Vega singles chronology
"Gypsy"
(1986)		 "Luka"
(1987)		 "Tom's Diner"
(1987)
Music video
"Luka" on YouTube

"Luka" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, released as the second single from her second studio album, Solitude Standing (1987), in May 1987. It remains her highest-charting hit in the United States, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Worldwide, the song charted the highest in Sweden, peaking at No. 2, and reached the top 10 in Austria, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. Shawn Colvin sings background vocals on the record.[4]

"Luka" earned Vega nominations at the 1988 Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Vega also recorded a Spanish-language version of the song, included on the single release.

Subject

The song deals with the issue of child abuse. On a 1987 Swedish television special, Vega revealed her inspiration for Luka:

A few years ago, I used to see this group of children playing in front of my building, and there was one of them, whose name was Luka, who seemed a little bit distinctive from the other children. I always remembered his name, and I always remembered his face, and I didn't know much about him, but he just seemed set apart from these other children that I would see playing. And his character is what I based the song Luka on. In the song, the boy Luka is an abused child—in real life I don't think he was. I think he was just different.[5]

In a Dutch video documentary by "Top 2000 à gogo" in December 2018, Vega spoke about the meaning of the song:

I wanted to write about child abuse… I had to think of how to write about a subject that no-one talks about.[6]

In 2021, she revealed that the song dealt with the emotional and physical abuse she had suffered from her stepfather Ed Vega.

“There was abuse in my family... I am actually Luka.”[7]

In 2023, she similarly told German radio Station Bayern 2 the song is about her own experience with physical abuse:

I chose Luka as a name and as a character because I didn't want people to know that it was me.[8]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Luka" was directed by Michael Patterson and Candice Reckinge. It was shot over three days in New York City. The part of Luka was played by actor Jason Cerbone (who years later played Jackie Aprile Jr. on the series The Sopranos), who was chosen after the directors auditioned more than 90 children for the part.[9]

Charts

Follow-up

During a 2012 episode of BBC Radio 4's Mastertapes, Vega revealed that she had written a follow-up to "Luka", from the point of view of the character as he looked back on his life.[33] The song, titled "Song of the Stoic", later appeared on her eighth studio album Tales from the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles (2014).

References

  1. ↑ "How I wrote 'Luka' by Suzanne Vega". Songwriting. September 21, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  2. ↑ Browne, David (June 18, 1987). "Suzanne Vega: Solitude Standing : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. No. 502. Archived from the original on June 26, 2007. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  3. ↑ Segretto, Mike (2022). "1990". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. p. 499. ISBN 9781493064601.
  4. ↑ Woodstra, Chris Shawn Colvin Biography All Music, retrieved May 25, 2012
  5. ↑ "Luka by Suzanne Vega Songfacts". Retrieved August 22, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Suzanne Vega – Luka - The story behind the song – Top 2000 à gogo". YouTube. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Suzanne Vega takes her ‘New York Songs and Stories’ on the road", NJArts.net, August 25, 2021. https://www.njarts.net/suzanne-vega-takes-her-new-york-songs-and-stories-on-the-road/
  8. ↑ Rundfunk, Bayerischer (September 1, 2023). "Live-Konzert: Suzanne Vega beim Hafensommer Würzburg" (in German). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ↑ Flaherty, Mike (May 29, 2001). "Meet Jason Cerbone, The Sopranos unwise guy". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  10. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 329. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and June 19, 1988.
  11. ↑ "Suzanne Vega – Luka" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  12. ↑ "Suzanne Vega – Luka" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  13. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0869." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  14. ↑ "European Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4, no. 26. July 4, 1987. p. 15. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  15. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Suzanne Vega". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 273. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Suzanne Vega – Luka" (in French). Les classement single.
  17. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Luka". Irish Singles Chart.
  18. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 27, 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  19. ↑ "Suzanne Vega – Luka" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  20. ↑ "Suzanne Vega – Luka". Top 40 Singles.
  21. ↑ "SA Charts 1965 - 1989 Songs J-L". South African Rock Lists. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Suzanne Vega – Luka". Singles Top 100.
  23. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  24. ↑ "Suzanne Vega Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Suzanne Vega Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Suzanne Vega Chart History (Hot Latin Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Suzanne Vega Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  28. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996. Sheridan Books, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0.
  29. ↑ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  30. ↑ "SloTop50 – Slovenian official singles chart". slotop50.si. Archived from the original on July 14, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  31. ↑ "Top 100 Singles of '87". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  32. ↑ "1987 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 99, no. 52. December 26, 1987.
  33. ↑ "Mastertapes - Suzanne Vega (the B-Side)". BBC Radio 4. November 12, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
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