[youtube id=”FLP6QluMlrg”]Suzanne Vega wrote “Tom’s Diner” in 1981 after reading about the death of actor William Holden while sitting in Tom’s Restaurant in New York City. She wrote the song with only the voice and piano in mind and the original album version was acapella. Producers DNA remixed “Tom’s Diner” in 1990 with the beat of Soul II Soul’s “Keep On Movin'” and made it a timeless club classic.  “Tom’s Diner” also became the first MP3 after Karlheinz Brandenburg used it to develop the technology. Solitude Standing is Vega’s biggest record because of “Tom’s Diner” and her international pop hit “Luka.” She was shrewd to allow DNA to release their remix on her label because it was a bootlegged record. DNA’s work became an influence that found Vega releasing more music with electronic beats. Vega released her ninth studio album, Lover, Beloved: Songs From An Evening With Carson McCullers.Â
