1985 Songs: Marlene on the Wall

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This song almost ended up in the top ten…“last one out,” as they’ll be saying when they make the NCAA selections this weekend. (By the way, Selection Sunday is a national holiday in Kentucky, so don’t call anyone in the state between 6 and 7 PM eastern time, but do incline your ear toward us as the annual “WHY DID DUKE GET….” screams begin right after the brackets are revealed. ) Here’s someone you might not have known did another song. Marlene on the Wall - Suzanne Vega Yes, can you believe it, Suzanne Vega actually DID do something other than “Luka” (and that remixed version of “Tom’s Diner”)! You may think she was like the automobile that shares her last name (crashed quickly ), but no: this woman has enjoyed a long career of great music. She is one heck of a songwriter. This song could easily be hip-hop if you took the folk-rock accompaniment and turned it into a bass and drum. It was her first single; and, of course, it tanked. Thankfully, it introduced a lot of us to a brilliant singer/songwriter who’d open up a new era for females. Marlene on the Wall Written by Suzanne Vega Recorded by Suzanne Vega From Suzanne Vega, 1985 As you held me in your handsome fist: