This a fan-site. As much as this is about Suzanne Vega, I'm not going to go into her Bio, will put up an interview though. My part in writing text will be more around how she impacted my life.
When I first heard "Luka" (yes I am going to admit it and not lie and said I had already heard "Marlene on The Wall" previously), it opened a totally new perspective in the sense that my parents listened to protest songs, but they where about what was relevant in the "Hippie" era, and things that where going on then.
Even as a child in 1987 I was old enough to listen to the lyrics and understand the "crux" of it. So much so that I started asking my Mum questions about the subject of child abuse. This opened a whole new world for me and understanding that there are more problems in the world than simply not getting that toy you want now and then.
Suzanne Vega re-recorded her songs of her back catalogue and seperated them about subject matters "Love Songs", "People & Places" etc. Get it now on Vinyl!
Well the song that changed my life as far as listening to bands and artists who discuss real world issues and bring it to the mainstream.
Tom's Diner, always a fan's classic which exploded into a 90's dance floor hit when remixed. Tom's Dinner continues to win new generations over with a cover that went viral, again this song keeps on giving and giving! Loved it when it was released as I still do now.
Thanks for sharing your insightful thoughts, your personal experiences and being the artist the 80's needed to really talk about issues that needed to be talked about and doing it your way. Your personality is as needed today as it was in the 80's.