Story of the Song: Tom’s Diner by Suzanne Vega

From The Independent archive: Robert Webb on a hit single with a double life

(Getty)

With its hypnotic fourstroke melody, “Tom’s Diner” is little more than an idea for a song. It's a composite of events witnessed by Suzanne Vega at Tom’s Restaurant, on 112th Street and Broadway in New York City, one rainy day in 1982. Vega conceived it for voice and solo piano but decided to record it a capella. Uncluttered by overdubs or vocal treatments, it opens her 1987 album, Solitude Standing, and was a minor hit single.

In 1990, the British dance duo DNA remixed “Tom’s Diner” without Vega’s permission, coupling her vocals to a dance beat borrowed from Soul II Soul. It was aired in clubs as “Oh Suzanne”, until Vega’s label, A&M, threatened to sue. After negotiations, the remix gained an official release and made the Top 5. In 2000, Business 2.0 magazine revealed that “Tom’s Diner” had been used as an audio yardstick by a sound technician perfecting the MP3 audio compression format.