# Solitude Standing

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Los Angeles Times | |
| Orlando Sentinel | |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| The Village Voice | C+ |
Solitude Standing is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, released on April 1, 1987, by A&M Records. It is the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed album of Vega's, being certified Platinum in the US and reaching number 11 on the Billboard 200.

## Overview

"Tom's Diner" was included twice on the album; the a cappella version was the first track, and the instrumental version was the last track. In 1990, a remixed version of the song featuring DNA reached number five in the US. The song was later used to test prototype MP3 compression software. "Night Vision" was inspired by the poem "Juan Gris" by Paul Éluard. "Calypso" is based on the Odyssey, namely the part in which Calypso is forced to let Odysseus go. It is mentioned in the work All the Young Dudes, a fan fiction by MsKingBean89 in which Odysseus and Calypso's relationship mirrors Remus and Grant's. "Gypsy" is mentioned in the book The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, in which the main character Charlie includes it on one of his mixtapes. Vega once stated she wrote "Gypsy" when she was only 18 years old (which would be 1977) which means the song was written 10 years before it was first released.

## 25th anniversary

In 2012, to mark the 25th anniversary of the album's release, Vega played four celebratory concerts in which the album was performed in its entirety. The first was in Copley Square, Boston on July 28; the second and third were at City Winery in Hudson Square, New York City on October 9 (7pm and 10pm shows); and the fourth at London's Barbican Theatre on October 16.
A limited-edition two-CD set, titled Solitude Standing: Live at the Barbican, was produced by Concert Live and made available for purchase instantly after the final show, as well as online.

## Personnel

* Suzanne Vega – vocals, acoustic guitar
* Marc Shulman – electric guitars
* Anton Sanko – synthesizers, classical guitar on 5
* Michael Visceglia – bass guitar, additional synthesizer on 11
* Stephen Ferrera – drums, percussion
Additional personnel
* Shawn Colvin – backing vocals on 2
* Mitch Easter – rhythm guitar on 9
* Steve Addabbo – guitar on 9
* Frank Christian – electric guitar on 9
* Jon Gordon – guitar solo on 2
* Sue Evans – percussion on 7, drums on 9
Production
* Steve Addabbo – producer, engineer
* Lenny Kaye – producer
* Mitch Easter – producer on 9
* Ronald K. Fierstein – executive producer
* Rod O'Brien – engineer
* Shelly Yakus – mixing
* Jeffrey Gold – art direction
* Melanie Nissen – art direction, design
* Paula Bullwinkel – cover photography

## Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Solitude Standing :
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Australia (ARIA) | Gold | 25,000 |
| Brazil | — | 50,000 |
| Canada (Music Canada) | Platinum | 100,000$^^$ |
| France (SNEP) | 2× Gold | 200,000$^*$ |
| Germany (BVMI) | Gold | 250,000$^^$ |
| Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) | Gold | 10,000$^*$ |
| Norway (IFPI Norway) | Gold | 50,000 |
| New Zealand (RMNZ) | Platinum | 15,000$^^$ |
| Singapore | — | 12,000 |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE) | Gold | 50,000$^^$ |
| Sweden (GLF) | Gold | 50,000$^^$ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Platinum | 300,000$^^$ |
| United States (RIAA) | Platinum | 1,000,000$^^$ |
| Summaries |||
| Worldwide | — | 5,000,000 |
| $^*$ Sales figures based on certification alone. $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |||