Suzanne Vega – “Left of Center”

This is a beautiful song by Ms. Suzanne Vega; we’re talking some real teen angst here and not that fake Kurt Cobain brand of nonsense. Suzanne Vega is entirely real and she’s got that suntan lotion appeal, we’re talking total yummy-town up in this motherfucker, tasty as shit! This tune receives some mysterious help from a chap by the name of Joe Jackson, and yes, this jam did appear in one of those goofy ‘80’s teen flicks, but the music outlives the Brat Pack, I can assure your cute little rump real horror show of that fact, mate.

A live version of this cut also appears on Ms. Vega’s epic “Luka” single as well. Mysterious and sexy much like “Tom’s Diner,” Suzanne knows how to toy with a gent’s heart, no question. This is an icy composition that bears repeated plays, so deal with it. Much of what Suzanne writes is always some vague puzzle, a sort of musical sketch that the listener is then left to finish, as the case might be. Her musical accompaniment is in large part no different, unless she is working in a specific conceptual framework the listener will often find her in a rather stark and sparse setting or with appropriate musical backing like on this cut that is oddly both laid back and edgy at the same time.