A great title track is par for the course when it comes to great albums. If the title track doesn’t cut it, what does that say about the album itself? This month, the Mental Jukebox will be playing some of my favorite title tracks – inspired by @NicolaB_73’s music Twitter challenge, #TopTitleTracks.
One Saturday afternoon in high school, I went to the old Tower Records in the Village and waited among the throngs to meet Suzanne Vega. She was quiet, but assuredly in command. That same eccentric stature and personality are on full display on “Solitude Standing” where Vega’s eerie confidence comes through even in a whisper. “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner” were the bigger hits. But the title track is the one that showed Vega at her best, unapologetic self.
“Solitude Standing” stands firmly in the album’s midway point. It seems as if we’ve walked into a labrynth of synth shards, guitar meanderings, snare hits and Vega’s pensive vocal output. It’s easy to lose yourself in the music, which is why I love it so much. But that’s only part of what works best. “Solitude Standing” is also a portal into the second half of the album. While the first half had a darker, seedier side, the second half envelopes the listener in a more ethereal fantasy world.
“I've come to set a twisted thing straight.”