Tom's Diner remix
D.N.A. featuring Suzanne Vega (1990)A remix track of one of the most fascinating songs of the 1980's was released 35 years ago today.
The diner in the song where
Suzanne Vega has her morning coffee is
Tom's Restaurant on the corner of Broadway and West 112th Street in New York City. This is a location that will be instantly familiar to
Seinfeld fans as it was the filming location for all of the exterior shots at
Monk's Cafe in the series.
Years before
Jerry,
George,
Elaine, and
Kramer turned this establishment into their regular meeting place, a 22 year old
Suzanne Vega found herself at the restaurant on the morning of
November 18th, 1981 imagining life from the point of view of her friend
Brian Rose. He's a photographer who once told the singer that he saw his life through a pane of glass and that made him feel like he was able to witness many things without ever being involved in them. She was inspired to put pen to paper and write how
Brian would perceive the moment that she found herself in at the restaurant at that moment.
The song's lyrics have led to fans being able to pinpoint the date when Suzanne wrote down her observations that would become
Tom's Diner. About two thirds of the way through the song, she sings
I open up the paper
There's a story of an actor
Who had died while he was drinking
It was no one I had heard of
And I'm turning to the horoscope
And looking for the funnies
When I'm feeling someone watching me
And so I raise my head
In the years since, Suzanne has confirmed that the actor in question was
William Holden. The man who in
1953 won the
Academy Award for Best Actor had been drinking in his apartment when he slipped on a throw rug and fell into the sharp corner of a nightstand that was next to his bed. The corner reports state that he passed away on November 12th, but his body wasn't discovered until the 16'th, and the
New York Post cover story wouldn't be published until
November 18th.
The line in the song where
Suzanne mentions that she turned to the horoscope while looking for the funnies was the key in fans narrowing down the paper that she was reading. At the time, there were only two newspapers in the city which had a weekday comics section, and the
New York Post was the one out of those which had the story of
William Holden's death on the cover.
Suzanne finished writing and recording the song as an a capella track the following year. It was first released in the January 1984 edition of
Fast Folk Musical Magazine, which was a combination of a print magazine with a vinyl record album that was published monthly. It would receive a much wider release three years later when it was included on her second studio album,
Solitude Standing, which was released on April 1st, 1987.
Suzanne Vega (1987)I am sitting in the morning
At the diner on the corner
I am waiting at the counter
For the man to pour the coffee
And he fills it only halfway
He is looking out the window
"It is always nice to see you"
Says the man behind the counter
To the woman who has come in
She is shaking her umbrella
As they are kissing their hellos
And I'm pretending not to see them
And instead I pour the milk
There's a story of an actor
Who had died while he was drinking
It was no one I had heard of
And I'm turning to the horoscope
And looking for the funnies
When I'm feeling someone watching me
There's a woman on the outside
Looking inside, does she see me?
No, she does not really see me
'Cause she sees her own reflection
And I'm trying not to notice
That she's hitching up her skirt
And while she's straightening her stockings
Oh, this rain, it will continue
Through the morning as I'm listening
To the bells of the cathedral
I am thinking of your voice
And of the midnight picnic once upon a time
And I finish up my coffee
And it's time to catch the train
I am sitting in the morning
At the diner on the corner
I am waiting at the counter
For the man to pour the coffee
And he fills it only halfway
He is looking out the window
"It is always nice to see you"
Says the man behind the counter
To the woman who has come in
She is shaking her umbrella
As they are kissing their hellos
And I'm pretending not to see them
And instead I pour the milk
There's a story of an actor
Who had died while he was drinking
It was no one I had heard of
And I'm turning to the horoscope
And looking for the funnies
When I'm feeling someone watching me
There's a woman on the outside
Looking inside, does she see me?
No, she does not really see me
'Cause she sees her own reflection
And I'm trying not to notice
That she's hitching up her skirt
And while she's straightening her stockings
Oh, this rain, it will continue
Through the morning as I'm listening
To the bells of the cathedral
I am thinking of your voice
In 2008, Suzanne Vega wrote an incredible essay about Tom's Diner that was published in The New York Times that I highly recommend. Click here to read it.
