Song · Suzanne Vega
“Marlene on the Wall” by Suzanne Vega
From the album Suzanne Vega (1985)
“Marlene on the Wall” by Suzanne Vega appears on 4 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 1985 and 2019. It was first released in 1985 on the album Suzanne Vega. Its best result is #8 on the Studio Brussel De Eindafrekening 1985. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #69 alternative song of 1985.
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"Marlene on the Wall" was Suzanne Vega's first single, and it sits on her self-titled 1985 debut for A&M. The Marlene is Marlene Dietrich: Vega had a poster of the actress up and wrote the song wondering what those eyes would see, and what advice they'd offer, if the picture could actually look back.
She nearly dropped it as too private and obscure, but Jon Gordon, her guitarist then and the electric guitar on the record, talked her into keeping it as a bright opener for her shows. Lenny Kaye and Steve Addabbo produced. It went nowhere the first time out, but a 1986 reissue gave her a first UK top 40 hit, and it has stayed one of her best-known songs.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 8 | Studio Brussel Flanders, Belgium | Studio Brussel De Eindafrekening 1985 | 30 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 259 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Essential Songs | 913 |
| 2019 | 820 | WYEP | WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 | 1017 |
| 2019 | 820 | WYEP | WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 | 1099 |
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