Marlene On The Wall

Album: Suzanne Vega (1985)
Charted: 21
Play Video
  • Lyrics currently unavailable Writer/s: Suzanne Vega
    Publisher: Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Comments: 3

  • AnonymousIn live performances, Vega told a slightly different story of this song.
    The idea came to her when she was house-sitting for a friend, and in the lonely night turned on the TV in the bedroom.
    It was one of those old tube-style TV's which had to warm up before displaying the picture, but the audio started up pretty quickly.
    As the TV went on, she saw a blank screen and heard a man telling a woman how many men she had destroyed with her smile.
    Then the picture came on, with a full screen image of Marlene, in which she responds (as Vega said, in the only way Dietrich would) simply "Kiss Me".
    This morphed into a fantasy about Marlene looking through the TV at the goings on in the friend's bedroom, and that's what the lyrics are about.
  • Max from New York, NyYeah that was clever on Tarantino's part. Man poor suzanne, she's just famous for having things done to her behind her back without permission. Like DNA and her acapella, but when it made her famous, she didn't complain... but she's actually not very proud of it and doesn't assosiate herself with it.
  • Kieran from Harlow, United StatesA gr8 artist. Fictional cousin of Vincent Vega (from Pulp Fiction) i'd like to hear her opinion on Tarantino including that into his script. Caramel is my favourite tune.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Matt Sorum

Matt SorumSongwriter Interviews

When he joined Guns N' Roses in 1990, Matt helped them craft an orchestral sound; his mezzo fortes and pianissimos are all over "November Rain."

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.

Annie Haslam of Renaissance

Annie Haslam of RenaissanceSongwriter Interviews

The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" Album

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" AlbumSong Writing

In the summer of 1990, you could get arrested for selling a 2 Live Crew album or performing their songs in Southern Florida. And that's exactly what happened.

Dave Mason

Dave MasonSongwriter Interviews

Dave reveals the inspiration for "Feelin' Alright" and explains how the first song he ever wrote became the biggest hit for his band Traffic.

Protest Songs

Protest SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know your protest songs (including the one that went to #1)?