Luka (song)

"Luka"
Single by Suzanne Vega
from the album Solitude Standing
Released	1987
Recorded	1986
Genre	Dark pop
Length	3:48
Label	A&M
Writer(s)	Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega singles chronology
"Gypsy" (1986) "Luka" (1987) "Tom's Diner" (1987)

"Luka" is a song recorded by Suzanne Vega and released as a single in 1987. It remains her highest-charting hit in the United States, reaching #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. This song was one of the earliest to deal with child abuse and domestic violence. One critic said, "the 'happy' music is a metaphorical denial, making this seem beautiful and serene while discussing something terrible and devastating. It is a wonderful use of tune as a metaphor for how many abuse victims also deny their abuse, and is a profound classic".^[1]

Writing

Vega also recorded a Spanish-language version of the song, featured on the single.

Music video

This video was directed by Michael Patterson & Candice Reckinge. It was shot over 3 days, in New York City. The part of Luka was played by actor Jason Cerbone, who was chosen after the directors auditioned more than 90 children for the part.

Charts

Chart (1987)	Peak position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart	21
Austrian Singles Chart	9
Canadian Singles Chart	5
French SNEP Singles Chart	24
Ireland Singles Chart	11
New Zealand Singles Chart	8
Polish Singles Chart	1
Swedish Singles Chart	2
UK Singles Chart[citation needed]	23
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[2]	3
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary[3]	3
U.S. Billboard Album Rock Tracks	15[4]
U.S. Billboard Hot Latin Songs	48[5]

Covers

• The song was covered by The Lemonheads on their 1989 album, Lick.

• British indie group Easyworld covered the song on the B side to their 2004 single "'til the day".

• The song was covered in a bossa nova style by Japanese band The Indigo on their 2004 album "My Fair Melodies 2".

• Laith Al-Deen covered the song on his 2009 album "Session".

• Olivia Ong also covered the song on her eponymous 2010 album.

• Kasey Chambers covered the song on her 2011 album, Storybook.

In popular culture

• Irish musician, Luka Bloom, took the first name of his stage persona from the song title.
• Homer Simpson sings this song while driving Snake's souped-up sports car in the ninth season Simpsons episode "Realty Bites".
• In 1988 Paola Turci recorded an Italian translation of the song, titled "Mi chiamo Luca" (My name is Luka). The song, contained in her debut album "Ragazza sola, Ragazza blu".
• In the webcomic Penny Arcade, characters Gabe and Tycho refer to their neighbour Charles as "Luka" because he "lives on the second floor", "lives upstairs from [them]", and "[they've] seen him before".
• Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, lead guitarist of Blue Oyster Cult, and his wife made an unreleased parody of this song called My Name is Loofa, changing it into a song about the eponymous sponge.
• In the 2002 film Looking for Leonard, when Joel Bissonnette's character introduces himself as Luka to Jo (Kim Huffman), she asks him "Luka, like the song?" then tells him that the song used to be played on the radio "all the time," and that it drove her "out of [her] mind."
• In the television show Scrubs, in the episode "My Therapeutic Month", when Dr. Turk (Donald Faison) is being quizzed by Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) about lupus, he replies "Lupus? Does she live on the second floor? [singing] Does she live upstairs from you?"

References

1. ^ Writers Write Review
2. ^ Mariah, Madonna Make Billboard Chart History
3. ^ Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
4. ^ Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks
5. ^ Hot Latin Songs

External links

• Vega on writing "Luka"