Fact #173177

Suzanne Vega : That was a truthful song. The lines came out of my life. But you want to be careful, too, because you don't want to get into "Oh, my boyfriend left me..." I have a problem with specifically confessional songwriting. I think you have to craft it in some way. I don't think you can come on stage and blurt out your innermost feelings. My niece can blurt out her innermost feelings. She's four years old. I wouldn't want to pay $25 to go see her do that. You need to put it in a form. Although it is truthful, you have to give it some respect, or a certain kind of dignity, by putting it into a kind of form. Because these people are not my friends. They're paying to see a show, some form of entertainment. So I'm not gonna sit there and talk to them like Ronee Blakely in Nashville.
(Source : interview with Paul Zollo, Songtalk, winter 1991)

Suzanne Vega : I remember writing Marlene On The Wall and thinking, ‘No-one will have a clue what this song’s about’. I thought it was too personal and no-one would get the references, but it ended up being a hit in England and Israel and right across the world. So in the end, I don’t think it matters if people don’t get every single reference. As long as you have some feeling towards it: if you love the music, that’s enough for me.
(Source : interview with Russell Deeks, Songwriting magazine, May 2015)