🎵 Suzanne Vega - Luka REACTION

[@raiderrod3584]

Prince wrote a letter to Suzanne Vega saying how much he likes the song and thanking her for writing such a powerful meaningful song

[@carlmarks8170]

lol Who cares?

[@raiderrod3584]

@@carlmarks8170 your mama cares so should you damn peasant lol

[@carlmarks8170]

@@raiderrod3584 Careful with the 'mama' insults. Prince is watching over you. He can see everything you do.

[@raiderrod3584]

@@carlmarks8170 lmao alright you win this round

[@robin9876]

@@carlmarks8170 Some of us do - how selfish.

[@allisonoconnor8055]

It is absolutely about child abuse! Making people stop and think it could be a kid in my apartment block. And yeah they do only hit you till you cry, I would never cry and that made him even angrier. If you dare say anything it's cuz you're crazy! This is exactly how I grew up! God save all the Lucas💔💔😭❗

[@dan2007kohn]

💔

[@Stefan-]

Im sorry to hear that, i hope your life is better now !

[@terryquinn7765]

If there really was a god then maybe he/she would have done something to stop this abuse, but guess what there is “NO” god, that why it continues! Sorry for what you went through!

[@karimbenmahmoud1197]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@michaelstevers6032]

So sad. Child abuse is rarely reported. Kids are locked into alot bad families. Breaks your heart.

[@3DJapan]

Always brings a tear to my eye. Sad topic but her voice is so pretty as well. She was inspired by a little boy who lived in her building.

[@leroyrs]

Lex is right. The 80s gave you a catchy upbeat melody and when you started enjoying the song the lyrics hit you. This song is a good example that the 80s were musically very versatile.

[@angelbeaty8431]

Domestic Violence theme song. I used to listen to this song and cry and cry. I was a survivor too many others weren't. This song helped bring this problem out of the shadows.

[@isabelsilva62023]

I would like to suggest Soul Asylum's 1993 "Runaway train", it is about kids who run away from home and the video actually helped in finding a few kids,although years later the band said some of the kids who were shown had ended in tragedy.

[@4tuneagent]

Absolutely, an Outstanding video and an excellent song from a great band.. I also love ," Without A Trace"..

[@isabelsilva62023]

@@4tuneagent It is good also, yes.

[@jbjacobs9514]

I can't hold back tears anytime I hear that song; coupled with the video it is exponentially worse! I know they said that (director) they kept updating the video whenever they found a kid featured in the video. It is just too sad!

[@FlamesCagney]

"I think it's because I'm clumsy." "I walked into the door again". "If you ask that's what I'll say" "It's not your business anyway". Oh yeh you got it.

[@YasmineGalenornOfficial]

Back in the time when this came out, domestic violence and child abuse weren't dealt with as openly. Honestly, I was in an abusive relationship for nine years back then (after an abusive childhood--the pattern runs deep), and I did what I could to make it seem normal. When the abuse turned physical and he beat me up, I wore a long sleeve shirt to work to cover up the bruises. I also ended the relationship then, but I still didn't talk about it much with my friends. I was too embarrassed. But I damned well made sure it never happened again. There's a video with Suzanne explaining about the writing of this song somewhere.

[@chrisalldis3375]

Hi Yasmine, you are right, i think Toni Childs also put out a song with a similar theme, with I've got to go now, Suzanne has a similar voice to Dido

[@YasmineGalenornOfficial]

@@chrisalldis3375 Found it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXyqoKSmpq9gg68

[@anthonyhedberg6471]

I'm very sorry that happened to you Yasmine, and I am so happy that you lived through it. Lady...you're a survivor. 🤔

[@angelbeaty8431]

One survivor too another .... well done

[@phonebone81]

When I read your story, I almost cried. I will never understand why people can do this to others. That shapes your whole life and you never really get rid of it. Very nice that you share your negative experiences here and I really hope that this anonymity helps you to have said it once. All the best to you and best wishes!

[@Steffe]

A favorite artist since I heard her first song.

[@DazzleMonroe]

I went to see Suzanne in concert last night. Almost 40 years since this came out, and her voice hasn't changed at all.

[@mharris7380]

She has said and written that Luka was the name of a kid she spoke to once in passing. The first thing he said was "My name is Luka" She was thinking about writing a song about child abuse at the time and thought that Luka was an interesting name to use as it leaves the listener wondering where the kid is from. She also said she had no idea if Luka was being abused or not, just that he wasn't exactly like other kids as he would be in the park on his own. The only other thing she knew about him was that he lived above her, because she lived on the ground floor of an apartment block.

[@bshwalker]

She has since admitted that she was Luka. The song is about her.

[@nickhaswell6011]

Prince loved it and wrote to her on how awesome this song was

[@metalsquid]

Til' Tuesday - Voices Carry. Another great sounding 80s song about abuse. The 80s was an era of hope. That's why the songs still sounded happy when the subject matter was not. Then the 90s came and shed that happy outer image and went full-on "this sucks, we're not happy".

[@warrenrines3924]

Great job, I always love your reaction and how you always try to understand or make sense of the lyrics.

[@SingOnStreet]

Great!! as usual😍🤩🥰

[@TubetakerBHV]

Lex is one of the most intelligent people in the whole reaction scene.

[@Bob_Sacamano1975]

Well, compared to Brad she seems to be friggin Einstein.

[@PjRjHj]

She has synesthesic superpowers.

[@deeg8849]

@@Bob_Sacamano1975 Brads okay, but Lex carries this crew

[@talleyrand9442]

@@Bob_Sacamano1975 Hey! He's getting better. Lol. Yeezuz, y'all.

[@mimibee626]

This is a ridiculous statement. She is clueless. The WOMAN is being abused!

[@pauldear6660]

Luka is a Slavic name from eastern Europe in and around the area of the old Yugoslavia ( Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia etc).

[@mynameispaul0530]

The whole "Solitude Standing" album is pure magic.

[@thanksamill]

I had the album on cassette & played it to death.

[@user-cs4fg1rm5k]

As is 99.9F°, a wholely underated album.

[@BobbyGeneric145]

Dit dit duh duh dit dit duh duh.... 😁

[@ziggystardog]

My favorite was Ironbound/Fancy Poultry, but the whole album was magic and very NYC

[@andrewmorton9327]

@@ziggystardog I love that track.

[@3DJapan]

"They only hit until you cry, after that you don't ask why".

[@johnburton4577]

One of my favourite singers.

[@sourisvoleur4854]

This album is total 100% fire. This was the leadoff single and it got me to buy the album, and I'm so glad I did. One of nature's few perfect albums.

[@filmsensei]

You guys always have the most relaxed look on your faces when you’re listening to songs I always worry the message might not be registering and then you go and absolutely NAIL the interpretation! Lol, I’m like damn perfect analysis again, guys! So glad you covered this. And Lex with the dropping of Hell is For Children, nicely done 😊

[@saraheart2804]

Her smile slowly fades when she realized what she was singing about.

[@joskokrstulovic1258]

Yes it's about child abuse, sad but it's a beautiful song i Always loved this song.Very glad for this reaction.

[@judylee9022]

Another one similar to this (sadness) is soul asylum's runaway train, thanks to that song alot of missing children were found

[@jeffreekoch9298]

I remember this song and video. I was a kid when his was huge. Late 80s. Very sad 😔. Yall are right, it was about child abuse. Reminds me of Til Tuesday "Voices Carry", new wave band and song about abuse. Yal should check it out and more of Til Tuesday videos. Female singer has great voice too. Vega was alternative rock in the '80s and '90s. Should see videos for "Tom's Diner"(more upbeat, different, it's like house , dance music) and "Blood Makes Noise" (unique, hit in the early '90s). Her voice is good.

[@MarkSatchwillArt]

They did Voices Carry and didn't like it.

[@rachelharrison7961]

She’s singing from the child’s perspective. The lyrics are what he’d say if one of his neighbors’s bothered to ask if he was OK, but the sad part is no one really notices in the first place.

[@simonallis8137]

Wow, I’ve listened to this song for over 30 years and I always thought it was about ‘partner beating’ . I never even considered it was about child abuse. Very powerful song.

[@phen277]

I think this is the best reaction video you guys have made yet. Good job!

[@FF04RDF]

I need to pay more attention to lyrics. I’ve heard (but not listened apparently) this song 100s of times and I had no idea what it was about. Really sad but a beautiful song.

[@CCDzine]

I had this album on vinyl when it was new and there's a song on it that I loved called Gypsy.

[@edlilli]

Yeah, you guys should really listen to What's the Matter Here by the 10,000 Maniacs. It's in this same vein, but you'll be dancing until you realize what the song is about. The group is amazing and have some classic songs. So check it out, What's the Matter Here by the 10,000 Maniacs.

[@iainweller452]

A powerful song with an important message

[@CRabbit42]

Both "Hell is for Children" (1980) and "Luka" (1987) took the issue of child abuse head on and really got it out in the open and it became a mainstream topic of discussion and got a lot of people motivated to *do* something about it. Like others have said, her Solitude Standing album is really, really good. Fun fact: Her song "Tom's Diner" (which is pretty cool and deserves a listen) was the song used during the development of MP3. And that is why Suzanne Vega is known as "The Mother of the MP3."

[@nicolasnic7708]

Don’t forget What’s the matter here? By 10,000 Maniacs.

[@jbjacobs9514]

Hell is for Children is haunting (especially when you hear the live version Suffer the Little Children/Hell is For Children).

[@michaelparsons5299]

Very confronting song. Beautifully written and Suzanne Vega has such a distinctive voice!

[@dianefeinstein8951]

Brad and Lex: "Luka," in Indonesian means "wound," "injury," and "cut." For someone as knowledgeable as Suzanne Vega, the choice of "Luka," for the victim's name is not coincidental. Much love to your channel from Canada. -Diane, Vancouver, Canada. WdOC19/22 09:02 pm

[@torreyholmes7205]

"What's the Matter Here?" by 10,000 Maniacs is same topic. They have great stuff. For whatever reason, child abuse was a really hot topic in the 80s. Domestic violence too. Maybe it was the first time that stuff could be talked about. So people did.

[@elias01]

Totally true

[@MrHws5mp]

Suzanne Vega's a superb songwriter. You couldn't go wrong doing any of her other songs, but my personal favorite is called 'Some Journey'.

[@themojoslide]

Really thought provoking song! Love the Lemonheads cover too! Great song

[@citizenkane4831]

Love this one. I haven´t heard it for, god knows when. Thank you both for playing it. The theme in this song is unfortenely to common, domestic violence in famelies. And about people that are awere of it and ignore it

[@anthonyhedberg6471]

I still cry every time I hear this...gem. Crying right now. As a survivor of child abuse (along with millions of other kids), it hits especially hard (pun intended). First time I heard it, I thought to myself, "She's talking about me."...and she was. Brad, Lex, I can not adequately express how much the two of you have meant to me, and still do. Your insights are remarkable. Thank you. Peace. ✌😎

[@mark-be9mq]

God Bless you.

[@anthonyhedberg6471]

@@mark-be9mq Which god? I mean, there are so friggin' many of 'em...all equally fake. 🙄

[@mark-be9mq]

@@anthonyhedberg6471 morning, there is a God. If you want to find him, I know you will. If you don't, you won't. But, I very much hope you do and will. I'm sorry for the abuse you suffered, I know others who have, one extremely severely, and worked w kids in tough situations. I hope the very best for you. You deserve it, we all do. peace

[@anthonyhedberg6471]

@@mark-be9mq Riight. If (and it's a big if), there is a god, he/she has been conspicuously absent while people suffer and die. If there's a god, he is more cruel than any people are. 🤔

[@StMichael7]

@@anthonyhedberg6471Maybe your don’t believe in the existence of a creator or are resentful because you blame the creator for letting happen the abuse you experienced happened but we can’t blame him for what humans do. They will get punished in the after life

[@connexionnature4583]

Love it love it love it! More!

[@minnasirvio3184]

Love the song ..all cool for your channel

[@thomasgruseck7971]

The entire album this comes from, "Solitude Standing," is a bit of a musical and lyrical masterpiece.

[@emanuellawton7942]

"They only hit until you cry". Telling lyrics for a sad story.

[@sarahdixon1943]

I grew up with a single Mom living in apartments. I knew many kids like "Luka". It was always heartbreaking to know their parents hurt them like that .. 💔

[@KevDaly]

It always brings tears to my eyes.

[@paparmar]

Another moving song on the same topic worth checking out (also from the late 80s) is "What's the Matter Here?" by 10,000 Maniacs.

[@bgaona]

Bullseye summary of those PSAs. Thank you

[@angelagoodwin5758]

Her whole "Solitude Standing" album is phenomenal. "Tom's Diner" and the title song are also gems you'll like.

[@Ozzcaddy]

Suzanne Vega’s “Luka” Lyrics Meaning. The subject of this song, Luka, is a person who is currently suffering from child abuse. The unique angle this song takes is that instead of Suzanne Vega singing about him from a third-person perspective, she instead adopts the role of the character herself.

[@pamphillips5968]

Love her so much.

[@gablen23]

This album(Solitude Standing) is amazing, and Suzanne Vega one of the best female singer-songwriter, I love her songs.

[@thefoss5387]

Ms. Vega wrote this about a kid that actually lived in the apartment complex where she resided. Luka, seemed different, to her, from the other kids in the neighborhood, and she does say that she didn't suspect abuse, but, imagined the scenario. The song did catch on.

[@jedigreg4636]

Lex was spot on with her first question.

[@ammaleslie509]

Lex got it right away. It's too bad when reactors don't pick up on the lyrics of a song as brilliant as this one.

[@clownsleftjokersright7027]

Art imitates life!

[@anthonyhedberg6471]

Life imitates art. 🤔

[@ForestFairywales]

Lex, you got this spot on 👍 x

[@nvi5ion622]

Love that song!! Its best on vinyl, btw. A real banger about domestic violence...who would of thunk?! Thanks for sharing this off-the-beaten-path gem with everyone!! A somewhat similar, off-the-beaten-path type of gem from about the same time is "Excuse Me" by Amy Arena. Would be sweet if you all reacted to that and shared it with everyone. Truly unique, quirky, cool, and fun!!! You'll getta kick out of it, for sure!! Lost 90s hit, but not forgotten!! Please bring it back to life!! Its actually kinda more like "Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega and has a really dope beat and in-your-face music supporting the sort-of spoken word type of vocals. Furthermore the video you all reacted to of "Tom's Diner" was a remix...the album version of it was actually just an acapella...the remix is what made it popular...and what a great remix it was. Funny how sometimes it takes two separate parties to--by sheer chance--create a great song...and its amazing how many hits fit that bill.

[@staalmannen2522]

Beautiful song!

[@elliotgoldberg5657]

Not too many decades can boast two great social commentary songs like Fast Csr and Luka. Truly amazing

[@hoyageorge]

I've always grouped these two epic songs together as well. Both were robbed of the "Record of the Year" Grammy Award each richly deserved (but as least they were nominated for the award).

[@kpodonnell7924]

Such a beautiful touching song. Sad how relevant it remains.

[@TheSlumsofMediocrity]

The Lemonheads did a great, rocked out version of this, as well. Suzanne Vega has A LOT of great songs!!!

[@jennyjenny4501]

Luka would be a great name for a baby boy!

[@SteveMenardDesignDXM]

I remember this period (1987-ish) as the time that folk-inspired rock music began to usurp synthesizer-pop as the new mainstream, radio-friendly music. (Also was the time that Tracy Chapman, Melissa Etheridge, Lisa Loeb, et al arrived on the scene).

[@PhilippoDan]

Always thought she had a great voice. Tom's Diner is a classic too.

[@jasoncastellani6108]

This brings me back to Queens in the 80s. Me and my sister lived in a second floor apartment and we were being abused as kids when this song came out. This song was kind of our theme song, what a flashback.

[@PjRjHj]

Do you mind me asking if you appreciate the song, or avoid it?

[@jasoncastellani6108]

@@PjRjHj I appreciate it. One thing I've learned in life is there's no such thing as bad or good, just bad or good intentions. Bad circumstances lead to wonderful growth and opportunities and what's perceived as a good circumstance can lead to horrible experiences. That's what life is, a collection of good and bad experiences and hopefully there's more growth than repeat behavioral patterns. God uses everything "good'' and "bad'' for one purpose, to bring us closer to him.

[@fl6stringer]

I immediately loved the sound of the song when I first heard it as a young teen. After a couple listens, the lyrics kicked in to my brain. I didn't know exactly what it was about back then except maybe some guy beating up on his girlfriend or wife. Either way, I always thought it was pretty sad and I didn't know whether to enjoy the song or just go somewhere by myself and shed a tear...

[@musik102]

Suzanne was one of a number of very interesting female singer/songwriters who emerged from the New York music scene in the 1980s. Lucy Kaplansky is my favourite of the group. Her song "Ten Year Night" is terrific.

[@stevedahlberg8680]

that's a great insight to draw the connection between this and Pat Benatar hell is for children. Yeah, PSA delivered in song form for sure.

[@DRP2024]

Oh my. I remember this song when I went to highschool back in the 80’s. This is a sad song and it was played on the radio at least 3 days/week back then.

[@LuvTadnDixie]

This song reminds me of Penny on Good Times. Little Penny (played by a young Janet Jackson) was being abused by her mother upstairs and she would come down to visit the Evans Family and make up stories about her life and when they saw her bruises on her body she would lie and say she fell or she tripped or burned herself accidently, etc. etc.

[@xanajak]

A song about child abuse that came out of nowhere that is still super emotional 35 years later.

[@FreeMTrider]

This song brings a tear to my eye...both eyes and not because I was abused physically or mentally, but because I remember that kid on our block and in school that was. It just wasn't as clear as it is now. We all knew something was going on.

[@ettcha]

As a kid, I played this LP so much that the scratches and skips are part of the song in my head! It was only when I just got into highschool that I started thinking on the lyrics, which kinda killed the buzz🥲

[@anthonyrobertson2011]

I'll always know what summer we went to Florida for vacation because it was a hit at the time and heard it all the way down on various pop stations. It stuck in my head the most out of all the other pop hits we heard.

[@MarioMartinezwonderpunter]

10,000 Maniacs “What’s the Matter Here” is another gem about child abuse

[@MareTranquillitatis]

Another song with a similar theme of child abuse is "What's the Matter Here" by the 10,000 Maniacs. The lead singer, Natalie Merchant, is another great female voice from the 80s/90s alt rock scene.

[@johnmcdermid6896]

Such a sad song, but what a great voice, listen to "MARLENE ON THE WALL"....

[@littleogeechee223]

They only hit you until you cry. After that, you don’t ask why. You just don’t argue anymore.

[@patdavis6383]

Sung from the perspective of a child who is beaten at home for no reason and has learned to try to live quietly and invisibly to avoid being hit.

[@stlmopoet]

Lex was right about the meaning from the start.

[@meganyounger4842]

It's about child abuse 😪

[@MrRedjack12]

It was about child abuse. Another group that covered the topic was 10.000 maniacs with the song "what's the matter hear." One you should also listen/review.

[@PjRjHj]

It nails the push and pull chaotic attachment of an abused person. Luka is attempting to reach out, names himself, tell the listen he lives close by and the we have seen him. Later the vulnerability is too much (perhaps after another assault) and he pushes away after rationalising the abuse to himself throughout the middle verses.

[@fabian4ever69]

Yes, its about child abuse. Kids get beat and say the bruises are from falling down...the song mentions, "I walked into the door again," another excuse for bruises. Suzanne brought the awareness of child abuse with this 1987 hit song.

[@laurawallis7093]

Another song like this is 'I've got to go now' by Toni Childs. Its about a woman trying to escape from her abusive partner. Its an amazing song and Toni has a very unique voice.

[@lena-mariaglouis-charles7036]

This track always makes me think of a little girl named Lisa Steinberg. She was brutally abused by her father (a disbarred New York attorney, Joel Steinberg - and her mother Hedda Nussbaum waited too long tol 9 - 1 - 1...). Little Lisa was six years old when she was murdered by her father on November 1, back in 1987. Suzanne Vega's track "Luka" was released on April 1, 1987 - seven months prior to young Lisa's passing.

[@PjRjHj]

Genesis's "No Son of Mine" was another song on similar themes. Sometimes people just don't get the answers they want.

[@felixthecat02]

Have to agree with comments below, what a brilliant and unique singer. 'Tom's Diner' is also a classic, written with DNA

[@tgforty5]

This is one of those songs that sounds cheery, but is really sad.

[@imm4n]

Wanna know interesting information related to this song? Luka in Indonesian language means wound. In Indonesia back then, this song receives quite heavy airplay in radio. Presumably because the topic of the song, child abuse hence the song titled Luka (wounds) in Indonesian language.

[@Ranbutch75]

That little boy is Jason Cerbone from the Sopranos.

[@HighlanderReactionsZA]

I have always loved this song. It is so sad but brilliantly written.

[@fractuss]

The live Grammy's version is transcendent.

[@fractuss]

PS, I just love her voice.

[@nobody_special]

Suzanne Vega often takes on a character, singing from a different person's point of view.

[@beare55]

From the child's perspective, Luka's telling the story

[@TheNeonRabbit]

Yes, it's an upbeat alternative song about a neighbor child who's being abused

[@revwillyg6450]

In high school we'd sing 'my name is Mucus, I eat off the kitchen floor'. I should feel bad about that, but nah.

[@skinmeister1]

Great reaction, guys! Next Suzanne Vega song to react to: "Blood Makes Noise" for a different vibe from her!

[@starleet2001]

The little boy is Luca and he lives upstairs from her. She is telling us what he told her.

[@joedonlewis9820]

Independence Day Martina McBride Americana stream! It's Steve Earle, Alabama Shakes, Jackson Browne, etc.

[@tylerhackner9731]

Love her