Suzanne Vega by Aaron Ashba

Aaron Ashba
Blog #5

After reading the assignment for this blog, one song immediately came to mind. The song I chose to discuss is “Luka” by Suzanne Vega. This song was from the album Solitude Standing released in 1987. She released a video on MTV and VH1 and this song reached #3 on the US charts.

Attached is a link to her official website with the audio and video feed:

http://www.suzannevega.com/music/discography/albums/SolitudeStanding.aspx

Below are the lyrics to the song:

My name is Luka
I live on the second floor
I live upstairs from you
Yes I think you've seen me before
If you hear something late at night
Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was
I think it's because I'm clumsy
I try not to talk too loud
Maybe it's because I'm crazy
I try not to act too proud
They only hit until you cry
And after that you don't ask why
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore
Yes I think I'm okay
I walked into the door again
Well, if you ask that's what I'll say
And it's not your business anyway
I guess I'd like to be alone
With nothing broken, nothing thrown
Just don't ask me how I am
Just don't ask me how I am
Just don't ask me how I am
My name is Luka I live on the second floor
I live upstairs from you
Yes I think you've seen me before
If you hear something late at night
Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was
Just don't ask me what it was
They only hit until you cry
And after that you don't ask why
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore
You just don't argue anymore

This song explains to me a story of a woman that lives in an apartment building and is ashamed by the fact she is physically abused and covers it up by false claims of accidents. This song doesn’t have a positive message per se if you were to just listen to it once, but the idea here is that it shows that women do not deserve to be abused and nor should they feel any shame or guilt from this happening to them. This is a story of a woman that has experienced a horrible thing, but is used as an example for women who have experienced the same to stand up for themselves and know they are not alone. It’s a song and message for women to bond together with their sisters in pain to unite against their abusers and their internal guilt. The lyrics are brutally honest that it really shows how a woman feels in these types of situations that it acts as a wake up call to get help. I think this song can help many people, not just women and make them aware of these types of problems are real and do exist around us.

Aaron Ashba