"Blood Makes Noise" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. It was released as the second single from her fourth album, 99.9F°, in August 1992. It debuted at number 14 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart[1] and reached number one a month later.
| "Blood Makes Noise" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Suzanne Vega | ||||
| from the album 99.9F° | ||||
| B-side | "Bad Wisdom" | |||
| Released | August 1992 | |||
| Length | 2:28 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Suzanne Vega | |||
| Producer(s) | Mitchell Froom | |||
| Suzanne Vega singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Content
editThe song is notable for its clangy percussion, which has been compared to industrial music. Vega said that the percussion was meant to recreate the sounds the "blood makes" in someone's head when someone's afraid and that she had never heard of industrial music.[2] The song doesn't clarify what the fear is in response to, but some have argued the song is about a patient taking an AIDS test.[3] Suzanne Vega has denied this; in a 2001 interview with The A.V. Club, she says she likes "to take a moment out of its context. It makes you identify with it, without knowing why. In a way, its kind of eerie, because it means you can hear the song, identify with it, and not really know what the circumstances are. And in some ways, that's more satisfying to me."[4]
Music video
editThe music video was directed by Nico Beyer.[5] It was added to MTV the week of August 29, 1992.[6] The video was featured on Beavis and Butt-Head.[7] The song was also featured on an episode of Homicide: Life on the Street.
Charts
edit| Chart (1992–1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[8] | 61 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[9] | 63 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[10] | 42 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[11] | 60 |
| US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[12] | 1 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | August 1992 | Cassette | A&M | |
| Japan | September 26, 1992 | Mini-CD | [13] | |
| United Kingdom | December 7, 1992 |
|
[14] |
References
edit- ^ "Alternative Songs: Top Alternative Songs Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
- ^ "TEMPERATURE'S RISING : She May Look the Same, But Songstress Suzanne Vega Says, 'I'm More Confident Now". latimes. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (October 11, 1992). "RECORDINGS VIEW; Suzanne Vega's Version Of the Human Comedy". The New York Times. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
- ^ Robinson, Tasha. "Suzanne Vega". Music. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
- ^ "Production Notes". Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 32. August 8, 1992. p. 36.
- ^ "The Clip List". Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 36. September 5, 1992. p. 42.
- ^ SeattleMarksJoint3 (January 17, 2012), BnB & Suzanne Vega, retrieved July 3, 2018
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 294.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1863." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
- ^ "Suzanne Vega – Blood Makes Noise". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ "Suzanne Vega Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
- ^ "ブラッド・メイクス・ノイズ | スザンヌ・ベガ" [Blood Makes Noise | Suzanne Vega] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. December 5, 1992. p. 25.
External links
edit- "Blood Makes Noise" at Discogs (list of releases)