The real Tom's Restaurant also appeared in Seinfeld.

"Tom's Diner" is an a cappella pop song written in 1981 by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. It was originally recorded by Vega as the first track on her album Solitude Standing in 1987. The vocal was used as the basis for a popular remix by the British group The DNA Disciples, which made the song a hit in 1990. The 1991 release Tom's Album includes the DNA version as well as cover versions by such artists as After One and "Bingo Hand Job" (a/k/a R.E.M. and Billy Bragg). Seinfeld restaurant, 2000, by Rick Dikeman This is actually Toms Restaurant, NYC. Famous as Monks in Seinfeld, and as Toms Diner, in the Suzanne Vega song of that name. ... Seinfeld restaurant, 2000, by Rick Dikeman This is actually Toms Restaurant, NYC. Famous as Monks in Seinfeld, and as Toms Diner, in the Suzanne Vega song of that name. ... Toms Restaurant is a New York City diner located at 2880 Broadway between W. 112th and W. 113th in Morningside Heights. ... Seinfeld is an Emmy Award-winning American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, running a total of 9 seasons. ... A cappella music is vocal music or singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. ... For popular forms of music in general, see Popular music. ... See also: Musical groups established in 1981 Record labels established in 1981 other events of 1981 list of years in music 1980s in music // January 10 - Revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance opens at Broadways Uris Theatre, starring Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith February... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... Suzanne Vega (born Suzanne Nadine Vega, 11 July 1959, Santa Monica, California) is an American songwriter and singer known for her highly literate lyrics and eclectic folk-inspired music. ... Solitude Standing is Suzanne Vegas second, most popular, and most critically-acclaimed album. ... See also: 1986 in music, other events of 1987, 1988 in music, 1980s in music and the list of years in music // January 3 - Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ... DNA was the pseudonym taken by two British dance music producers for issuing a remix of Suzanne Vegas Toms Diner in 1990. ... See also: 1990 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1990 Record labels established in 1990 list of years in music // January 21 - MTVs Unplugged premieres on cable television with musical guest, Squeeze February 6 - Billy Idol is involved in a serious motorcycle accident, resulting in several broken bones. ... See also: 1991 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1991 Record labels established in 1991 // 1991 was the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. ... This article is about the band. ... Stephen William Bragg (born December 20, 1957), known as Billy Bragg, is an English musician renowned for his blend of folk, punk-rock, and protest music, and his poetic lyrics dealing with political as well as romantic themes. ...

The "Tom's Diner" of the song is Tom's Restaurant in New York City, which was later fictionalized as Monk's Cafe in Seinfeld. Toms Restaurant is a New York City diner located at 2880 Broadway between W. 112th and W. 113th in Morningside Heights. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Seinfeld is an Emmy Award-winning American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, running a total of 9 seasons. ...

The writing of the song

The song is written as a simple first person vignette of a man stopping at an unnamed diner for a cup of coffee. He notes the newspaper he is reading, and the women who come and go in the diner, outside in the rain. The ringing of bells at a nearby cathedral cause him to reminisce on an unnamed companion with whom he had picnicked previously. Finishing his coffee, he hurries from the diner to catch a train. In theater and script writing, vignettes are short, impressionistic scenes that focus on one moment or give one impression about a character, an idea, or a setting. ... A diner in Freehold Borough, New Jersey This article is about a type of restaurant. ... A cup of coffee. ... For other uses, see Cathedral (disambiguation). ... Friends and family gather for a picnic in a public park in Columbus, Ohio, c. ...

Vega wrote the song based on a comment by her friend Brian Rose, a photographer, who mentioned that in his work, he sometimes felt as if "he saw his whole life through a pane of glass, and [...] like he was the witness to a lot of things, but was never really involved in them." She attempted to think and write in this fashion (including a male perspective [1]) while sitting at Tom's Restaurant, a diner on the corner of Broadway and 112th Street in New York City, which would later become famous as a location for some exterior scenes in the popular television sitcom Seinfeld. (The building belongs to Columbia University and houses some of its programs, as well as NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.) The "bells of the cathedral" that she remarks hearing in the song are those of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, located opposite the end of the street. Toms Restaurant is a New York City diner located at 2880 Broadway between W. 112th and W. 113th in Morningside Heights. ... A view of Broadway in 1909 Broadway, as the name implies, is a wide avenue in New York City. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article or section seems to contain too many examples (or of a poor quality) for an encyclopedia entry. ... Seinfeld is an Emmy Award-winning American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, running a total of 9 seasons. ... Columbia University is a private research university in the United States and a member of the prestigious Ivy League. ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nations public space program. ... Goddard Institute for Space Studies building. ... The Cathedral of St. ...

"Tom's Diner Day": The date of the composition

An article on Suzanne Vega's official website uses clues in the song to determine the exact date that Vega wrote it.

Vega herself said that she wrote the song sometime in 1982; Brian Rose has said that it was written sometime between mid-1981 and mid-1982. The lyrics of the song refer to a rainy morning, when she was at the diner on the corner, reading in her newspaper of "a story of an actor / who had died while he was drinking", and afterwards "turning to the horoscope / and looking for the funnies". Only two newspapers in New York City carried comic strips, or "funnies", in 1981 and 1982, and only one, the New York Post, featured a front-page story of the death of William Holden (star of Sunset Boulevard), whose body was discovered on November 16, 1981. He had died from a fall at his apartment, suffered after drinking excessively. The story in the Post concerning Holden's death was not carried until two days later on November 18, which is taken to be the exact date of the composition. Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the comic strip, the sequential art form as published in newspapers and on the Internet. ... The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and the oldest to have been published continually as a daily. ... William Holden (April 17, 1918 – ca. ... It has been suggested that Norma Desmond be merged into this article or section. ... November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 45 days remaining. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

On that day in New York, however, the weather was not rainy, but overcast. Vega has acknowledged this by admitting that "Tom's Diner" featured a "composite of events", and that the rain was from a morning she remembered being in the diner during the spring of 1982, after the initial events of the song.

Original recording

Vega originally conceived "Tom's Diner" as a piece for voice and solo piano, but since she couldn't play piano, she decided to record it a cappella. Her recording of the song is extremely sparse - no vocal effects are used except her singing voice - and clocks in at slightly over two minutes long. It was not a major hit; the song "Luka", which follows it on the album, was released as a successful single. A short grand piano, with the top up. ... A cappella music is vocal music or singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. ...

Somewhat surprisingly, in order to confront stage fright, Suzanne Vega opened her appearance at the Prince's Trust Concert on June 20, 1986, with "Tom's Diner", intending to walk off stage afterwards if it wasn't well-received. It was, and she performed a full and equally well-received set. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Princes Trust is a UK based charity headed by HRH The Prince of Wales. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ...

During the 2006 MLB Season, Cincinnati Reds player, Ryan Freel, used this song as his entrance song when he came to bat.

The DNA remix

In 1990, two secretive British record producers remixed "Tom's Diner" without Suzanne Vega's permission, grafting her vocals onto an infectious dance beat from Soul II Soul, and turning her simple ad-libbed outro - "Doo doo doo doo, doo da-doo doo" - into the song's driving hook. They took the name "DNA", later calling themselves The DNA Disciples to distinguish themselves from no wave band DNA, and released their work on a limited basis for distribution to clubs as "Oh Suzanne", by "DNA featuring Suzanne Vega". Vega's record company of the time, A&M, decided to buy the single and release it themselves rather than taking DNA to court for copyright infringement after consultation with Vega, who liked the interpretation, and DNA, who conducted the whole deal through intermediaries in order to hide their true identities. The remix became a much larger hit than Vega had with the song originally, peaking at #2 on the UK singles chart, and spawned a number of rap, dance, and rock remixes and remakes from artists such as Peter Behrens and "Bingo Hand Job", a whimsical one-time collaboration between Billy Bragg and R.E.M. It was also sampled in songs by Public Enemy and Lil Kim, among other rap acts. See also: 1990 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1990 Record labels established in 1990 list of years in music // January 21 - MTVs Unplugged premieres on cable television with musical guest, Squeeze February 6 - Billy Idol is involved in a serious motorcycle accident, resulting in several broken bones. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... A remix is an alternative version of a song, different from the original version. ... Soul II Soul is a dance/funk/soul act that emerged at the end of the 80s from London. ... Ad lib (and ad-lib) are terms derived from the Latin ad libitum, meaning at ones pleasure. Ad lib is the adjective or adverb; ad-lib is the verb or noun form. ... Coda sign Coda (Italian for tail; from the Latin cauda), in music, is a passage which brings a movement or a separate piece to a conclusion through prolongation. ... A hook is a musical idea, a passage or phrase, that is believed to be appealing and make the song stand out; it is meant to catch the ear of the listener (Covach 2005, p. ... DNA was the pseudonym taken by two British dance music producers for issuing a remix of Suzanne Vegas Toms Diner in 1990. ... No Wave was a short-lived but influential music and art scene that thrived briefly in New York City during the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk scene there. ... DNA was a short-lived but influential New York rock band, associated with the no wave movement. ... A&M Records is an American record label, owned and operated by Universal Music Group. ... The Cathach of St. ... The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ... Rapping, also known as Emceeing, MCing, Rhyme spitting, Spitting, or Rhyming, is the rhythmic delivery of rhymes, one of the central elements of hip hop music and culture. ... Stephen William Bragg (born December 20, 1957), known as Billy Bragg, is an English musician renowned for his blend of folk, punk-rock, and protest music, and his poetic lyrics dealing with political as well as romantic themes. ... This article is about the band. ... Public Enemy, also known as PE, is a hip hop group from Long Island, New York, known for their politically charged lyrics, criticism of the media, and active interest in the concerns of the African American community. ... Lil Kim on the cover of her album Notorious Kim Kimberly Ann Jones, professionally known as Lil Kim (also called The Queen Bee, The Lieutenant, and The Queen Bitch such as the QB of all bitches) is a United States rapper who was born in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood...

In 1991, Vega, noting the huge number of remakes of the song, released Tom's Album, a compilation of different versions of the song, spanning a variety of musical genres, including a parody that worked in references to I Dream Of Jeannie, called "Jeannie's Diner." The album also featured another DNA remix of one of her songs, "Rusted Pipe." See also: 1991 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1991 Record labels established in 1991 // 1991 was the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. ... For the Xbox Live pseudonym Major Nelson, see Larry Hryb. ...

The "Mother of the MP3"

An article in Business 2.0 magazine revealed that "Tom's Diner" was also used by Karlheinz Brandenburg to develop the audio compression scheme known as MP3 at what is now the Fraunhofer Society. He recalled: cover Business 2. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Karlheinz Brandenburg (born June 20, 1954, in Erlangen, Germany) is an audio engineer and has been a driving force behind some of today’s most innovative digital audio technology, notably the audio compression format MPEG Audio Layer 3, more commonly known as MP3. ... Audio compression can mean two things: Audio data compression - in which the amount of data in a recorded waveform is reduced for transmission. ... MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is an audio encoding format. ... The Fraunhofer Society (German: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft) is a German research organization with 58 institutes spread throughout Germany, each focusing on different fields of applied science (as opposed to the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, which works primarily on basic science). ...

I was ready to fine-tune my compression algorithm...somewhere down the corridor, a radio was playing "Tom's Diner". I was electrified. I knew it would be nearly impossible to compress this warm a capella voice. Suzanne Vega Fun Facts (official website)

Brandenburg adopted the song for testing purposes, listening to it again and again each time he refined the scheme, making sure it did not adversely affect the subtlety of Vega's voice. Thus, it is not an exaggeration to say that the MP3 compression format is specifically tuned to play the song "Tom's Diner". Among some audio engineers, this has earned Vega the informal title "The Mother of the MP3". Audio engineering is a part of audio science dealing with the recording and reproduction of sound through mechanical and electronic means. ...

Samples

Image File history File links SuzVega-TomsDinerRemix. ... Software development stages In computer programming, development stage terminology expresses how the development of a piece of software has progressed and how much further development it may require. ...

External links

• Tom's Diner: Live at The Royal Albert Hall, November 18, 1986 (2m 10s)
  • Windows Media Player
  • Real Player
• Tom's Diner Live Performance December, 2002 Suzanne Vega Documentary