Luka

Recorded between September 1986 and January 1987 during the sessions for Solitude Standing, with Suzanne Vega on vocals and acoustic guitar, Shawn Colvin on backing vocals and Jon Gordon on guitar. Steve Addabbo and Lenny Kaye produced the recording, with Addabbo also engineering. Released in 1987, the song addressed child abuse from the perspective of a young victim and became Vega's highest-charting American single. It reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and received Grammy nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. The song remains one of Vega's signature recordings and an enduring example of serious social subject matter reaching mainstream pop audiences. Its restrained narrative approach influenced later singer-songwriters addressing abuse and trauma.