Dreaming of Caramel

Last Saturday I bought a Suzanne Vega album. Purchasing Close-Up Vol 1, Love Songs should be unremarkable. I enjoy Suzanne Vega’s work and buy her albums as they came out. My favorite has long been Nine Objects of Desire for both the songs included and for the level of production which hits a sweet spot for Vega’s compositions.

After the Led Zeppelin 2007 reunion concert Robert Plant was caught remarking that they had become a cover band covering their own stuff. The sentiment was picked up by Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA to explain why they would never perform again. He said, “[W]e would like people to remember us as we were. Young, exuberant, full of energy and ambition.” This was also echoing Plant who told NME, “[T]hat was basically fired by youth and a different kind of exuberance to now, its very hard to go back and meet that head on and do it justice.”

I couldn’t help but think of those comments as I put the new Vega album in. It is the first of a projected four albums to reinterpret her older works. I listened to Vega’s re-recording of some of my favorite songs including Stocking, Gypsy, and my absolute favorite Vega song Carmel I did not hear a cover band. Why is it Suzanne Vega can capture the magic of songs some of which date to the early 80s. Why secret does she wield that greats like Robert Plant and Björn Ulvaeus do not.

They all wield the same secret. Plant is doing interesting and creative work with Allison Krauss, among others. Björn Ulvaeus has written several successful musicals with his ABBA partner Benny Andersson. Vega has continued to produce the occassional bit of new material and tour. What each has is artistic engagement. Note, I said engagement and not integrity. Artist integrity is a loaded phrase that makes us think about money and either selling out for it or giving it up for purity. That’s not what is going on here. What is going on is that each artist is taking on works that engage their passions. Whatever muse speaks to each one she is speaking to the material each of them is engaged in now. The disappointment that Plant and Ulvaeus fear if they reunite their old bands is less their audience’s disappointment than their own. Vega’s muse still sits up late at night looking at Marlene’s picture and dreaming of caramel.

I believe there are two lessons here for those of us pursuing life on our own terms. The first, and most obvious, is that we must engage those things that speak to us. Our terms must be the terms of our muse; they cannot be simply desires. Desires, pursued, are often saited easily but passions pursued and aquired only increase our appetite. While not an uncommon revelation it is one that bears repeating. We too often confuse desire for passion.

The second, and rarer, revelation is one of span. Both Plant and Ulvaeus are engaging their art, their muse by doing things other than that which won them fame. Vega, instead, is walking over old ground with new shoes and new steps. Neither path is superior. If your muse is still singing songs of passions ignited by the tanned skin of an old friend and casting lovers into the movies of your life you have two choices. You can sing those songs with her or you can allow yourself to quietly empty of passion. By the same token if she wants to trade your quiet aucustic for screaming guitars (or vice versa) you have the same choices.

Starting to live life on your own terms may require you to move to a distant place and jam with entirely new people. It may also mean that you sit in the same quiet room and strum your same quitar. Play your old songs or play your new songs. It only matters that you play the songs that engage your soul.