Private Passions

Michael Berkeley is joined by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, who eleased her first studio album almost exactly 40 years ago and soon found an audience, particularly here in the UK where it sold more than 300, 000 copies. Listeners responded to her understated, acoustic sound and thoughtful lyrics in songs such as Marlene on the Wall and Luka, while her song Tom's Diner took on a life of its own and has been sampled by dozens of artists and one remix became a global hit. She talks to Michael about her life and career and chooses music by Bartok, Rachmaninov, Philip Glass and Debussy.