99.9F° (pronounced Ninety-Nine Point Nine Fahrenheit Degrees) is the fourth album by American singer and songwriter Suzanne Vega.[8] Released in 1992, the album marked a departure for Vega, as she embraced a more electronic, experimental sound.[9] It peaked at No. 86 on Billboard magazine's album chart and was Vega's fourth Top 20 album in the UK. The single "Blood Makes Noise" reached number one on the Billboard Modern Rock chart. 99.9F° was the first of two of Vega's albums to be produced by Mitchell Froom, whom she later married.[8]
| 99.9F° | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 8, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | February-June 1992 | |||
| Studio | Dreamland (Bearsville, New York), The Sound Factory (Los Angeles), The Magic Shop (New York City) | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, folk rock | |||
| Length | 37:20 | |||
| Label | A&M[1] | |||
| Producer | Mitchell Froom | |||
| Suzanne Vega chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from 99.9F° | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Calgary Herald | A[3] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A[4] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [5] |
| Rolling Stone |  [6] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [7] |
The album was certified gold (500,000 copies sold) by the RIAA in October 1997. It was certified silver in the UK (60,000 copies sold) by the BPI in March 1993.
Critical reception edit
The New York Times wrote: "By far Vega's most rewarding record, 99.9 F degrees ... is the first album in which she breaks almost completely away from the conventions of the New York folk milieu that nurtured her."[10] Trouser Press wrote that "many of the songs display a new interest in space and sound, using both in an almost sculptural fashion, creating a compelling amalgam that industrializes folk music."[11]
Vega has gone on to refer to 99.9F° as her favorite of all her albums.[12]
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Suzanne Vega except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rock in This Pocket (Song of David)" | 3:20 | |
| 2. | "Blood Makes Noise" | 2:28 | |
| 3. | "In Liverpool" | 4:40 | |
| 4. | "99.9F°" | 3:16 | |
| 5. | "Blood Sings" | 3:17 | |
| 6. | "Fat Man and Dancing Girl" | Vega, Mitchell Froom | 2:19 |
| 7. | "(If You Were) In My Movie" | 3:05 | |
| 8. | "As a Child" | 2:55 | |
| 9. | "Bad Wisdom" | 3:23 | |
| 10. | "When Heroes Go Down" | 1:54 | |
| 11. | "As Girls Go" | 3:27 | |
| 12. | "Song of Sand" | Vega, Nils Petter Molvær | 3:05 |
| 13. | "Private Goes Public" (European and Japanese bonus track) | 1:57 |
Personnel edit
- Suzanne Vega – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Mitchell Froom –keyboards, string arrangement on 12
- Tchad Blake – electric guitar on 3, 4, 6, 10
- David Hidalgo – electric guitar on 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11
- Bruce Thomas – bass guitar
- Jerry Marotta – drums, percussion
Additional personnel
- Richard Pleasance – electric guitar on 1, 3, 10
- Michael Visceglia – fretless bass guitar on 5
- Richard Thompson – guitar solo on 11
- Greg Smith – baritone saxophone on 8, 11
- Jerry Scheff – double bass on 6, 12
- Marc Shulman – bouzouki on 5
- Sid Page – 1st violin on 12
- Joel Derouin – 2nd violin on 12
- Maria Newman – viola on 12
- Larry Corbett – cello on 12
- Suzie Katayama – copyist on 12
Technical
- Ronald K. Fierstein – executive producer
- Tchad Blake – engineer, mixing
- Len Peltier, Suzanne Vega – art direction
Charts edit
| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[13] | 56 |
| Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[14] | 70 |
| German Albums (Media Control)[15] | 27 |
| New Zealand Albums (Recorded Music NZ)[16] | 38 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[17] | 45 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] | 24 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[19] | 20 |
| US Billboard 200[20] | 86 |
Singles edit
| Year | Single | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | "99.9F°" | UK Singles (Official Chart Company)[21] | 46 |
| US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[22] | 13 | ||
| "Blood Makes Noise" | Canada Top Singles (RPM)[23] | 63 | |
| New Zealand (RIANZ)[24] | 42 | ||
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[21] | 60 | ||
| US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[22] | 1 | ||
| "In Liverpool" | UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[21] | 52 | |
| 1993 | "When Heroes Go Down" | UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[21] | 58 |
Certifications and sales edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[25] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[26] | Gold | 500,000^ |
| Summaries | ||
| Worldwide | — | 650,000[27] |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References edit
- ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 409.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. 99.9F° at AllMusic
- ^ Matiisen, Janet R. (September 13, 1992). "Recent Releases: Suzanne Vega – 99.9 F°". Calgary Herald. p. C2. Retrieved February 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Browne, David (September 18, 1992). "99.9 F review". Entertainment Weekly. No. 136. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. p. 1194. ISBN 1-57859-061-2. Retrieved January 21, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Woodard, Josef (October 1, 1992). "Recordings: Suzanne Vega – 99.9F°". Rolling Stone. No. 640. pp. 63, 67.
- ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York: Fireside Books. p. 845. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Retrieved January 21, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b "Suzanne Vega | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ "A Musical Misfit Once Again : Suzanne Vega Breaks Her Self-Defined Mold With '99.9 F'". Los Angeles Times. February 10, 1993.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (October 11, 1992). "RECORDINGS VIEW; Suzanne Vega's Version Of the Human Comedy (Published 1992)" – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "Suzanne Vega". Trouser Press. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
- ^ Tedder, Michael (10 September 2020). "We've Got a File on You: Suzanne Vega". Stereogum. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 294.
- ^ "Suzanne Vega – 99.9 °F" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
- ^ "Suzanne Vega - 99.9 °F". Charts.de. Media Control. Retrieved June 8, 2014.[dead link]
- ^ "Suzanne Vega – 99.9 °F". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
- ^ "Suzanne Vega – 99.9 °F". Swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
- ^ "Suzanne Vega – 99.9 °F". Swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
- ^ "Suzanne Vega Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
- ^ a b c d "SUZANNE VEGA - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". Retrieved 3 June 2016.
- ^ a b "Suzanne Vega - Chart history - Billboard". Retrieved 3 June 2016.
- ^ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". RPM. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ "SUZANNE VEGA - BLOOD MAKES NOISE (SONG)". Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ "British album certifications – Suzanne Vega – 99.9F°". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ "American album certifications – Suzanne Vega – 99.9F°". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ Boehm, Mike (26 November 1996). "In the Thick of It : Motherhood Has Changed Singer-Songwriter Suzanne Vega's Approach to Work--and Life". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 September 2019.