[LINK] Suzanne Vega, Mother of the MP3

[rfmcdonald]

Suzanne Vega's lyricallly intense song "Tom's Diner" has become something of a classic, with Vega's warm vocals and the quiet lyrics about urban alienation and connection. I am equally fond of her original a capella version (off of 1987's Solitude Standing) and the 1990 remix by DNA, each classics in their own way. Did you know, though, that "Tom's Diner" played a critical role in the development 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:

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 MP3 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".