I heard Suzanne Vega's 1985 single, "Marlene on the Wall," ages ago but saw its video for the first time today. Perhaps I'll help pop your video cherry, too. The butterfly lighting, leg shots, smoke, and dissolves all evoke Josef von Sternberg's vision of Marlene Dietrich. Vega's lyrical syncretism of two internationally renown German icons (Dietrich and the Berlin Wall) reminds me that Dietrich's 1948 A Foreign Affair song, "The Ruins of Berlin," presaged Berlin's division through multilingual lyrics representing the Germans and the post-WWII powers that occupied their land. Where do you all think "Marlene on the Wall" stands among other '80s songs that referenced Dietrich's peers? I know of two--Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes" and Mylène Farmer's "Greta."
13 May 2011
"Marlene on the Wall" - Suzanne Vega (1985)
I heard Suzanne Vega's 1985 single, "Marlene on the Wall," ages ago but saw its video for the first time today. Perhaps I'll help pop your video cherry, too. The butterfly lighting, leg shots, smoke, and dissolves all evoke Josef von Sternberg's vision of Marlene Dietrich. Vega's lyrical syncretism of two internationally renown German icons (Dietrich and the Berlin Wall) reminds me that Dietrich's 1948 A Foreign Affair song, "The Ruins of Berlin," presaged Berlin's division through multilingual lyrics representing the Germans and the post-WWII powers that occupied their land. Where do you all think "Marlene on the Wall" stands among other '80s songs that referenced Dietrich's peers? I know of two--Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes" and Mylène Farmer's "Greta."
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What was Marlene Dietrich's reaction to the song? Did she ever make a comment about it????
ReplyDeleteMarlene was 84 years old when 'Marlene on the Wall' got released in 1985. Is there any chance she could know about it? I know she was a shut-in when she grew older, but i don't know exactly when she began losing contact with reality. Anybody of her lovely fans know anything about it? I bet that if Marlene knew about the song, she would love it. It's very sensual and kind of poetic.
ReplyDeleteBette was 73, when 'Bette Davis Eyes' became a hit. She absolutely adored it! She thought that it depicted her very well. It is written that she approached Kim Carnes and the songwriters to thank them for making her 'a part of modern times'. She was definitely very flattered and pleased with it.
Marlene was a shut-in but stayed in touch with the world, including pop culture. For example, she had a few not-so-complimentary things to say about Madonna. I have never heard of Marlene reacting to Suzanne Vega's song, but would love to hear from anyone who has!
DeleteWhoa, i had no idea that she kind of disliked Madonna. I think Madonna was in awe of her. As far as you may remember she mentions also Marlene in her notorious 'Vogue'. It's clear actually, that Marlene was one of Madonna's biggest influences.
ReplyDeleteJoseph, you rock! You seem very cool, genuine and polite. I enjoy every time you reply, because each time you seem to know something i'm not aware of. It's nice to see people who are open and who try to care. Anyway, yeah, i hope someone could write something, if they know about Marlene's reaction to Suzanne Vega's song. However, i suspect that there are many interesting little things that will remain unspoken forever.
Thank you for your kind words! I live for comments, so I try to respond to them as thoughtfully as I can can.
DeleteYes, Madonna has made a lot of Dietrich references throughout her career (especially her performance of "Like a Virgin" during her Girlie Show tour) and was even planning to remake The Blue Angel during the '80s. Marlene, however, was not feeling Madonna and was quoted in the source notes of Steven Bach's bio as saying, "I played vulgar; she is vulgar." Marlene also expressed shock over how Madonna was dressed when she met Jacques Chirac and again refers to Madonna as vulgar, which is in a recorded French-language conversation with Louis Bozon that you can hear at about 26:15 of the documentary Le crepuscule d'un ange.
It wouldn't surprise me if someone sent Marlene the Vega record, and Marlene wrote her "review" of it on its cover (think her assessment of this Meryl Streep photo). One can only hope that such a thing emerges some day.