Though born in California, Vega has lived most of her life in New York City. There, she attended the High School of the Performing Arts (the school seen in the feature film musical Fame), where she studied modern dance. Vega realized that her talent in dance was not sufficient to make her living. While pursuing a degree in English at Columbia University, she penned many songs, and performed in college and community coffeehouses inside and outside the New York City area.
She was discovered in 1984, releasing her eponymous debut the following year. However, it was not until her 1987 sophomore effort, Solitude Standing, that Vega entered the U.S. mainstream with the lyrically unlikely hit Luka. Three years later, a remix of the album's opening track "Tom's Diner" became an American and European hit for "DNA Featuring Suzanne Vega."
Having continuously built and maintained a loyal fanbase since her fame's peak, Vega has a prolific catalogue, and in 2003 she released a retrospective collection. Beauty & Crime, her seventh album, was released in 2007. Inspired by the city where Vega grew up and still currently resides, Beauty & Crime revolves around her experiences in New York.
Vega has a daughter, Ruby Froom, with her ex-husband Mitchell Froom. In early 2006, Vega remarried to a man named Paul Mills.
For additional information, including photographs, visit Suzanne Vega's official website, www.SuzanneVega.com.
Freeze Tag
Suzanne Vega Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the wintertime
The sun is fading fast
Upon the slides into the past
Upon the swings of indecision
In the wintertime
In the dimming diamonds
In the tickling
And the trembling
Of freeze tag
In the dark
We play that we're actors
On a movie screen
I will be Dietrich
And you can be Dean
You stand
With your hand
In your pocket
And lean against the wall
You will be Bogart
And I will be
Bacall
And we can only say yes now
To the sky, to the street, to the night
Slow fade now to black
Play me one more game
Of chivalry
You and me
Do you see
where I've been hiding
In this hide-and-seek?
We go to the playground
In the wintertime
The sun is fading fast
Upon the slides into the past
Upon the swings of indecision
In the wintertime
Wintertime
Wintertime
We can only say yes now
To the sky, to the street, to the night
We can only say yes now
To the sky, to the street, to the night
"Freeze tag" is a song written and performed by Suzanne Vega that takes us on a nostalgic trip to the playground during winter. The playground represents a safe spot where Suzanne and her friend, who we assume to be a lover or a dear friend, can escape the harsh reality of everyday life. The song begins with the two friends heading to the park in winter, when it is getting dark, and playing on the swings with a tone of indecision; this could imply a feeling of uncertainty about where their lives are headed. The lyrics are metaphorical and highlight the fleeting nature of happiness: "The sun is fading fast / Upon the slides into the past."
In the second stanza, Suzanne and her friend create an imaginary world where they are actors on a movie screen. The game of freeze tag represents a moment frozen in time, where they can be whoever they want to be, and the diamonds spreading across the playground symbolize the magic of the moment. They choose to portray classic Hollywood stars Marlene Dietrich, Dean Martin, Humphrey Bogart, and Lauren Bacall. The reference to the Golden Age of Hollywood films adds to the nostalgia and escapism that the song portrays.
The final moments of the song signify the acceptance of the fleeting nature of life and the now; as they play the game of chivalry, they acknowledge that they must return to reality. The last lines of the song, "We can only say yes now / To the sky, to the street, to the night," suggest a kind of resignation to the impermanence of life and the importance of cherishing the present moment.
Line by Line Meaning
We go to the playground
We visit the park
In the wintertime
During the cold season
The sun is fading fast
The daylight is ending soon
Upon the slides into the past
Returning to memories from the past while sliding down slides
Upon the swings of indecision
Pondering and contemplating on the swings about choices and decisions
In the dimming diamonds
Referring to falling snowflakes
Scattering in the park
Flying and spreading everywhere in the park
In the tickling
Laughing and amusing
And the trembling
Shivering or shaking slightly
Of freeze tag
Playing a game called freeze tag
In the dark
At night with no light
We play that we're actors
Imagining that we're famous performers
On a movie screen
Pretending to be in a film
I will be Dietrich
Acting like Marlene Dietrich
And you can be Dean
Playing a role like James Dean
You stand
Standing still
With your hand
Holding your hand
In your pocket
Keeping your hand in your pocket
And lean against the wall
Putting your weight on the wall
You will be Bogart
Behaving like Humphrey Bogart
And I will be
Playing the role of
Bacall
Playing the character of Lauren Bacall
And we can only say yes now
We can agree to enjoy the moment
To the sky, to the street, to the night
To appreciate the atmosphere, the surroundings, and the dark hours
Slow fade now to black
Gradually getting dark
Play me one more game
Suggesting another round of playing a game
Of chivalry
Playing an honorable game
You and me
Together
Do you see
Realizing something
where I've been hiding
Where I have been spending time unnoticed
In this hide-and-seek?
In the game we just played
Wintertime
During the winter
Wintertime
During the cold season
Wintertime
During the winter
We can only say yes now
We can agree to enjoy the moment
To the sky, to the street, to the night
To appreciate the atmosphere, the surroundings, and the dark hours
We can only say yes now
We can agree to enjoy the moment
To the sky, to the street, to the night
To appreciate the atmosphere, the surroundings, and the dark hours
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SUZANNE VEGA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tommaso Guarducci
We go to the playground
In the wintertime
The sun is fading fast
Upon the slides into the past
Upon the swings of indecision
In the wintertime
In the dimming diamonds
Scattering in the park
In the tickling
And the trembling
Of freeze tag
In the dark
We play that we're actors
On a movie screen
I will be Dietrich
And you can be Dean
You stand
With your hand
In your pocket
And lean against the wall
You will be Bogart
And I will be
Bacall
And we can only say yes now
To the sky, to the street, to the night
Slow fade now to black
Play me one more game
Of chivalry
You and me
Do you see
where I've been hiding
In this hide-and-seek?
We go to the playground
In the wintertime
The sun is fading fast
Upon the slides into the past
Upon the swings of indecision
In the wintertime
Wintertime
Wintertime
We can only say yes now
To the sky, to the street, to the night
We can only say yes now
To the sky, to the street, to the night
Miguel Vergas
We go to the playground
In the wintertime
The sun is fading fast
Upon the slides into the past
Upon the swings of indecision
In the wintertime
In the dimming diamonds
Scattering in the park
In the tickling
And the trembling
Of freeze tag
In the dark
We play that we're actors
On a movie screen
I will be Dietrich
And you can be Dean
You stand
With your hand
In your pocket
And lean against the wall
You will be Bogart
And I will be
Bacall
And we can only say yes now
To the sky, to the street, to the night
Slow fade now to black
Play me one more game
Of chivalry
You and me
Do you see
where I've been hiding
In this hide-and-seek?
We go to the playground
In the wintertime
The sun is fading fast
Upon the slides into the past
Upon the swings of indecision
In the wintertime
Wintertime
Wintertime
We can only say yes now
To the sky, to the street, to the night
We can only say yes now
To the sky, to the street, to the night
Tommaso Guarducci
We go to the playground
In the wintertime
The sun is fading fast
Upon the slides into the past
Upon the swings of indecision
In the wintertime
In the dimming diamonds
Scattering in the park
In the tickling
And the trembling
Of freeze tag
In the dark
We play that we're actors
On a movie screen
I will be Dietrich
And you can be Dean
You stand
With your hand
In your pocket
And lean against the wall
You will be Bogart
And I will be
Bacall
And we can only say yes now
To the sky, to the street, to the night
Slow fade now to black
Play me one more game
Of chivalry
You and me
Do you see
where I've been hiding
In this hide-and-seek?
We go to the playground
In the wintertime
The sun is fading fast
Upon the slides into the past
Upon the swings of indecision
In the wintertime
Wintertime
Wintertime
We can only say yes now
To the sky, to the street, to the night
We can only say yes now
To the sky, to the street, to the night
ChanelNo19
This was such a fabulous album. The SOLITUDE STANDING album from a couple of years later was her big breakthrough album, but this one was always my favorite.
Taj Baker
I remember hearing this song for the first time in the 80's. Someone was showing us how to use the audio editing equipment at NYU, a summer class in filmmaking. This was the song they used for the demo. I went straight to Tower Records and bought the album. My favorite. I recently heard one of the songs again and realized I could name 5 tracks from this album- hadn't listened in at least 10 years. I must've listened to it hundreds of times.
M
I will be Dietrich and you can be Dean...
Most beautiful song about playful love.
Russell Flynn
Vega some tunes of my Teenage years,still Current
Peter Albert
"You will be Bogart
And I will be Bacall" so great!!!
Miguel Vergas
We go to the playground
In the wintertime
The sun is fading fast
Upon the slides into the past
Upon the swings of indecision
In the wintertime
In the dimming diamonds
Scattering in the park
In the tickling
And the trembling
Of freeze tag
In the dark
We play that we're actors
On a movie screen
I will be Dietrich
And you can be Dean
You stand
With your hand
In your pocket
And lean against the wall
You will be Bogart
And I will be
Bacall
And we can only say yes now
To the sky, to the street, to the night
Slow fade now to black
Play me one more game
Of chivalry
You and me
Do you see
where I've been hiding
In this hide-and-seek?
We go to the playground
In the wintertime
The sun is fading fast
Upon the slides into the past
Upon the swings of indecision
In the wintertime
Wintertime
Wintertime
We can only say yes now
To the sky, to the street, to the night
We can only say yes now
To the sky, to the street, to the night
David Williams
christ she was so good
Robin Snell
@Mark Dean Absolutely!
Mark Dean
Still is..