99.9F°

99.9F°
Studio album by
Suzanne Vega
ReleasedSeptember 7, 1992
RecordedFebruary–June 1992
Studios
Genres
Length37:20
LabelA&M
ProducerMitchell Froom
Suzanne Vega chronology
Days of Open Hand
(1990)		 99.9F°
(1992)		 Nine Objects of Desire
(1996)
Singles from 99.9F°
  1. "In Liverpool"
    Released: August 1992
  2. "99.9F°"
    Released: October 1992
  3. "Blood Makes Noise"
    Released: December 1992
  4. "When Heroes Go Down"
    Released: February 1993

99.9F° (pronounced Ninety-Nine Point Nine Fahrenheit Degrees) is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. Released on September 7, 1992, by A&M Records, the album marked a departure for Vega, as she embraced a more electronic, experimental sound. It peaked at No. 86 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and was Vega's fourth Top 20 album on the UK Albums Chart. The single "Blood Makes Noise" reached number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. 99.9F° was the first of two of Vega's albums to be produced by Mitchell Froom, whom she later married.

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. Vega has referred to 99.9F° as her favorite of her studio albums.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStar
Calgary HeraldA
The Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarStar
Entertainment WeeklyA
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album GuideStarStarStar
Rolling StoneStarStarStarHalf star
The Rolling Stone Album GuideStarStarHalf star

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." 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."

Track listing

All tracks are written by Suzanne Vega, except where noted.

99.9F° track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rock in This Pocket (Song of David)" 3:31
2."Blood Makes Noise" 2:28
3."In Liverpool" 4:41
4."99.9F°" 3:15
5."Blood Sings" 3:18
6."Fat Man and Dancing Girl"
2:18
7."(If You Were) In My Movie" 3:06
8."As a Child" 2:56
9."Bad Wisdom" 3:22
10."When Heroes Go Down" 1:54
11."As Girls Go" 3:26
12."Song of Sand"
3:05
Total length:37:20
Bonus track (Europe and Japan)
No.TitleLength
13."Private Goes Public"1:56
Total length:39:16

Personnel

Additional personnel

Technical

Charts

Chart performance for 99.9F°
Chart (1992) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) 56
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts) 70
German Albums (Media Control) 27
New Zealand Albums (Recorded Music NZ) 38
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) 45
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) 24
UK Albums (Official Charts)20
US Billboard 20086
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) 5
European Albums (Eurotipsheet) 33
US Cash Box Top 200 Albums 83

Singles

Year Single Chart Peak position
1992 "99.9F°" UK Singles (OCC) 46
US Alternative Songs (Billboard) 13
"Blood Makes Noise" Canada Top Singles (RPM) 63
New Zealand (RIANZ) 42
UK Singles (OCC) 60
US Alternative Songs (Billboard) 1
"In Liverpool" UK Singles (OCC) 52
1993 "When Heroes Go Down" UK Singles (OCC) 58

Certifications and sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA) Gold 500,000^
Summaries
Worldwide — 650,000

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ "New Releases: Albums". Music Week. September 5, 1992. p. 21.
  2. ↑ Bieger, Hannes (January 2014). "The Magic Shop, New York". Sound on Sound. SOS Publications Group. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 409.
  4. 1 2 "Suzanne Vega | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  5. ↑ "A Musical Misfit Once Again : Suzanne Vega Breaks Her Self-Defined Mold With '99.9 F'". Los Angeles Times. February 10, 1993.
  6. ↑ Tedder, Michael (September 10, 2020). "We've Got a File on You: Suzanne Vega". Stereogum. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  7. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. 99.9F° at AllMusic
  8. ↑ Matiisen, Janet R. (September 13, 1992). "Recent Releases: Suzanne Vega – 99.9 F°". Calgary Herald. p. C2. Retrieved February 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Browne, David (September 18, 1992). "99.9 F review". Entertainment Weekly. No. 136. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ Woodard, Josef (October 1, 1992). "Recordings: Suzanne Vega – 99.9F°". Rolling Stone. No. 640. pp. 63, 67.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ Holden, Stephen (October 11, 1992). "RECORDINGS VIEW; Suzanne Vega's Version Of the Human Comedy (Published 1992)" – via NYTimes.com.
  14. ↑ "Suzanne Vega". Trouser Press. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  15. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 294.
  16. ↑ "Suzanne Vega – 99.9 °F" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Suzanne Vega - 99.9 °F". Charts.de. Media Control. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Suzanne Vega – 99.9 °F". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Suzanne Vega – 99.9 °F". Swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Suzanne Vega – 99.9 °F". Swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Official Albums Chart on 19/9/1992 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Suzanne Vega Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  23. ↑ PENNANEN, TIMO. "Sisältää hitin 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021" [Contains the hit 2nd edition Records and artists on the Finnish music charts 1.1.1960–30.6.2021] (PDF). musiikkiarkisto.fi. Musiikkiarkisto. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  24. ↑ "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 9, no. 42. October 17, 1992. p. 27. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  25. ↑ "Cash Box Top 200 Pop Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. October 10, 1992. p. 14. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  26. 1 2 3 4 "SUZANNE VEGA - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  27. 1 2 "Suzanne Vega - Chart history - Billboard". Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". RPM. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  29. ↑ "SUZANNE VEGA - BLOOD MAKES NOISE (SONG)". Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  30. ↑ "British album certifications – Suzanne Vega – 99.9F°". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Formats field. Type 99.9F° Suzanne Vega in the "Search:" field.
  31. ↑ "American album certifications – Suzanne Vega – 99.9F°". Recording Industry Association of America.
  32. ↑ Boehm, Mike (November 26, 1996). "In the Thick of It : Motherhood Has Changed Singer-Songwriter Suzanne Vega's Approach to Work--and Life". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 9, 2019.