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"Tom's Diner" is an a cappella pop song written in 1981 by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. It was first released as a track on the January 1984 issue of Fast Folk Musical Magazine. The first time it was featured on any of her own studio albums was as the first track of her own Solitude Standing album in 1987. It was not until the a cappella track was used as the basis for a popular remix by the British group The DNA Disciples, in 1990 that the song became a popular hit. The 1991 release Tom's Album includes the DNA version as well as cover versions by such artists as After One, (Chicago-based band) Canasta, and "Bingo Hand Job" (a/k/a R.E.M. and Billy Bragg).
Karlheinz Brandenburg used a CD recording of "Tom's Diner" to assess and refine the MP3 compression algorithm. This song was chosen because of its nearly monophonic nature and wide spectral content, making it easier to hear imperfections in the compression format during playbacks. Some refer to Suzanne Vega as "The mother of MP3".
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