Blood Makes Noise

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"Blood Makes Noise"
Single by Suzanne Vega
from the album 99.9F°
B-side"Bad Wisdom"
ReleasedAugust 1992
GenreIndustrial rock[1]
Length2:28
LabelA&M
SongwriterSuzanne Vega
ProducerMitchell Froom
Suzanne Vega singles chronology
"99.9F°"
(1992)		 "Blood Makes Noise"
(1992)		 "In Liverpool"
(1992)
Music video
"Blood Makes Noise" on YouTube

"Blood Makes Noise" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. It was released in August 1992 by A&M Records as the second single from her fourth studio album, 99.9F° (1992). It was produced by Mitchell Froom and debuted at number 14 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart,[2] where it reached number one a month later. In the UK, it reached number 60 on the UK singles chart. The accompanying music video was directed by German film director Nico Beyer.

Content

The song is notable for its clangy percussion, which has been compared to industrial music. Vega said that the percussion was meant to recreate the sounds the "blood makes" in someone's head when someone's afraid and that she had never heard of industrial music.[3] The song doesn't clarify what the fear is in response to, but some have argued the song is about a patient taking a HIV/AIDS test.[4] Suzanne Vega has denied this; in a 2001 interview with The A.V. Club, she says she likes "to take a moment out of its context. It makes you identify with it, without knowing why. In a way, its kind of eerie, because it means you can hear the song, identify with it, and not really know what the circumstances are. And in some ways, that's more satisfying to me."[5]

Music video

The music video for "Blood Makes Noise" was directed by German film director Nico Beyer.[6] It was added to MTV the week of August 29, 1992.[7] The video was featured on Beavis and Butt-Head.[8] The song was also featured on an episode of Homicide: Life on the Street as well as Dexter: Resurrection.

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Blood Makes Noise"
Chart (1992–1993) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[9] 61
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[10] 63
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11] 42
UK Singles (OCC)[12] 60
UK Airplay (Music Week)[13] 26
UK Club Chart (Music Week)[14] 47
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[15] 1

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "Blood Makes Noise"
Chart (1992) Position
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[16] 13

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Blood Makes Noise"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States August 1992 Cassette A&M
Australia September 14, 1992
  • CD
  • cassette
 [17]
Japan September 26, 1992 Mini CD [18]
United Kingdom December 7, 1992
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 [19]

References

  1. Molanphy, Chris (August 30, 2024). "Building a Herstory Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  2. "Alternative Songs: Top Alternative Songs Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  3. "TEMPERATURE'S RISING : She May Look the Same, But Songstress Suzanne Vega Says, 'I'm More Confident Now". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  4. Holden, Stephen (October 11, 1992). "RECORDINGS VIEW; Suzanne Vega's Version Of the Human Comedy". The New York Times. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  5. Robinson, Tasha. "Suzanne Vega". Music. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  6. "Production Notes". Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 32. August 8, 1992. p. 36.
  7. "The Clip List". Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 36. September 5, 1992. p. 42.
  8. SeattleMarksJoint3 (January 17, 2012), BnB & Suzanne Vega, retrieved July 3, 2018{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 294.
  10. "Top RPM Singles: Image 1863". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  11. "Suzanne Vega – Blood Makes Noise". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  12. "Official Singles Chart on 26/12/1992 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  13. "Top 50 Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week. December 26, 1992. p. 18. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  14. "The Record Mirror Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). December 5, 1992. p. 4. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  15. "Suzanne Vega Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  16. "The Year in Music: Top Modern Rock Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 52. December 26, 1992. p. YE-42.
  17. "New Release Summary – Product Available from : 14/09/92: Singles". The ARIA Report. No. 137. September 13, 1992. p. 19.
  18. "ブラッド・メイクス・ノイズ | スザンヌ・ベガ" [Blood Makes Noise | Suzanne Vega] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  19. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. December 5, 1992. p. 25.