Suzanne Vega - Luka (1987)

**1/2 (of four)



As far as '80s Top 40 hits about child abuse go, "Luka" is one of the better ones. (Barely missing the cutoff - Arnold Schwarzenegger's classic dance groove, "You Hit De Kid [I Hit You]" from the Kindergarten Cop soundtrack.) You remember Luka - she lives on the second floor, she has bruises all over her face because she's clumsy, she tries not to talk too loud, and she tells everyone she just walked into the door. She's ashamed to admit her daddy beats her with the iron cord, but we know the truth. And so does Suzanne Vega.

The video, if you ignore the perky animated closeups of the acoustic guitar and the abused kid's legs walking down the street, is actually fairly poignant and not too dated after two decades. Most of the video is subdued blue-and-white shots of Vega looking forlorn and fragile, walking down the streets of San Francisco. The abused child shows up every now and then, and you can barely see the bruises on his face. See, Daddy knows what's up. You have to leave the bruises where no one will see them. The "Luka" video is entertaining AND educational.