99.9F°

99.9F° (pronounced Ninety-Nine Point Nine Fahrenheit Degrees) is the fourth album by American singer and songwriter Suzanne Vega.^[3] Released in 1992, the album marked a departure for Vega, as she embraced a more electronic, experimental sound.^[4] It peaked at No. 86 on Billboard magazine's album chart and was Vega's fourth Top 20 album in the UK. The single "Blood Makes Noise" reached number one on the Billboard Modern Rock chart. 99.9F° was the first of two of Vega's albums to be produced by Mitchell Froom, whom she later married.^[3]

99.9F°
Studio album by Suzanne Vega
Released	September 8, 1992
Recorded	February–June 1992
Studio	Dreamland, Bearsville, New York The Sound Factory, Los Angeles Magic Shop, New York City[1]
Genre	Alternative rock folk rock
Length	37:20
Label	A&M[2]
Producer	Mitchell Froom
Suzanne Vega chronology
Days of Open Hand (1990) 99.9F° (1992) Nine Objects of Desire (1996)
Singles from 99.9F°
"In Liverpool" Released: 1992 "99.9F°" Released: 1992 "Blood Makes Noise" Released: August 1992 "When Heroes Go Down" Released: 1993

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 albums.^[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
Calgary Herald	A[7]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[2]
Entertainment Weekly	A[8]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	[9]
Rolling Stone	[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[11]

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."^[12] 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."^[13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Suzanne Vega except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Rock in This Pocket (Song of David)"		3:20
2.	"Blood Makes Noise"		2:28
3.	"In Liverpool"		4:40
4.	"99.9F°"		3:16
5.	"Blood Sings"		3:17
6.	"Fat Man and Dancing Girl"	Vega, Mitchell Froom	2:19
7.	"(If You Were) In My Movie"		3:05
8.	"As a Child"		2:55
9.	"Bad Wisdom"		3:23
10.	"When Heroes Go Down"		1:54
11.	"As Girls Go"		3:27
12.	"Song of Sand"	Vega, Nils Petter Molvær	3:05
13.	"Private Goes Public" (European and Japanese bonus track)		1:57

Personnel

• Suzanne Vega – vocals, acoustic guitar
• Mitchell Froom – keyboards, string arrangement on 12
• Tchad Blake – electric guitar on 3, 4, 6, 10
• David Hidalgo – electric guitar on 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11
• Bruce Thomas – bass guitar
• Jerry Marotta – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

• Richard Pleasance – electric guitar on 1, 3, 10
• Michael Visceglia – fretless bass guitar on 5
• Richard Thompson – guitar solo on 11
• Greg Smith – baritone saxophone on 8, 11
• Jerry Scheff – double bass on 6, 12
• Marc Shulman – bouzouki on 5
• Sid Page – 1st violin on 12
• Joel Derouin – 2nd violin on 12
• Maria Newman – viola on 12
• Larry Corbett – cello on 12
• Suzie Katayama – copyist on 12

Technical

• Ronald K. Fierstein – executive producer
• Tchad Blake – engineer, mixing
• Len Peltier, Suzanne Vega – art direction

Charts

Chart performance for 99.9F°

Chart (1992)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[14]	56
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[15]	70
German Albums (Media Control)[16]	27
New Zealand Albums (Recorded Music NZ)[17]	38
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[18]	45
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19]	24
UK Albums (OCC)[20]	20
US Billboard 200[21]	86
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[22]	5
European Albums (Eurotipsheet)[23]	33
US Cash Box Top 200 Albums[24]	83

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Peak position
1992	"99.9F°"	UK Singles (Official Chart Company)[25]	46
		US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[26]	13
	"Blood Makes Noise"	Canada Top Singles (RPM)[27]	63
		New Zealand (RIANZ)[28]	42
		UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[25]	60
		US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[26]	1
	"In Liverpool"	UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[25]	52
1993	"When Heroes Go Down"	UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[25]	58

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[29]	Silver	60,000^
United States (RIAA)[30]	Gold	500,000^
Summaries
Worldwide	—	650,000[31]
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.