Lorde’s “Royals” now reigns atop the Billboard Hot 100 after dethroning former teen-queen Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball.” On the Alternative Songs chart, the 16-year-old New Zealander drops to #2 after an impressive seven-week run on top, having surpassed Alanis Morissette’s solo female record with “You Oughta Know,” which spent five weeks at #1 in 1995.

Lorde is actually just one of seven women who’ve topped the Alternative Songs chart (Alanis did it three times, Sinead O’Connor twice). Twenty-one years ago this week, Suzanne Vega was ruling from on high with “Blood Makes Noise.” The song was the first single from Vega’s 1992 album, 99.9F°, an effort that found the singer-songwriter dirtying up her folk-rock sound.

99.9F° remains one of my favorite albums of the ever, and “Blood Makes Noise” is the perfect encapsulation of Vega’s fearless venture into electronic, near-industrial territory, with producer Mitchell Froom pointing the way. Still such wonderful, beautiful noise.

Purchase Suzanne Vega – “Blood Makes Noise” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.