Suzanne Vega’s 1980s classic “Tom’s Diner” — named after the real-life restaurant used in Seinfeld—had a pop-culture resurgence last year when Fall Out Boy sampled it in their song “Centuries.” Now, it’s having another moment thanks to Britney Spears and Giorgio Moroder, the dance-music pioneer who’s recruited pop stars like Sia, Kylie Minogue and Charli XCX for his new album Déjà Vu. Spears’ contributions sound downright robotic thanks to copious auto-tune, but before you wonder why any singer would need digital processing to sing the track’s simple and iconic doo-doo-doo hook, consider this: all that studio magic does, in a way, amplify the themes of voyeurism and alienation that reportedly inspired Vega’s original track.
Check out the song here.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men
- What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives
- Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Write to Nolan Feeney at nolan.feeney@time.com