Leonard Cohen turned 76 last week, so I decided to do a homage to the man who is, to me, the most talented songwriter within living memory.
He doesn't resonate with some people because they find his songs and voice depressing. I would argue that he's meloncollie rather than morbid - his lyrics full of a spiritual romance towards pain. He finds beauty in the dichotomy of life, and for me his music is sad, but hopeful.
I recently watched a documentary about him called "I'm Your Man", which had an interesting feature: several eminent musicians (including.... Bono...) do covers of his songs.
Anthony from Anthony and the Johnsons does a masterful version of "If it be Your Will" (one of my personal favourites). If you're not a Lenny fan, it's worth listening to it, and to Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah", to ascertain whether it's Cohen's music or voice that doesn't agree with you.
And for something a little different, musician / DJ / friend Dance Pig did this awesome remix of "Here it is". (Check out more of Dance Pig's stuff at www.dancepig.com)
Here are the Lenny originals, and a few more favourites:
"If it be Your Will" (1984)
"Hallelujah" (1984)
"Master Song" (1967)
"Who by Fire" (1974)
"A Thousand Kisses Deep" (2001)
"Alexandra Leaving" (2001)
"In My Secret Life" (2001)
"In the Chelsea Hotel" (1974)
"Here it is" (2001)
It's probably clear by now that I'm a fan ;)
He doesn't resonate with some people because they find his songs and voice depressing. I would argue that he's meloncollie rather than morbid - his lyrics full of a spiritual romance towards pain. He finds beauty in the dichotomy of life, and for me his music is sad, but hopeful.
I recently watched a documentary about him called "I'm Your Man", which had an interesting feature: several eminent musicians (including.... Bono...) do covers of his songs.Anthony from Anthony and the Johnsons does a masterful version of "If it be Your Will" (one of my personal favourites). If you're not a Lenny fan, it's worth listening to it, and to Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah", to ascertain whether it's Cohen's music or voice that doesn't agree with you.
And for something a little different, musician / DJ / friend Dance Pig did this awesome remix of "Here it is". (Check out more of Dance Pig's stuff at www.dancepig.com)
Here are the Lenny originals, and a few more favourites:
"If it be Your Will" (1984)
"Hallelujah" (1984)
"Master Song" (1967)
"Who by Fire" (1974)
"A Thousand Kisses Deep" (2001)
"Alexandra Leaving" (2001)
"In My Secret Life" (2001)
"In the Chelsea Hotel" (1974)
"Here it is" (2001)
It's probably clear by now that I'm a fan ;)
1 comment:
Yolanda, thanks for introducing me to the world of Leonard Cohen. I've started with Chelsea Hotel. Best bardic wishes, gwilym
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