I never knew who Leonard Cohen was until well after college and beyond, into the time after I became a massage therapist (the late ’80s). I have a strange memory of the song “Bird on a Wire” from my younger years. I definitely knew the song “Suzanne,” because I went to camp as a kid and the wanna-be hippie counselors were probably singing it on their hippie guitars around campfires. Or maybe I heard Judy Collins singing it on the radio, or both.
I had a massage client in Kent (Brady Lake, no less), and he used to give me cassette tapes, back in the day, of all sorts of music I hadn’t previously known. He turned me on to Leonard Cohen and I introduced him to Robyn Hitchcock and Tom Waits. He gave me Marianne Faithful and Ken Nordine and really every Leonard Cohen song that you couldn’t find any more on vinyl and that would never be released on CD (or so I thought in the early ’90s).
I think the song I’ve most listened to is “Famous Blue Raincoat.” I like how it’s in a minor key–it’s so fucking depressing–and then he switches to a major chord for the Jane came by with a lock of your hair line. For a tiny moment, he gives a respite. But not for long, plunging us into the depths again.
and you treated my woman to a flake of your life
Sweet Jesus, can you believe that line?
This is the one that I listened to over and over when he was new to me:
This whole post was inspired by my recent listening to “Hallelujah” for about the last 4 months.
When my kids were younger, we forbade them from using the word “awesome” because of its disgraceful misuse by the youth of today (well, by now, the youth of yesterday), but we finally caved because we are NOT word Nazis, dammit!
This is an awesome song, as bad as that adjective sounds when applied to anything of substance. It’s beautiful and rich and complex and deep and meaningful and I am in awe of it. I love it and I think I can sing it, too, but I have to read along because my capacity for actually remembering new lyrics has greatly diminished of late. Perhaps, too, I could use a good guitarist. Maybe someone cute, even beautiful and sexy, younger than me, but not too young. I would like the challenge of singing with a man playing a guitar, but I’d probably prefer a woman because, ultimately, things would be less subject to any confusion, you dig?
twinklysparkles 
My god. That’s not an exclamation…I mean that Leonard is like a god to me. My life was blessed last December when we saw him in concert in Portland, OR, the best concert I have ever attended. The night has stayed with me.
Like you, I came to full recognition of him later than sooner. I was a huge Judy Collins fan and had several of her albums and love the songs but never questioned who wrote them at the time. One night an acquaintance played Suzanne for me and I had to know more about the song, and that night became the beginning of a love that continues to grow.
Awesome is a wonderful word when it is used in its real meaning, and it perfectly describes Cohen and his songs when used in that true spirit of the word. Loved this post.
My post about the concert is here.
It’s funny to me now, considering how many excessively loud concerts I went to in high school, how wonderful a great concert can be. I recently (appx 2 years) started to see big bands/artists again after rarely going. Sometimes, if it’s a small club or just a really loud band, I wear earplugs. You really can’t beat sobriety for being present at a performance, though. I love it.
I love your little poem! It’s beautiful. Thanks for linking it, lest I may not have found it on your blog.
“One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong” is, I think, one of the most amazing lyrics ever, by anybody. I’ve been listening to Leonard since I was 19, when I bought “Songs From A Room” because somewhere I had been told or gotten the notion that if liked Laura Nyro (who I did and do adore), I would also like Leonard, and I did.
My favorite is “Anthem.” But the ones you mentioned are definite classics for me, too. “You’d been to the station to meet every train, but she never turned up, I mean Lily Marlene.” I must have listened to FBR a million times in my broody 20s. I really like the Jennifer Warnes version, too.
Well, I could go on and on about him, so I’ll hush. And…why am I not surprised whatsoever to see my friend Lydia here on a post about LC? *grinz*
I thought I was done listening to LC, like it was a phase of youth (not so young, really–my 30s; so depressing, but I am listening right now and I’m loving it.
Yeah, the words to this song are ridiculous. Fucking ridiculous. I’ll have to look up Jennifer Warnes.
LC’s Hallelujah has been covered by so many, most notably Jeff Buckley. This is by far my favorite version.
I love Jeff Buckley’s version. I suppose it’s very s-l-o-w and a downer. I like his dad’s song “Once I Was,” but don’t know anything else. I don’t even know any other Jeff Buckley songs.
I can’t say this woman’s version is to my liking.
I do think it’s interesting that I like other people covering the song more than Cohen singing it himself. Maybe that’s one sign of good song-writing.
that is for sure a sign of good song writing, though this particular song seems to encourage over-singing (i’m looking at you kd lang).
re: seeing shows, venues, & earplugs. we just saw/heard jolie holland at mccabe’s guitar shop, and small venues where it is all about the music are the best. (our last show was neko case and the national at the hollywood bowl–cool place to see a show, but you definitely feel distant from the band.) i wear earplugs any time amplification is involved, no matter the size of the place. already too much tinnitus por moi.
and, on the chick guitarists. jolie h’s band was two chicks, fiddle and lead guitar, and one dude, drums. chick fiddle players are standard, but it was, dare i say, awesome, to see/hear the chick lead guitarist. she rocked out with her frock out.
pt, I don’t know any Jolie Holland except for that big (?) hit “The Littlest Birds Sing the Prettiest Songs,” and while I LOVE, like want to drink it up all the time non-stop can’t get enough LOVE that song, I am not sure I’d go see her based on that alone. Just a feeling I have that I might not like more of her stuff.
I have, for the first time in my life, been experiencing tinnitus in my L ear (all of my maladies begin on the L side). It started after seeing Wilco a couple of weeks ago concurrent with fighting off a head cold.
I’ve been thinking that my hearing is worse lately–things are both strangely too loud but also I can’t hear above a lot of different noises like I think I could in the past. So, even though I’ll have to pay out-of-pocket to get my hearing checked, I think I’m ready to delve into it.
What’s with your tinnitus? You are younger than me (I?). I went to a lot of stupid loud concerts and Vi screamed her head off in my ear for 4 months when she had colic. At least ’cause then she started screaming about a bunch o other stuff.
CIAO! K
yeah, i dunno what’s up with my tinnitus. i don’t think all tinnitus is caused by rock concerts or babies or the like. just there for some folks, no?
anyhoo–take a look at “palmyra” or “mexico city” on the youtube. those are two fine songs from her record “the living and the dead.” the latter is one of the better pop songs about the beats, sung from the pov of joan burroughs, i believe.
after the show, i did venture to say that she is the mother maybelle of her generation. another good song from the same record (catalpa) that has “prettiest birds” is “roll my blues,” in which she plays an excellent “carter brush” on her guitar througout.
ptd
Okay, okay. That is a lot of information and when I have some time, I’ll be delving. Did you have your hearing checked and what kind of sound do you have? Mine is a not very loud at all, high-pitched tone. I think if I slept enough it wouldn’t happen (as much). Interesting thing is that when I read too much on the computer, it acts up more and the whole reading blogs on a black background thing seems to trigger it as well. This is excessively interesting from an Alexander Technique standpoint and could mean some sort of overall psycho-physical malcoordination. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
” … ultimately, things would be less subject to any confusion, you dig?”
Oh, I dig all right. I totally dig.