Leonard Cohenâs die-hard fans hang off of every one of the poetâs raw emotional words, and the artist, , was still gathering new fans of every generation with âYou Want It Darker.â If youâve never taken the time to really listen to Cohenâs melancholic melodies, here are five must-listens from the Canadian artistâs expansive discography. You will likely be surprised by how many of his songs you actually know.
Hallelujah:
The entry point for most fans, âHallelujahâ has stood the test of time. Though itâs ubiquitous with more than 300 versions of the song covered by artists such as k.d. lang, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and Bono, the song was a late-blooming hit.
Hallelujah appeared on Cohenâs 1984 album âVarious Positions,â but only achieved global notoriety when artists such as Dylan, John Cale of Velvet Underground and Jeff Buckley released their own versions.
Born out of gospel and roots, âHallelujahâ was voted one of the 500 greatest songs of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.
So Long, Marianne:
Featured on his debut album âSongs of Leonard Cohenâ in 1967, this song was a haunting homage to an ex-lover named whom the artist met on the bohemian Greek island of Hydra in 1960. She served as a fountain of inspiration for Cohen who credits her for the creation of many of his biggest hits as well as reams of .
In reaching out to his former muse on her death bed in July, prophetically said âWell Marianne, it's come to this time when we are really so old and our bodies are falling apart and I think I will follow you very soon. Know that I am so close behind you that if you stretch out your hand, I think you can reach mine.â
Bird on a Wire:
This song was written while Cohen was living with Marianne in Hydra. During a dark time where he fell into a deep depression he noticed a bird, alone, on a wire. The image was a metaphor for his loneliness and snowballed into the hit song. The song was ultimately recorded on the 1968 album âSongs From a Room.â
Closing Time:
Written about the now-defunct Toronto booze-can , âClosing Timeâ was a hit on Cohenâs 1992 album âThe Future.â The music video was filmed in 1992 at the Matador. The after-hours club was an infamous venue that many well-known artists would frequent in the late hours after their shows, performing impromptu gigs and jam sessions. In a 2013 concert in Toronto, the artist waxed nostalgic on the nights he spent at the Matador.
Famous Blue Raincoat:
The true meaning of this song has oft been disputed but itâs widely accepted that it was written in the wake of a love triangle and that the song is a letter to himself. Recorded on the album âSongs of Love and Hateâ in 1971, he sings about the heartbreak between a woman named Jane and a man addressed as âmy brother, my killerâ.
The actual raincoat referenced belonged to Cohen. He describes it in the albumâs liner notes as having fraying sleeves, missing lining and being patched with leather.