A native of Canada, Cohen began his successful career as a master of poetry. After he wrote 3 successful books of poems, he gained critical acclaim in canadian literacy. The acclaimed novel Beautiful Losers was written by him one year before he moved to the U.S.
"Poetry is just the evidence of life.
If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash."-Leonard Cohen
It was in 1967 that Cohen would record his first album, Songs of Leonard Cohen. Strangely enough, it was Andy Warhol(Must see this genius in action!) who helped Leonard get to where he wanted to be in the music industry.
This album would be the beginning of a legacy that would help progress the genre of folk to new mediums. Covering the topics of love, the human drive, religion, alienation, and sex with a depth in lyrics like non-other. With each song written and sung by this man, we are treated to a poetry circle spanning a distance from his homeland of Montreal to as far as the mind can venture off to(In other words, this is a universal poetry reading). When listening to his earlier tracks, you will hear an (as he describes himself in one such song; So long, Marianne)almost young man as he cryptically educates your outlook on life, as if this man has experienced the world several times over at the age of 27 and on. Passion and Feeling radiate from Leonard Cohen's words when sent through the transformation from poem to sonata. You cannot help but feel for him when he sings one of his many songs depicting the silent horrors of love and how they have treated him in various ways. You begin to cherish a song before it ends, for since the song would describe a farewell moment of his life, you know you would then miss somebody you don't know.
"I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm,
your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm,
yes, many loved before us, I know that we are not new,
in city and in forest they smiled like me and you,
but now it's come to distances and both of us must try,
your eyes are soft with sorrow,
Hey, that's no way to say goodbye."
A man who has lived a life of depression, love sickness and utmost curiosity for understanding the ways of the world, being touched by his lyrics is not hard nor rare at all. Though there are other contemporaries such as; Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and Kris Kristofferson, Leonard Cohen is simply different. His less-commercialized image, mixed with his complex and sometimes confusing to the untrained ear lyrics have given Cohen more of a cult following than the above mentioned artists. This of course, gives Cohen a very strong fan base as apposed to a few people who listen to his work because they are well known and catchy tunes.
"Any startling piece of work has a subversive element in it, a delicious element often.
Subversion is only disagreeable when it manifests in political or social activity." -Leonard Cohen
He has since released 11 albums in his lengthy career. Every record littered with the beauty and charm of humanity at its core. A complete listing of his albums can be found here.
Releasing songs such as, "Suzanne", which is a tribute to his infatuation with his friend Armand Vaillancourt's wife, Suzanne Verdal.
"Bird on a Wire" is described by Cohen as his take on a country song, yet deeper in its history it is more than that. For it is also a song that upon writing, brought Leonard out of depression.
Perhaps one of his most powerfully felt songs(and most powerful songs ever written), "Famous Blue Raincoat", which depicts the position one is in and the crushing feeling of finding out your beloved wife has been sleeping with another. As well as the gratitude one has for lifting her spirits through the chaotic event, showing us that "as long as she's happy, that's all that matters to me" sadly implies here above all. This description of submission to self-defeat in an innocent but unsettling manner is told in the form of a letter.
This is from Leonard's 2009 world tour. Please enjoy this, for this is one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard:
In the 80's - 90's, a change in Cohen's sound came to be. This was mainly due to the massive drop in his voice. His music was no longer fully acoustic either. Synthesizers and female backup singers joined him in his metamorphosis.
Bending his lyrics just slightly enough to be considered a bit of a social critic, his themes in these years would include; History, The conservation of religious values, The inequalities of social class, and The complications due to a man's aging.
During this era, he would release some of his most treasured work to this day; Including his most successful album since his first record(which to this day remains his highest grossing work).
In 1988, I'm Your Man fully revived Cohen's standing as a master of his art in the U.S., which had seen a steady decline in the late 70's. It also gave Cohen's new sound full acceptance to long time and more conservative listeners.
However, it would be his less successful 1984 release, Various Positions, which would ultimately feature(quite possibly)his single most famous work: "Hallelujah". A song about the many different variations of a hallelujah beckon, including the misguided and dark example of sensuality.
His most revered and covered track of all time, including the likes of Rufus Wainwright and the aforementioned Jeff Buckley, it would go on in a way to become Cohen's signature song.
"There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in." -Leonard Cohen
Later life and Accomplishments
Leonard Cohen has been honored with 2 of the most prestigious merits given to Canadian citizens; The Order of Canada and The National Order of Quebec.
He has won Juno awards for both "Best Male Vocalist of the Year", and "Songwriter of the Year".
In 2008, He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame(which can be considered a mediocre way of honoring an artist of "rock and roll" due to the induction of artists such as Madonna and Run D.M.C.).
Most of all though, sometime after the initial release of his 1992 album, The Future, Cohen went into a notable seclusion, where he stayed at Mt. Baldy Zen Center for 5 years. In '96 Leonard Cohen was ordained as a Rinzai Buddhist Monk, complete with the Dharma name of "Jikan"(Silence).
Since then in the current decade, he has gone back on tour at the age of 75 years. Covering the globe and conquering Coachella in the process, Leonard Cohen does not seise to amaze his fans. 4 1/2 decades of art has flown through this man's heart and mind in order to touch, inspire and please those who wish to be taken to higher levels. On a different level of humanity himself, one can only imagine the capacity and ability this man has harnessed over his tremendously mystical time on this earth.
"In dreams the truth is learned that all good works are done in the absence of a caress." -Leonard Cohen
An amazing artist of his areas, this man has inspired me to accept and embrace the world around me with even wider arms. This saint has got me to understand that taking the concept of love for granted is not intended to be of human ability. This innovator has proved to me that one man's thesis can indeed be the entire world around him in one expressed emotion.
It is simply too shallow to say that he is just my personal favorite musical talent in this world;
He is also my mentor on the most powerful element of our universe, love, "our only engine of survival".
So, if you have not yet, give this masterful songwriter a listen. Caress his verbal euphoria with your heart as it sails into your emotions at gentle force. Feel the true feelings one's subconscious can only hope to express this perfectly as every heartbreak you've ever lived through is calmly overshadowed by the experiences of a true living tale of love once lost. Look to the future, reminisce the past, and embrace him while we can, for some day without a doubt we will see Leonard Cohen where he truly belongs;
On the top floor in The Tower of Song...
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