The Talent of Leonard Cohen
The Talent of Leonard Cohen
Anybody who has been listening to music for the last four decades has most likely heard a Leonard Cohen song as Cohen has been one of the most influential songwriters of his time. Taking on subjects such as sex, spirituality, religion, and power to just examining life issues has earned him the induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Songs Cohen is most memorable for in his early years include “Suzanne,” “Sisters of Mercy,” “So Long, Marianne” and “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye,” all of which were in his first album, Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967). However, the two albums that followed, Songs From a Room (1969), which includes his classic song, “Bird on the Wire,” and Songs of Love and Hate (1971), continued to demonstrate and exemplify his talent. Some say his background in literature, including published works of poetry, added to his success. Published collections of poetry include Let Us Compare Mythologies (1956) and Flowers for Hitler (1964). If that isn’t enough, he also published novels that include The Favourite Game (1963) and Beautiful Losers (1966). His dual careers in music and literature fed each other over the decades, giving his songs a rare literary quality that made his works so popular around the world.
With the onset of the early 70s, Cohen developed a desire to move beyond a more folky sound to what he called European Blues. Cohen’s 1974 album, New Skin for the Old Ceremony, found him making bolder use of the orchestration, a contrast to the more stripped-down sound he had earlier preferred. This was followed by Death of a Ladies’ Man, his 1977 collaboration with Phil Spector, and constitutes his most extreme experiment.
In the 80s, Leonard Cohen began to rise in popularity once again. Those that had grown up with him had reached an age oof which they wanted to re-examine the music of their past, along with a new generation of artists and fansm discovered him. They were attracted by the dignity, ambition and sheer quality of his songs. During this time, Cohen released two consecutive albums, I’m Your Man (1988) and The Future (1992). Exploring issues such as AIDS with songs like “Ain’t No Cure for Love,” “I’m Your Man” and, most explicitly, “Everybody Knows” (“Everybody knows that the Plague is coming/Everybody knows that it’s moving fast/Everybody knows that the naked man and woman – just a shining artifact of the past”) allowed Cohen to boldly talk about contemporary problems with a new perspective and insight.
Since that time, Cohen has released the albums Ten New Songs (2001) which includes the songs “Boogie Nights” and “In My Secret Life”, and Dear Heather (2004), as well as Blue Alert (2006), a collaboration on which Cohen produced and co-wrote songs with his former background singer Anjani Thomas, who provides the vocals. All three albums solidified his place in the pantheon of contemporary songwriters.
Collectively, Cohen has published 12 books the most recent 2006′s Book of Longing, a collection of poetry, prose and drawings. Book of Longing reached #1 on the Top 10 Hardcover Fiction Books in Canada, as compiled by Maclean’s Magazine, being the first book of poetry ever to reach the top of the bestsellers’ lists in Canada. If that isn’t enough, in 2008, “Hallelujah” became a record-setting UK chart phenomenon when a version performed by Alexandra Burke, winner of the massively popular television talent competition “X Factor,” rocketed to the #1 slot on the UK singles chart, becoming the fastest-selling single by a female artist in UK chart history. So much interest in the song was generated that Jeff Buckley’s rendition bulleted to #2 while Cohen’s original version entered the singles chart at #34, bringing the artist his first-ever British Top 40 single. With versions of the song holding down three Top 40 UK Singles Chart positions simultaneously, “Hallelujah” became the fastest-selling digital single in European history. RIAA, CRIA, ARIA and IFPI statistics alone show that, prior to late 2008, more than five million copies of “Hallelujah” sold in CD format.
What’s next for Leonard Cohen? Who knows, but those who have followed him for the last four decades are surely anxious to find out.
Jeff Bachmeier is owner of 977music.com, an online music and online radio station network providing live streaming Internet Radio channels with music from the 50’s thru Today. Users can also choose to create their own customized on demand playlist through their own social media profile. For more information please visit http://www.977music.com.
Hallelujah Leonard Cohen
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Categories: Leonard Cohen Tags: "here is a crack in everything that’s how the light gets in", Cohen, Leonard, mati, Talent
“There Is A Crack In Everything That’s How The Light Gets In.” – Leonard Cohen
“There Is A Crack In Everything That’s How The Light Gets In.” – Leonard Cohen
Shaun Nishmas
Good morning, faculty members and students.
Let me start by saying that I am very proud to be addressing such a distinguished audience.
We have gathered here today to celebrate imperfection. Yes, I said imperfection, not perfection. Today I will be talking to you about imperfection and knowledge—and how each thrives on the other. During this meeting, I will take the position that in a perfect world, you cannot attain knowledge. Only in an imperfect world can knowledge thrive. That is why we should celebrate imperfection.
Ask yourself: can you learn anything if everything were perfect?
Do we learn more when something is imperfect, or when something is perfect? I believe that we learn more when something is imperfect. If everything were perfect, all imperfections would be eliminated, and I mean ALL.
What is perfection?
The oldest definition of “perfection” is by Aristotle, a renowned Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. He once wrote about three different ways of looking at perfection:
1. Perfection is complete — that which contains all the requisite parts.
2. Perfection is so good that nothing of the kind could be better.
3. Perfection is that which has attained its purpose.
You might say that perfection is, broadly, a state of completeness and flawlessness. By definition, perfection would stop the pursuit of knowledge because there would be nothing left to pursue. We are talking about a state of completeness and flawlessness, after all. In other words, if everything were complete and flawless, there would be no need to learn anything.
In a perfect world, every story would have a happy ending, so we wouldn’t learn the lessons that come from sadness.
In a perfect world, we would all be New York Yankees, so we would never learn the lessons that come from the agony of defeat.
In a perfect world, everyone would be popular, so we would never learn the lessons that come from isolation and loneliness.
In a perfect world, nobody would die, so we would never learn the lessons that come from grief.
I can honestly argue that we would not need to learn anything because all our needs would be met…perfectly. So why question anything? Why bother?
So do we learn more if something is imperfect? I think so.
I would even venture to say that something needs to be imperfect before we can learn something. Even perfection isn’t perfect. Without the knowledge that comes from imperfection, perfection would cease to be perfect. According to Leonard Cohen, one of the most important and influential songwriters of the 20th century, “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”
What does Leonard Cohen mean by the crack? I believe that it is imperfection. What is imperfection? If perfection is a state of completeness and flawlessness, then imperfection is a flawed, incomplete state that could only inspire perfection in the form of knowledge.
Unless the heart breaks, you would never learn about love.
Unless you’ve been wronged, you would never learn about what is right.
Unless you failed at something, you would never learn about success.
By recognizing the lessons that come from an imperfect world and learning from them, we attain personal growth and well-being. In other words, the “light” Leonard Cohen talks about.
The pathway to this light is not a perfectly straight line. There are many cracks in the road, each leading to a different truth. Hundreds, if not thousands, of truths, in fact. In an imperfect world, there’s no limit to how much you can learn…how much light can come into your life.
I hope the cracks in your world bring light to your life.
Thank you.
A master-piece of Leonard Cohen
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Categories: Leonard Cohen Tags: "here is a crack in everything", Cohen, Crack, crack because there is light, Everything, Gets, Leonard, Light, That's, There, tot
Check out Leonard Cohen’s Live Album
Check out Leonard Cohen’s Live Album
Not only was Leonard Cohen a full time singer and songwriter he also has several other ‘hats’. He was a part time Buddhist monk as well as a poet. While his singing voice isn’t the greatest ever, he has a sort of bluesy moan that makes up for it.
Leonard Cohen really outdid himself. His live concert in London was amazing and his CD is full of pictures and consists of two discs of 26 songs. He seems to convey his troubles and feelings in a pleasantly lyrical way to his audience. He is a master at this sort of venue.
His album is a mix of both old and new songs, however getting a hold of his live material, unlike his studio CD’s can be a little bit harder. Usually the live tracks are placed at the end of an album or on side B. Take a look around and be sure not to miss these!
“The definitive live version” is what some of Cohen’s internet based fans have been calling some of his songs. The quality of sound is wonderful on his ‘Live in London’ album.
Cohen is backed by a silky-smooth band in guitarist Bob Meztger, bassist and bandleader Roscoe Beck (who has worked with Cohen since 1979), Neil Larson tickling the ivories, Rafael Bernardo Gayol at the drums and other percussion instruments, background singer Sharon Robinson and playing a variety of instrumental and vocal duties, the combination of sisters Charley and Hattie Webb and Dino Soldo.
Live In London- Leonard Cohen is amazing and draws the fans in. Go to CDWow if you are searching to purchase the New Leonard Cohen CD.
Performing on the Julie Felix Show in 1967.
