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Stranger Music
''Stranger Music'' is a 1993 book by Leonard Cohen. It compiles many of his published poems, as well as the lyrics to his songs. In the "A Note On The Text" section of the book it states: In some sections of this book, certain poem titles and texts have been altered from their original publication. In the section taken from ''Death of a Lady's Man,'' some changes have been made for this edition: "A Woman's Decision" originally appeared as the commentary to "The Lover After All; "A Different Drum" as the commentary to "The Other Village"; "A Marvellous Woman" as the commentary to "No One Watching"; the text of "Not Going Back" is from the commentary to "The Rose"; the text of "Montreal" is from the commentary to "St. Francis"; "French and English" from the commentary to "Our Government-in-Exile"; "Roshi" originally appeared as the commentary to "Formal in His Thought of Her."; "The End of My Life in Art" originally appeared under the title "My Life in Art"; "Roshi Again" originall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was invested as a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honour. In 2011, he received one of the Prince of Asturias Awards for literature and the ninth Glenn Gould Prize. Cohen pursued a career as a poet and novelist during the 1950s and early 1960s, and did not begin a music career until 1967. His first album, ''Songs of Leonard Cohen'' (1967), was followed by three more albums of folk music: ''Songs from a Room'' (1969), ''Songs of Love and Hate'' (1971) and ''New Skin for the Old Ceremony'' (1974). His 1977 record '' Death of a Ladies' Man'', co-written and produced by Phil Spector, was a move away f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Avalanche (Leonard Cohen Song)
"Avalanche" is a song by Leonard Cohen. It appears on his third album, ''Songs of Love and Hate'', released in 1971. The lyrics are based on a poem he had previously written. He acknowledged in a 1992 interview with Paul Zollo that his "chop", his unique pattern of playing classical guitar, is behind many of his early songs, and this one features Cohen's trademark fast, syncopated classical guitar pattern as the accompaniment on the recording of the song. Cover versions * Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds recorded a version of the song for their 1984 album, ''From Her to Eternity''. In 2015, as a solo artist, Nick Cave covered "Avalanche" again for season 2 of '' Black Sails.'' The ''Black Sails'' version was used again in season 2 of ''Invincible''. * Aimee Mann Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I'm Your Man (Leonard Cohen Song)
"I'm Your Man" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, first released on the album of the same name. Originally released as a single in 1988, it reached number 57 in the French charts after Cohen's death in 2016. Song "I'm Your Man" was first released on Cohen's album '' I'm Your Man'', February 1988. It was then released as the second single from the album, failing to chart anywhere. After Cohen's death in November 2016, it reached number 57 in France. In Paul Zollo's book ''Songwriters on Songwriting'', Cohen said of the song, "I sweated over that one. I really sweated over it. I can show you the notebook for that. It started off as a song called "I Cried Enough for You". It was related to a version of "Waiting for a Miracle" that I recorded. The rhyme scheme was developed by toeing the line with that musical version that I put down. But it didn't work." Reception Rolling Stone said, "Set to a cheesy drum-machine beat and sotto voce horn riffs, with mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ain't No Cure For Love
"Ain't No Cure for Love" is a song written by the Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen. It was first released by the American singer Jennifer Warnes on her 1987 Leonard Cohen tribute album ''Famous Blue Raincoat "Famous Blue Raincoat" is a song by Leonard Cohen. It is the sixth track on his third album, ''Songs of Love and Hate'', released in 1971. The song is written in the form of a letter (many of the lines are written in amphibrachs). The lyric tells ...'' and subsequently appeared as the second track on Cohen's 1988 studio album ''I'm Your Man''. Theme and lyrics As its title suggests, the theme of the song is a common and traditional one for a love song. However, the lyrics of Warnes' and Cohen's recorded versions of the song are significantly different from one another. At the length of 3:22, compared to Cohen's 4:50, Warnes' 1987 recording contains five verses, compared to Cohen's six, only the first two of which it shares with Cohen's recording of 1988. Referenc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Take This Waltz (song)
"Take This Waltz" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, originally released as part of the 1986 Federico García Lorca tribute album ''Poets in New York'' and as a single. The song was later included in Cohen's 1988 studio album '' I'm Your Man'', in a slightly re-arranged version (with addition of violin and Jennifer Warnes's duet vocals, both absent from the 1986 version). The song's lyrics are a loose translation, into English, of the poem "Pequeño vals vienés" (Little Viennese Waltz) by the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca (one of Cohen's favorite poets). The poem was first published in Lorca's seminal book '' Poeta en Nueva York''. The song reached number one in Spain in 1986. Covers Actor/singer Sven Wollter recorded a version of the song with lyrics translated into Swedish on his 1989 album ''Nån sorts man''. The title of the song is "Tag min vals" ("Take My Waltz"). Zorán Sztevanovity covered the song in 1991 with Cohen's original music but wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
First We Take Manhattan
"First We Take Manhattan" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen. It was originally recorded by American singer Jennifer Warnes on her 1986 Cohen tribute album ''Famous Blue Raincoat'', which consisted entirely of songs written or co-written by Cohen. Meaning The song's oblique lyrics are suggestive of religious and end time themes, with references to prayer, meaningful birthmarks and signs in the sky. Writing for ''The Guardian'' in 2015, Ben Hewitt drew attention to the lyrics' apocalyptic nature, imagining Cohen "greedily eyeing world domination like a Bond villain". ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's Mikal Gilmore similarly described the song as a threatening vision of "social collapse and a terrorist's revenge". ''The Daily Telegraph''s Robert Sandall likewise observed the prophetic character of the song, but emphasized the song's political statement, placing it in the context of the last days of the Soviet Union. Cohen explained himself in a backstage i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I'm Your Man (Leonard Cohen Album)
''I'm Your Man'' is the eighth studio album by Canadian singer Leonard Cohen, released on February 2, 1988 by Columbia Records. The album marked Cohen's further move to a more modern sound, with many songs having a synthesizer-oriented production. It soon became the most successful album which Cohen had released in the US, and it reached number one in several European countries, transforming Cohen into a best-selling artist. Recording ''I'm Your Man'' was recorded in Los Angeles, Montreal and Paris, and while it was the first studio album where Cohen took sole credit for the production, three contributing producers participated: Roscoe Beck, Jean-Michel Reusser and Michel Robidoux. The LP would give Cohen an updated, contemporary 80s sound, featuring songs composed primarily on keyboards and delivered in Cohen's increasingly gravelly rasp. Cohen's sound had started to evolve on his last studio album '' Various Positions'' (1984) but it is more fully realized on this album. Fellow M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen Song)
"Hallelujah" is a song written by Canadian singer Leonard Cohen, originally released on his album ''Various Positions'' (1984). Achieving little initial success, the song found greater popular acclaim through a new version recorded by John Cale in 1991. Cale's version inspired a 1994 recording by Jeff Buckley that in 2004 was ranked number 259 on ''Rolling Stone'''s "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". The song achieved widespread popularity after Cale's version of it was featured in the 2001 film ''Shrek''. Many other arrangements have been performed in recordings and in concert, with over 300 versions known. The song has been used in film and television soundtracks and televised talent contests. "Hallelujah" experienced renewed interest following Cohen's death in November 2016 and re-appeared on international singles charts, including entering the American ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for the first time. History Cohen is reputed to have written around 80 to as many as 180 draft ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dance Me To The End Of Love
"Dance Me to the End of Love" is a 1984 song by Canadian singer Leonard Cohen. It was first performed by Cohen on his 1984 album ''Various Positions''. It has been recorded by various artists and in 2009 was described as "trembling on the brink of becoming a standard." Leonard Cohen original version "Dance Me to the End of Love" is a 1984 song by Leonard Cohen and first recorded by him for his 1984 album ''Various Positions''. The song follows a typical Greek "Hasapiko" dance path, most probably inspired by Cohen's long-lasting affiliation to the Greek island of Hydra. It has since been recorded by various artists, and has been described as "trembling on the brink of becoming a standard". Although structured as a love song, "Dance Me to the End Of Love" was in fact inspired by the Holocaust. In a 1995 radio interview, Cohen said of the song: In 1996, Welcome Books published the book ''Dance Me to the End of Love'', as part of its "Art & Poetry" series, featuring the lyrics of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Various Positions
''Various Positions'' is the seventh studio album by Leonard Cohen, released in December 1984 (and February 1985). It marked not only his turn to the modern sound and use of synthesizers (particularly on the opening track), but also, after the harmonies and backing vocals from Jennifer Warnes on the previous ''Recent Songs'' (1979), an even greater contribution from Warnes, who is credited equally to Cohen as vocalist on all of the tracks. Background After recording ''Recent Songs'', Cohen did not record again for five years and published no new writing until ''Book of Mercy'' in 1984. Asked by ''Mojo (magazine), Mojo''s Sylvie Simmons about this period of inactivity in 2001, the singer replied, "My children were living in the South of France and I spent a lot of time visiting them. The pieces in ''Book of Mercy'' were coming and I was, slowly, writing the album that ended up as ''Various Positions''." Cohen did write and star in the 1983 made-for-TV musical ''I Am a Hotel'', w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Gypsy's Wife
"The Gypsy's Wife" is a song written by the Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen that was first released on his sixth studio album ''Recent Songs'' (1979). Live recordings of it appear as the fourth track on '' Field Commander Cohen: Tour of 1979'' (2001) and as the thirteenth track on Cohen's ''Live in London'' (2009), and the sixth track on ‘Live in Dublin (2013). It continued to feature regularly in his stage performances until his death. Theme and lyrics The theme of the song is that of sexual infidelity and it is built around the refrain "And where, where is my gypsy wife tonight?" It implicitly references the folk-song, which exists in many versions (e.g. "The Gypsy Rover", "The Black Jack Davy", "The Raggle-Taggle Gypsy"), of the well-born bride who runs away with the gypsies. In Cohen's version, it is the gypsy himself who comes home looking for his wife and finds her gone. The song then moves in a more biblical direction, referencing Judith and Holofernes (colour ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Recent Songs
''Recent Songs'' is the sixth studio album by Leonard Cohen, released in 1979. Produced by Cohen alongside Henry Lewy, it was a return to his normal acoustic folk music sound after the Phil Spector-driven experimentation of '' Death of a Ladies' Man'', but now with many jazz and Oriental influences. Recording and composition After recording '' Death of a Ladies' Man'' with Phil Spector, a chaotically recorded album that would garner Cohen the worst reviews of his career, the singer decided to produce his next album himself with assistance from Henry Lewy, a German who had previously worked regularly with Joni Mitchell. The album included Gypsy violin player Raffi Hakopian, English string arranger Jeremy Lubbock, Armenian oud player (located in Los Angeles) John Bilezikjian and even a Mexican Mariachi band. Long-time Cohen collaborator Jennifer Warnes appeared prominently in vocal tracks. Members of the band Passenger, whom Cohen also met through Mitchell, played on four of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
