Suzanne (Leonard Cohen Song) on:
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In 1967,
A Thousand Covers Deep: Leonard Cohen Covered by Other Artists
. The Leonard Cohen Files. Retrieved July 12, 2009. including a young
The song lyrics
from Leonard Cohen's web site (higher graphics)
from The Leonard Cohen Files (lower graphics)
Rear-view Mirror: Who was "Suzanne" and why did Leonard Cohen make her famous? (CBC)
{{Authority control 1967 songs Columbia Records singles Joan Baez songs Judy Collins songs Leonard Cohen songs Nancy Wilson (jazz singer) songs Nina Simone songs Songs based on poems Songs written by Leonard Cohen Songs about Canada
"Suzanne" is a song written by Canadian poet and musician
interview that he only imagined having sex with her, as there was neither the opportunity nor inclination to actually go through with it. She says she has met Cohen twice since the song's initial popularity: once after a concert Cohen performed in the 1970s and once in passing in the 1990s when she danced for him, but Cohen did not speak to her (and possibly did not recognise her). Verdal never benefited financially from the song's enormous commercial success. In introducing the song during his 1968 performance on the BBC, Cohen said he benefited only from his own performances of "Suzanne", having signed away his rights to the song itself in a legal document deceptively presented to him which he did not read.
Its lyrics first appeared as the poem "Suzanne Takes You Down" in Cohen's 1966 book of poetry ''Parasites of Heaven'', admittedly because of lack of new material. Lyrics to a few other songs from his subsequent 1967 debut album were also printed in the book.
The song was on his debut album ''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 in ...
in the 1960s. First published as a poem in 1966, it was recorded as a song by Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and musician with a career spanning seven decades. An Academy Award-nominated documentary director and a Grammy Award-winning recording artist, she is known for her ec ...
in the same year, and Cohen performed it as his debut single, from his 1967 album ''Songs of Leonard Cohen
''Songs of Leonard Cohen'' is the debut album by Canadian folk singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, released on December 27, 1967, on Columbia Records. Less successful in the US than in Europe, ''Songs of Leonard Cohen'' foreshadowed the kind of cha ...
''. Many other artists have recorded versions, and it has become one of the most covered songs in Cohen's catalogue. In 2021, it was ranked at No. 284 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
Background
"Suzanne" was inspired by Cohen'splatonic relationship
Platonic love (often lowercased as platonic love) is a type of love in which sexual desire or romantic features are nonexistent or has been suppressed or sublimated, but it means more than simple friendship.
The term is derived from the nam ...
with dancer Suzanne Verdal. Its lyrics describe the rituals that they enjoyed when they met: Suzanne would invite Cohen to visit her apartment by the harbour in Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
, where she would serve him Constant Comment tea, and they would walk around Old Montreal
Old Montreal (French: ''Vieux-Montréal'') is a historic neighbourhood within the municipality of Montreal in the province of Quebec, Canada. Home to the Old Port of Montreal, the neighbourhood is bordered on the west by McGill Street, on th ...
past the church of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours, where sailors were blessed before heading out to sea.
Verdal was interviewed by CBC News
CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca. ...
's '' The National'' in 2006 about the song. Verdal says that she and Cohen never had a sexual relationship, contrary to what some interpretations of the song suggest. Cohen stated in a 1994 BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...Songs of Leonard Cohen
''Songs of Leonard Cohen'' is the debut album by Canadian folk singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, released on December 27, 1967, on Columbia Records. Less successful in the US than in Europe, ''Songs of Leonard Cohen'' foreshadowed the kind of cha ...
''. Cohen's recording was released as a single in 1968 but did not reach music charts. The song only charted after Cohen's death in 2016.
In popular culture
Film
Nick Cave performed the song in the film '' Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man''.Other
Martin Sharp wrote the lyrics for Cream's "Tales of Brave Ulysses
"Tales of Brave Ulysses" is a song recorded in 1967 by British group Cream.
It was released as the B-side to the "Strange Brew" single in June 1967. In November, the song was included on Cream's second album, ''Disraeli Gears''. The song featu ...
" to the melody of this song, specifically the Judy Collins version. Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
later set Sharp's lyrics to his own music.
Charts
Certifications
Notable recordings
The song "Suzanne" was first performed by The Stormy Clovers in 1966 and then recorded byJudy Collins
Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and musician with a career spanning seven decades. An Academy Award-nominated documentary director and a Grammy Award-winning recording artist, she is known for her ec ...
, appearing on her 1966 album ''In My Life
"In My Life" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It appeared on their 1965 album '' Rubber Soul''. Its lyrics were written primarily by John Lennon, credited to Lennon–McCartney. George Martin contributed the piano solo bridge.
...
''.
In 1967, Noel Harrison
Noel John Christopher Harrison (29 January 1934 – 19 October 2013) was an English actor and singer who had a hit singing " The Windmills of Your Mind" in 1968, and was a member of the British Olympic skiing team in the 1950s. He was the son of ...
's version—the second cover of the song—reached number 125 in the Bubbling Under the Hot 100
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...
chart on the week ending September 30. Harrison's version entered the Billboard Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
chart at number 86 on October 28 and peaked at number 56 on November 25, 1967.
In 1969, Herman van Veen's Dutch version entered the Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 ( nl, Nederlandse Top 40) is a weekly music chart compiled by ''Stichting Nederlandse Top 40''. It started as a radio program titled "Veronica Top 40", on the offshore station Radio Veronica in 1965. It remained "The Veronica ...
list at number 39 on April 26 and reached fourth place on May 31.
It has since been covered by many other artists,Arjatsalo, J., Riise, A., & Kurzweil, K. (July 11, 2009)A Thousand Covers Deep: Leonard Cohen Covered by Other Artists
. The Leonard Cohen Files. Retrieved July 12, 2009. including a young
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
in his band the Castiles.
It has been translated in Italian by Fabrizio De André
Fabrizio Cristiano De André (; 18 February 1940 – 11 January 1999) was an Italian singer-songwriter, the most prominent ''cantautore'' of his time. His 40-year career reflects his interests in concept albums, literature, poetry, political pro ...
and included in his album '' Canzoni'' (1974).
The band R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...
gave Cohen a joint songwriting credit for their song " Hope" (on their 1998 album '' Up''), in light of the similarity between the two songs.
References
External links
The song lyrics
from Leonard Cohen's web site (higher graphics)
from The Leonard Cohen Files (lower graphics)
Rear-view Mirror: Who was "Suzanne" and why did Leonard Cohen make her famous? (CBC)
{{Authority control 1967 songs Columbia Records singles Joan Baez songs Judy Collins songs Leonard Cohen songs Nancy Wilson (jazz singer) songs Nina Simone songs Songs based on poems Songs written by Leonard Cohen Songs about Canada