He was 82 -- I'd say he lived a long, vital life..
Sad to see him go, but I never understood the love for his music.
Hallelujah is a fckn great tune.
Well, to each his own I guess.A few things.
First: he really was a poet who happened to sing, rather than a classic musician. The sheer amount of thematic structure that went into his songs was impressive. Many of them were about the juxtaposition of the holy and the profane ("Hallelujah" is the classic example, but it's everywhere). That and there were often highly biographical elements that make them intriguing, like "Chelsea Hotel No. 2" (Janis Joplin), "Suzanne" (a real person, remember!) or "To A Teacher" (a tribute to the Jewish poet AM Klein).
That and there's a lot of criticism, snark and wit to his lyrics, even if you're not diving particularly deep. There's a dry sense of humour that goes through many of his tunes. So, even if you find the compositions themselves "safe," the lyrics are often biting.
And let's face it, Cohen managed to exude a sense of cool right up until the end. How many musicians can say they remained popular and creative for that long? He influenced legions of artists.
A few things.
First: he really was a poet who happened to sing, rather than a classic musician. The sheer amount of thematic structure that went into his songs was impressive. Many of them were about the juxtaposition of the holy and the profane ("Hallelujah" is the classic example, but it's everywhere). That and there were often highly biographical elements that make them intriguing, like "Chelsea Hotel No. 2" (Janis Joplin), "Suzanne" (a real person, remember!) or "To A Teacher" (a tribute to the Jewish poet AM Klein).
That and there's a lot of criticism, snark and wit to his lyrics, even if you're not diving particularly deep. There's a dry sense of humour that goes through many of his tunes. So, even if you find the compositions themselves "safe," the lyrics are often biting.
And let's face it, Cohen managed to exude a sense of cool right up until the end. How many musicians can say they remained popular and creative for that long? He influenced legions of artists.
Not any of it? He didn't have a single defining style.Sad to see him go, but I never understood the love for his music.
Nobody could say it better than he said it himself, I think.Very well said!
Cliffs: The man could write.
He was a powerful poet, deep and ever reflective, who also had the genuine cool of being a true iconoclast. Integrity, he had it . . . both artistically and personally. He copied no one, he was his own man, his vision was as moving as it was unique. Leonard Cohen left us a body of work that will live on far past the time when most current popular "artists" have been consigned to the dust bin of the faded and forgotten.
Leonard Cohen was my idea of a MAN.
Now I bid you farewell, I don't know when I'll be back
They're moving us tomorrow to that tower down the track
But you'll be hearing from me baby, long after I'm gone
I'll be speaking to you sweetly from a window in the Tower of Song
RIP.
Great article from only a few weeks ago. Very much worth a read for those that never "got" him.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/17/leonard-cohen-makes-it-darker
Cohen greeted us. [...] He extended a hand like a courtly retired capo. “Hello, friends,” he said. “Please, please, sit right there.” The depth of his voice makes Tom Waits sound like Eddie Kendricks.