Leonard Cohen (21 September 1934 – 7 November 2016) was a Canadian folk singer-songwriter, poet, and writer. He had hits with, among others, "Suzanne," "Hallelujah," and "So Long, Marianne."
Cohen was born into a Jewish middle-class family in the English-speaking part of Montreal. As a teenager, he learned to play guitar and formed a country/folk group called The Buckskin Boys. He studied literature at McGill University with the aim of becoming a poet and debuted in 1956.
Cohen studied various religions. His grandfather was a rabbi, and he was familiar with Jewish scriptures. In the 1960s, he became a member of the Church of Scientology. Later, he converted to Buddhism and spent some time as a monk in a Zen monastery in the mountains north of Los Angeles. This helped him with his depression and tendency towards "endless self-analysis." But he was also susceptible to worldly temptations, such as women, drugs, and alcohol. For example, the song "Chelsea Hotel" was written after a brief affair with Janis Joplin.
Shortly after his 70th birthday, it emerged that his ex-girlfriend and business manager Kelley Lynch had embezzled all his pension money, forcing Cohen, albeit successfully, to start performing again. On a world tour, he gave concerts in Flanders and the Netherlands in July 2008 after fifteen years. Leonard Cohen died in 2016 at the age of 82 from the consequences of a fall, in his sleep. His death was only announced after the funeral in the family grave at the Shaar Hashomayim cemetery in Montreal.
Sunday Morning Classics: I'm Your Man
On 1 September 2019, Leonard was our guest at Sunday Morning Classics with the album "I'm Your Man."
In 1988, Leonard Cohen added an eighth album to his already productive oeuvre. "I'm Your Man" was an unexpected addition, a synth-pop record and a modern departure from his classic norms. His singing had somewhat become a growl, which contributed to the allure of the 'ladies' man' he had cultivated for years. The weak voice that once leaked lonely lyrics was reinforced with bass. In a 1997 interview with Uncut magazine, reflecting on the album, Cohen stated: "On 'I'm Your Man,' my voice had settled, and I felt no ambivalence about it. I could finally deliver the songs with the authority and intensity required."
Four years after his last release, "Various Positions," with his most iconic song, "Hallelujah," Cohen extensively discussed his use of synthesizers. By controlling his melancholy, he could turn it around and find some humour in the darkness. Jennifer Warnes, his frequent singer, also returned and added her rich vocals to Cohen's singing. From the start of "I'm Your Man," the experience feels different from Cohen's previous albums.
Source: Jan Liebregts and Wikipedia Photo: Rama and Takahira Kyono
