Leonard Cohen
“Leonard Cohen, a Canadian-born poet, songwriter and singer, whose intensely personal lyrics exploring themes of love, faith, death and philosophical longing made him the ultimate cult artist, and whose enigmatic song “Hallelujah” became a celebratory anthem recorded by hundreds of artists, died Nov. 7. He was 82.
Mr. Cohen began his career as a well-regarded poet and novelist before stepping onto the stage as a performer in the 1960s. With his broodingly handsome looks and a deep, weathered voice that grew rougher and more expressive with the years, he cultivated an air of spiritual yearning mixed with smoldering eroticism.
Mr. Cohen never had a song in the Top 40, yet “Hallelujah” and several of his others, including “Suzanne,” “First We Take Manhattan” and “Bird on the Wire,” were recorded by performers as disparate as Nina Simone, R.E.M. and Johnny Cash. His lyrics were written with such grace and emotional depth that his songwriting was regarded as almost on the same level as that of Bob Dylan — including by Dylan himself.
Mr. Cohen was named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, but his incantatory, half-spoken songs were more in the tradition of the European troubadour than the rock star. Lyrics were paramount to Mr. Cohen, but whether he was composing songs, poetry or fiction, there was always an underlying musical pulse.
“All of my writing has guitars behind it,” he said, “even the novels.”
See the rest of the obituary here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/leonard-cohen-singer-songwriter-of-love-death-and-philosophical-longing-dies-at-82/2016/11/10/1e6bf036-a779-11e6-8042-f4d111c862d1_story.html
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keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
November 11, 2016 at 4:52 pm
Another great gone.
‘So Long, Marianne’ was a special song for me.
November 11, 2016 at 4:56 pm
Birgit,
It is one of my favorites of his. It was on the first album of his I bought in the late 60’s.
I especially liked his singing here.
November 12, 2016 at 6:34 am
Birgit and Kat, I bought “Songs of Leonard Cohen” in a little record store in Basel. Clearly I was trying to “impress” but my sensitivities lay more comfortably with Rod Stewart and the Faces. I tried, I was barely out of my teens or maybe I wasn’t
I have accepted my role at KTCC as the Lenny-agitator, but in some corner I have listened to his new releases Frankly I was shocked when I played “You want it darker” as it was clear that he had prepared his own “Blackstar”
I’m still not very good at Lenny and probably never will be. Time has taken another and I am sad.
November 12, 2016 at 9:51 am
Hedley, as a boy you are excused, definitely a girls thing 🙂
I haven’t really listened to his later records, often too overproduced and more of the same, source for some jokes. In retrospective it’s for me more about honest singing and memories and “Suzanne”, a must-sing for girls like me with a guitar. So long Marianne hit me at one point of my life. Listening to his last record on NPR last month made it easier for me to accept his death now, it was a clear farewell and he was prepared and self-confident.
November 12, 2016 at 11:08 am
Birgit and MDH,
I bought his first album and played it until the grooves were worn. It was filled with the most wonderful songs all penned by “Lenny” but soon enough covered by multiple singers.
Suzanne is still one of my all-time favorite songs as is Sisters of Mercy.
November 12, 2016 at 12:57 pm
I love that Leonard’s music was for the ages. My now deceased mother-in-law loved him, my daughter does as do my grandchildren. I discovered him in ’72 as a college student. I lived with three other girls and it turned out to be a party house. I had papers to write and studying to do. Two fellows who lived together were always at my place so they gave me the keys to theirs. They had all of Leonard and Joni and I have been in love with both since.
I listened to the new album a few times as a pre-release CBC streaming thing and knew death was imminent thus I am not shocked. I am very sad though that the man with the golden voice will sing no more. He is a National Treasure to me.
November 12, 2016 at 1:34 pm
Cuidado,
I found Leonard in 1968. I don’t know how I did as no friends of mine had ever heard of him. It was a few years earlier that I found Joni. Maybe I should figure out when and call each time a Kat National Holiday. I don’t think my sisters were ever fans. They were exclusively fans of rock and roll.
I am also sad.
November 13, 2016 at 10:17 am
I had my own Joni albums at home but they had everything! From hanging around our apt, one of those two men married my roommate in ’74. They’re still married.
November 13, 2016 at 12:36 pm
Cuidado,
That’s a great story of your roommate and your neighbor.