This indeed is a great loss. He was a wonderful talent and so gifted. R.I.P
We're missing you already, Leonard! RIP.
I first heard this song, believe it or not, on Dancing with the Stars! I don't even remember who danced to it, I just heard the song playing and then I Googled it and heard it again on YouTube. I fell in love with it and now I have it on my computer playlist!
Thank you Mr. Cohen for gracing us with your immeasurable talent. Rest In Peace - heaven is a more beautiful place tonight because of you.
It's four in the morning, the end of December
I'm writing you now just to see if you're better
New York is cold, but I like where I'm living
There's music on Clinton Street all through the evening
I hear that you're building your little house deep in the desert
You're living for nothing now, I hope you're keeping some kind of record
Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear
Did you ever go clear?
Ah, the last time we saw you you looked so much older
Your famous blue raincoat was torn at the shoulder
You'd been to the station to meet every train, and
You came home without Lili Marlene
And you treated my woman to a flake of your life
And when she came back she was nobody's wife
Well I see you there with the rose in your teeth
One more thin gypsy thief
Well, I see Jane's awake
She sends her regards
And what can I tell you my brother, my killer
What can I possibly say?
I guess that I miss you, I guess I forgive you
I'm glad you stood in my way
If you ever come by here, for Jane or for me
Well, your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free
Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes
I thought it was there for good so I never tried
And Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear
Sincerely, L Cohen
You can’t truly call yourself peaceful unless you are capable of violence. If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful. You’re harmless.
I am a big Leonard fan. My favorite version of Halleujua is by John Cale.
I remember hearing the Cale for the first time. It blew me away. I liked Cohen's version, I LOVED Cale's. The simplicity of it, just Cale and his piano, was part of that. It let the melody and words come out all the more clearly than some of the more heavily orchestrated versions. While I know that it's the favorite of Cohen and Anjani Thomas (a longtime professional and personal partner of his), k. d. Lang's is just a gussied up version of Cale's to my ear, though her voice is wonderful.
Another Cohen song where a cover is by far my favorite version is "First We Take Manhattan". Jennifer Warnes gave it a blues-y edge and brought in Stevie Ray Vaughan on guitar to create a vivid, powerful rendition. Not to diss Cohen's original, but I think his is good and hers is great.
Good call, seeker. BTW, just by coincidence, my newest Netflix disc came the other day, and it was Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man, a tribute concert with interviews with Leonard Cohen and his celebrity fans. The interviews were the highlights. No Judy Collins. No Jennifer Warnes. No Joan of Arc.