LEONARD COHEN- THE AMERICAN SINGER-SONG WRITER

While listening to Leonard Cohen, it gives a chill all over our mind and the body. His songs comprises of less instrumental music and more of the words. The only instrumental music one can hear is the “VIOLIN”. Every song of his is like a story. Just like an author who narrates his entire story through his writings, likewise Cohen   narrates the scene through his songs. This differentiates him from other singers. Listening to his songs it feels like he himself is narrating his life.

Leonard Cohen is a songwriter- singer, a poet, novelist and a musician. He was born on 21 September, 1934. His works explores the significant areas like religion, love, sexuality, and personal relationships. He dealt with American “ROCK AND ROLL”, “HALL OF FAME”. He is also a companion of the order of Canada. One important feature which can be studied from his work is that his entire career deals with poems, stories about real life, religion and love life. It sounds all real. Hence, this enriches his music work. There was one failure in his career of becoming an efficient writer because of financial crisis. Hence, he had to travel to United States to pursue his career as a folk music singer- songwriter. One of his famous songs is “SUZZANE” which became a hit of Judy Collins who is also an American songwriter and a singer. His couple of famous albums was “SONGS FROM A ROOM” and “SONGS OF LOVE AND HATE”, produced in Nashville by the producer called Bob Johnston who had helped Cohen to achieve the spare sound that he’d been after in his first album.

ABOUT THE SONG – SUZZANE.

This song is associated with Cohen’s life. At first the song was a poem in 1966 which was been translated into a song by Judy Collins and further it was being recorded by Leonard Cohen for his album called “SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN”.   In this song, Cohen had a “PLATONIC RELATIONSHIP” with Suzanne Verdal who   was the girlfriend of a Quebec sculptor, named Armand Vailancourt.    The lyrics of the song describes about rituals that they used to enjoy whenever they were together. Suzanne used to call Cohen at her apartment by the harbor at Montreal.

THE SETTING AND THE DESCRIPTION OF THE SONG

The entire song has been set up in the harbor in Montreal near Suzanne’s apartment. She used to serve tea and oranges to Cohen, which was brought from China.  They used to walk around Old Montreal past the church of “NOTRE-DAME-de-BON- SECOURS, where sailors were blessed before heading out to the sea.   

THE LYRICS OF THE SONG:-

Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night beside her
And you know that she's half crazy
But that's why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges
That come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her
That you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer
That you've always been her lover
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.

Therefore, each of his song revolves around his real life. Hats off to this person, who beautifully shares his personal life through each of his work of songs.   I love all of his songs, specially “FAMOUS BLUE RAINCOAT” and “HALLELUJAH”.