Leonard Cohen Songs - article by Whimsical Wire Articles

Leonard Cohen Songs

One of the most influential singer songwriters to come out of the 1960s is Leonard Cohen. His rich voice, poetic lyrics and melancholy melodies have stood the test of time and Leonard Cohen songs continue to impress each generation. He has had a long career of recording and performing, remaining popular as musical trends come and go.

Cohen was born in Montreal and expressed himself in poetry before he began to write songs. His recordings are really poems set to music. His output is not known for singles but album releases. The first album was simply titled Songs of Leonard Cohen and was released in 1967, in the middle of the singer songwriter craze. This record featured two classic tracks in Suzanne and So Long Mariane, two of his best love songs. In 1969, Cohen released a follow up called Songs from a Room, featuring Bird on a Wire and Lady Midnight.

The latest album came out in 2004 and is titled Dear Heather. It is his eleventh studio album and contains the track, Go No More A-Roving, a song with words by the poet, Lord Byron. The songs of Leonard Cohen also feature on three live albums and four compilations.

Filmmakers have used Cohen's songs and they have been very affective in evoking mood. They feature in the controversial Natural Born Killers, The Life of David Gale and the 2007 version of King Kong. Cohen's fellow musicians and songwriters hold him in high esteem and there are numerous cover versions of his compositions. Leonard Cohen songs have been recorded by many diverse artists, such as Johnny Cash, Judy Collins, Bette Midler, and Billy Joel. Rufus Wainwright, Bob Dylan, John Cale and Jeff Buckley have each done a cover of Hallelujah. This song has been featured in the hit TV show, The OC and in the Shrek movie.

Each cover version brings something new to Leonard Cohen's songs. There are tribute albums that feature different artists, including The Tower of Song from 1995 with contributions from Sting, Elton John and Willie Nelson. The Tower of Song is a Cohen track in which he pays tribute to one of his heroes, the country star, Hank Williams. An earlier tribute album came out in 1991 and is called I'm Your Fan. This features tracks from REM, the Pixies and Nick Cave. Cohen's songs are suitable for rock and country interpretations but his fans, of course, prefer to hear the originals from the man himself.

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