Roberta Flack's 'Suzanne' interpretation

Andrew (Darby) · Post by **Andrew (Darby)** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 5:50 pm

I happened to have recently come across a cheap Roberta Flack “Love Songs” DVD, which includes concert footage of her singing 'Suzanne'. She performed a quite beautiful (but slow) rendition of the song, which must be close to some sort of record, in terms of its length of 9 minutes!

However, what is interesting and somewhat perplexing about this performance is that in her intro to the song she says something like: “... this is the story about a beautiful young girl who was all the time looking at herself in the mirror and so had no time for the needs or pains of others”

I don’t really comprehend why she interpreted 'Suzanne' in that way (even though there is the line "while Suzanne holds the mirror").

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Cheers

Andrew (Darby)

lightning · Post by **lightning** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 1:24 am

I always though it meant like an artist holds the mirror to society she shows you yourself. I never heard it as narcissism as Suzanne is portrayed in such a saintly way.

Tchocolatl · Post by **Tchocolatl** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 5:08 am

Maybe she wrote to Leonard Cohen about the meaning of the song and she received the same kind of answer the Chinese got about BL.

Tchocolatl · Post by **Tchocolatl** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 5:38 am

More seriously....

There are heroes in the seaweed
there are children in the morning
they are leaning out for love
they will lean that way for ever
while Suzanne holds the mirror.

One could easily forge a story "about a beautiful young girl who was all the time looking at herself in the mirror and so had no time for the needs or pains of others” out of these lines only, and we know by now how songs of Leonard Cohen are a strong support for fantasy of all sorts.

Andrew (Darby) · Post by **Andrew (Darby)** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 9:54 am

Tchocalati, I can see where you're coming from, but tend to agree with lightning's analysis. For me this position is strengthened by the recently posted interview of her which is the subject of a separate thread here.

From this interview (and photo) whilst she was clearly beautiful and may have been tempted to narcissism, I didn't feel any measure of this from the interview. I think she had a lot of time for Leonard and would have been very responsive to him and his needs (even though she was unable to acquiesce to his every desire

)!

Cheers

Andrew (Darby)

Tri-me · Post by **Tri-me** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 2:07 pm

I see Suzanne as a beautiful and wise woman a sage. He is captivated with her, her beauty her intelligence her warmth. He knows he can never “have” her, and she knows she can never "have" him.
The mirror is a metaphor for seeing yourself through others?
Roberta Flack's interpretation is very bizarre to me.

Tchocolatl · Post by **Tchocolatl** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 2:21 pm

I was not doing an analyis of the song, even less trying to describe the real Suzanne and/or her relationship with Leonard.

I was just answering this question :

"I don’t really comprehend why she interpreted 'Suzanne' in that way (even though there is the line "while Suzanne holds the mirror"). Confused Does anyone have any thoughts on this?"

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 4:28 pm

Roberta Flack is definitely prone to sloooooooow singing, so the length of her "Suzanne" comes as no surprize. However, her interpretation, via the song, of Suzanne as a person, certainly does.

I can see where Tchocolatl's idea is where Roberta got her interpretation; but, in the context of the song, that slant has never crossed my mind. I've always seen it as how we see ourselves through others who act as mirrors for us. Not everyone does, but those who do tend to be very special. Ironically [in this case], it seems to require a non-narcissistic perspective on the part of the 'mirror.'

tomsakic · Post by **tomsakic** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 4:32 pm

She butchered the song completely. And I have impression that Peter Gabriel was covering her on Tower of Song tribute album.

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 5:33 pm

I like Roberta Flack with some of her songs, but I'm not surprized that she 'butchered' this one......sloooooooow is not always best. The song is already slow in its own right.

Andrew (Darby) · Post by **Andrew (Darby)** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 5:35 pm

Tchocolatl, I take your point about interpretation, especially when (as you suggested earlier) it might involve the interpreter's fantasies about a possible scenario, as opposed to the author 's viewpoint.

However, I am still left wondering why Roberta would make such a definite and unqualified interpretive statement as an intro to someone else's song!

Cheers

Andrew (Darby)

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 5:39 pm

Perhaps, Andrew, because she doesn't know Leonard's work well enough to know that you just 'can't do that'

? I strongly suspect she did not contact Leonard, as her interpretation of the song certainly appears to be based on one line/stanza and linking it with its title ~ completely overlooking everything else that's going on in the song

.

~ Lizzy

tomsakic · Post by **tomsakic** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 10:33 am

Didn't Joan Baez think that this song is about religious experience (she hated the refrain about "mind" and "body" and Jesus reference), so she changed it while she was singing? That was totally misunderstood. I guess that both her and Roberta Flack are more or less ignorants about LC or poetry. They simply sung it because it was standard, it was popular hit by good singer-songwriter. As they would sang Dylan's song without having any single idea about what he was genuily singing. Or thinking it's all about revolution.

The problem with Flack's version isn't only it's too looooong, but she made it so long with slow and deadly boring arrangements which tend to world music.

Tchocolatl · Post by **Tchocolatl** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 4:14 pm

However, I am still left wondering why Roberta would make such a definite and unqualified interpretive statement as an intro to someone else's song! Surprised

As I said, songs of Leonard Cohen are a strong support for as many inner life that there are listeners. For me this emotional aspect of the song stroke Ms. Flack for reasons of her own, and for the logical particule that according to the law of physic

should be there, well, the lines I cited fits as well as "the perfect body".

I never listen to this cover. THE song I like by her is a wonderful classic love song, maybe the must wonderful I know and she recorded it as slow as it was needed, she seems to be the voice of the ocean and the tides, and the night and the time itself. So beautiful. And she seemed not to have skip any meaning also.

First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

The first time ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and stars were the gifts you gave
To the dark and the empty skies, my love,
To the dark and the empty skies.

The first time ever I kissed your mouth
And felt your heart beat close to mine
Like the trembling heart of a captive bird
That was there at my command, my love
That was there at my command.

And the first time ever I lay with you
I felt your heart so close to mine
And I knew our joy would fill the earth
And last till the end of time my love
It would last till the end of time my love

The first time ever I saw your face, your face,
your face, your face

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Thu Jul 28, 2005 4:26 pm

Hi Tchocolatl ~

Yes, with this one, Roberta sang and interpreted exquisitely. It's my favourite of hers, though she's done other songs beautifully, as well. I haven't heard her cover of "Suzanne,' and I like World Music, but Suzanne really doesn't need to be any longer or slower than it already is [at least from my perspective].

~ Lizzy