Where were you the first time you heard Leonard Cohen?

News about Leonard Cohen and his work, press, radio & TV programs etc.
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mWoelke
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Where were you the first time you heard Leonard Cohen?

Post by mWoelke »

It was 1972 and i was 14 years old. i convinced my grandmother to let me ride a greyhound from Atascadero to Anaheim to spend 4 days with my girlfriend. i still cannot believe that she bought me that bus ticket. My girlfriends mother let us sleep together. We slept under a single sheet, naked and chaste, barely touching in the oppressive summer heat. i did not sleep a moment, just lay there and felt her presence and her heat. i don't believe she slept either. The next evening a friend of hers picked us up to cruise Katella. He was driving a 65 mustang with the obligatory hijackers, thrush mufflers and mags. we sat in the back seat, holding hands while we passed a joint and the car filled with smoke. I remember looking out the right side of the car as the wall around Disneyland passed by. Her friend slid a cassette tape into the tape deck and "Diamonds in the Mine" began playing from partway through the opening verse. I was mesmerized. He seemed to be singing right from my secret place, vocalizing emotions that I was, up till then, unable to voice. Then I heard the song that has haunted me all of my life, "Famous Blue Raincoat" i can still smell the pot and exhaust and feel the heat of the summer and the rumble of the engine and I can remember the feel of her small hand in mine.. cool. I do not remember her name now and I cannot, for all of my trying, see her face but I remember those four days in the summer of 1972. It all comes rushing back every time i hear that song. i went back to grandmothers and then rode the bus back to San Diego and went right to the record store and ordered his album on vinyl. I played it 10,000 times if I played it once and waited for every album after that to come out.
Leonard said that Famous Blue Raincoat was the one song that he felt was never finished, a story with missing parts, a mystery about regret and resignation and about forgiveness, forgiveness finally extended much too late for that unfortunate triangle of lovers. I still listen to it, waiting to hear the next layer of meaning. my life is certainly a story with missing parts and maybe all of us have a few missing parts... and more than a few layers of meaning waiting to be heard .

i have listened to his music my entire life, i am always amazed at how powerful his lyrics are, how he was able to place a few simple words into a perfect sequence that could evoke such emotion and such depth of meaning. i still, to this day, will hear a lyric that i have heard 5,000 times and suddenly a deeper meaning becomes so apparent that i cannot believe it took so many years to peel back the layers to discover it. i sometimes think that he wrote songs that i would need decades later in my life.
A great poet a fierce critic of hatred and suffering, a man who battled against the wrong in the world and never lost his belief in the goodness of humanity. He was never afraid to to stand up and shake his fist into the face of the creator, demanding an explanation for the suffering and evil he allowed in the world. He could write poetry that was at once both sensual and spiritual and leave you knowing they were one in the same.
it sounds funny but i will not miss him; he has been a friend, a guide and a teacher. he will remain so, always at arms reach. I am sad that i will not see him again. i am grateful that i saw him in Red Rocks in 09, he was never better - and i regret that i did not buy that ticket to Dublin.

...I choose the rooms that i live in with care
the windows are small and the walls are bare
there is only one bed, there is only one prayer
and i wait every night for your step on the stair...

enjoy the next adventure Leonard, demand that our deities be accountable for what they have done and what they have not.

...and i know from your eyes
and i know from your smile
that tonight will be fine,
will be fine, will be fine, will be fine...

for awhile
goodbye leonard

Mike Woelke
hadley
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Re: Where were you the first time you heard Leonard Cohen?

Post by hadley »

In the mid 90s I was sat there one day watching VH1.

There was a program on there called 'Mills n tunes' where comedian and presenter Bob Mills would make jokes and pick tracks. On this day I remember him delivering at least a 5 minute monologue to us 'kids' about how, if we really want to learn something about life, we should be ditching our Blur and Oasis CDs and getting hold of this record called I'm Your Man by some hitherto unknown chap called Leonard Cohen. On and on he ranted about what a genius this guy is and how this album is like a lyrical bible and how much better off us kids would be if we were listening to that all the time rather than 'this silly britpop fad'...... Uncle Bob's speech was so impassioned it was almost like a public service announcement targeting the younger generation aiming to create a better future.

Then, finally he played the video to First We Take Manhattan. At first I thought it was quite ridiculous, couldn't get my head around the synths or the point of the song, but I thought the video was extremely cool and different, and given Mills' rant I decided to buy the album anyway. And of course the rest is history, he was right about everything (I wish there was video available of his rant about Leonard, you guys would love it).

Thank you Bob Mills :lol:
its4inthemorning
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Re: Where were you the first time you heard Leonard Cohen?

Post by its4inthemorning »

Mike, thanks for a well written story and homage to LC. I think most on this forum vividly remember when they first heard his music. That in itself is a tribute to his work and how it has affected us. Me--early one evening in June 1971 at a college friend's apartment in Bethlehem, PA, amidst beer and weed, he said, "want to hear a strange album?" Then "Avalanche" began, and I was mesmerized.

There are a lot of interesting threads on this forum, check them out!

4
2010 DECEMBER 10 - CAESARS COLOSSEUM, LAS VEGAS / 2012 SEPTEMBER 28 - L'OLYMPIA, PARIS
2012 OCTOBER 3 - PALAU SANT JORDI, BARCELONA / 2012 DECEMBER 13 - K-ROCK CENTRE, KINGSTON
2013 APRIL 6 - RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, NEW YORK CITY / 2013 JULY 9 - PIAZZA NAPOLEONE, LUCCA
2017 NOVEMBER 4-8 - MONTREAL "TOWER OF SONG" CELEBRATION - RIP, YOU GOT ME SINGING!
DennisBerlin
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Re: Where were you the first time you heard Leonard Cohen?

Post by DennisBerlin »

It was in 1998 when I came home from school and my mum sat in her comfy chair, listening to "Last Year's Man".
I heard this voice, this music and I couldn't but stand there in the hall - still in my jacket and shoes- listening, completely mesmerized.

When it was over I went to my mum's room and asked who that is. She told me, it's "one those guys" that were popular in her youth, she just recntly came across this CD with his Greatest Hits (the yellow cover) and thought she should buy it for nostalgia's sake. I borrowed that CD and never gave it back (which was okay with my mum).

Soon after I started to hunt down every other record till then (The Future), bought Ira Nadel's biography and started to get his books. Never got clean of it since ... :D
James T
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Re: Where were you the first time you heard Leonard Cohen?

Post by James T »

In my bedroom, probably in 2004... My dad heard me listening to Bright Eyes and said I should listen to Leonard Cohen, he gave me a CD (original greatest hits with the gold cover) and said I could have it because it was too depressing for him. I remember Who By Fire was the one that really got me that night. After I went and got everything I could, the 80s and 90s material took me by surprise but I appreciated it. Now I love it all. My dad did then gain a mutual love for Leonard after I encouraged him to give it another go, and I got him tickets to see the final tour and he loved it. The moment changed my life, saw him live 4 times and met him once. Incredible. Never been so glad my dad overheard me listening to such average music. ha!
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HugoD
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Re: Where were you the first time you heard Leonard Cohen?

Post by HugoD »

Must have been somewhere in 1980. I was 16 and just started at a new school for an further education in the world.
Made a new friend on that school and one day when I was at his house I heard the music of Leonard for the first time. I was the album Songs from a room. It was played on a Sony tape recorder ( those with the big wheels you don’t see them anymore unfortunately because they sounded great). The songs stuck with me and I was allowed to make a copy on a cassette tape. It was still the early days of the Walkman but I already had one and kept playing that tape over and over again. The funny thing is, I still got that tape!
Soon I bought, form my hard earned cash from working in greenhouses ( growing tomatoes) in the weekends and holidays Songs of Leonard Cohen, Songs of Love and Hate and New Skin for the old Ceremony. These albums created a bond with his music that has stood the test of time even since.
Then, somewhere in 1982, I also bought Death of a ladies man. I was sure it only could be a great album. But for me it wasn’t, I was shocked to hear so much “noise” in almost every song. It was the Phil Spector element that I could not bear. Tried very hard to like it but it just didn’t work for me. Now, forty years later, it is still an album that I skip, do not think that this will ever change.
Because of this imho failed album I stuck with the first 4 albums for over 20 years, but then again , sometimes to the horror of my wife, it was (almost) the only thing I listened to besides classical music. It was around 2001/2002 when I got the album “10 new songs” for my birthday that revived an new interest in LC’s other work. I began to listen to all the other albums after DOALM and realised that there was so much more beautiful songs and albums out there. So I caught up very quickly and now enjoy (almost) all the songs day in and day out!
So there is my little story, who’s next?
Lille 2010, Dublin 2012, Mannheim 2013, Rotterdam 2013, Montréal 2017
Happiness is just the side effect of a meaningful life.
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regensburg
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Re: Where were you the first time you heard Leonard Cohen?

Post by regensburg »

One night I was scrolling thru my TV and I got to Channel PBS who had a fund raiser on. It was the concert in Coachella,Ca. Of course with Leonard. I could not believe what I was hearing and seeing. I was mesmerized. After that I started to find out everything I could and of course all the tours that he was doing. I attended 4 of them and met him in person in Memphis, Tn. The happiest Day of my Life. I wish he would be still with us, but I have the memories, including all the books, records and DVD's that were made of him. Much less all the pictures I have of him in my home. I love him and will meet him again at a later day.
Martinv
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Re: Where were you the first time you heard Leonard Cohen?

Post by Martinv »

It was in 1973 I think. A friend of a friend ( I don't remember his name) Eduard was the first friend, he had "Songs of a room" I heard it once and asked if I could record this LP on my tape recorder. After this period I bought every LP and later CD's. It was a very enchanting period for me, I tought LC made the music for me only. The music fitted in my life :D
1976 Amsterdam, 1988 Amsterdam, 2004 Rotterdam, 2010 Gent, 2012 Amsterdam, 2013 Rotterdam, 2013 Amsterdam
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ForYourSmile
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Re: Where were you the first time you heard Leonard Cohen?

Post by ForYourSmile »

Martinv wrote: Wed Jul 29, 2020 7:04 pm ... I tought LC made the music for me only. The music fitted in my life :D
I liked this, I felt identified… if you will allow me, LC made the music for me only... too :D :D

Around 1970, almost children, we made parties, away from the eyes of the parents we looked for suitable music to dance very close. A wonderful record was Roberta Flack's "First Take", right at the beginning of the B side we had "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" and then another perfect song "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (Ewan MacColl). Surely at that time I heard other things directly sung by Cohen, but I am not aware.

CBS released a promotional album, such as a catalogue tasting, "Llena tu cabeza de rock" https://www.discogs.com/en/Various-Llen ... se/3615850 (1970, 1972 for me). There was "You Know Who I Am" among other wonders. It seemed to me extraordinarily beautiful, deep and mysterious, I tried to translate and understand it, to be honest I keep trying to understand it. Yes, that’s when “the music fitted in my life” :D
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B4real
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Re: Where were you the first time you heard Leonard Cohen?

Post by B4real »

I thought I would add this compatible previous link just to keep the subject altogether :)

https://www.leonardcohenforum.com/viewt ... =5&t=23060
Who (or what) introduced you to Leonard Cohen?
by horo1984 » Sat Sep 25, 2010 8:42 pm
Page 10 in Comments & Questions

btw - There is still another similar thread somewhere on the forum but I can't find it at the moment.
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Attitude is a self-fulfilling prophecy ~ me ...... The magic of art is the truth of its lies ~ me ...... Only left-handers are in their right mind!
its4inthemorning
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Re: Where were you the first time you heard Leonard Cohen?

Post by its4inthemorning »

Hi Bev,

I vaguely recalled there being an older thread on this, and assumed you would find it for us!

But...you haven't told us, where were YOU the first time you heard him?

4
2010 DECEMBER 10 - CAESARS COLOSSEUM, LAS VEGAS / 2012 SEPTEMBER 28 - L'OLYMPIA, PARIS
2012 OCTOBER 3 - PALAU SANT JORDI, BARCELONA / 2012 DECEMBER 13 - K-ROCK CENTRE, KINGSTON
2013 APRIL 6 - RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, NEW YORK CITY / 2013 JULY 9 - PIAZZA NAPOLEONE, LUCCA
2017 NOVEMBER 4-8 - MONTREAL "TOWER OF SONG" CELEBRATION - RIP, YOU GOT ME SINGING!
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B4real
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Re: Where were you the first time you heard Leonard Cohen?

Post by B4real »

its4inthemorning wrote: Thu Jul 30, 2020 1:29 am Hi Bev,

I vaguely recalled there being an older thread on this, and assumed you would find it for us!

But...you haven't told us, where were YOU the first time you heard him?

4
Seems so long ago, I can't quite clearly recall all the details :razz:
B4real wrote: btw - There is still another similar thread somewhere on the forum but I can't find it at the moment.
I found it just now so I can relate this first time in concert event for me and others :) https://www.leonardcohenforum.com/viewt ... me#p204901
It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to B4real ~ me
Attitude is a self-fulfilling prophecy ~ me ...... The magic of art is the truth of its lies ~ me ...... Only left-handers are in their right mind!
MaryB
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Re: Where were you the first time you heard Leonard Cohen?

Post by MaryB »

Right here in 1984.

I was doing my office work from home in the afternoon. The little black & white tv was on to provide background noise. The tv only had the major stations and a couple of oddball stations at the time. Since the major stations had nothing but soap operas, I opted for some remote station to give me a break from the soap operas. There was this remote station from some little town airing music videos.

I was engrossed in my work when all of a sudden.......I hear this fantastic melody and this hauntingly phenomenal voice. It was LC's official video of 'Dance Me to the End of Love'! Being in the music business, there was not much to overwhelm me, but this was so unusual and out of the norm - I was totally captivated.

I talked to my brother (who was the buyer for our record stores at the time) and asked him if he knew who this LC was. He said 'Yeah, I love his music'! (Thanks for letting me know about him :lol: ). ' Can I get this lp with this song? Nope! Only available on import to the US because Sony did not have enough confidence in LC to release this product here in the states.'

Little did Sony know what gems they had on Various Positions :shock: ....

I was hooked and got my husband hooked also :D
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