How were you first introduced to the words of Leonard Cohen?

[Cate]

Hi Cate ~

Okay, here's the story I promised, albeit not much of one. Its primary significance lies in its personal meaning for me. My former husband, my lifelong love, is the one who introduced me to Leonard's music. After we were already pretty much separated, I was down where he was staying at his brother's and he said, "You've got to listen to this." I stretched out on the floor to focus, and the first I heard was... "Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river . . . " Our marriage still ended, but there were a number of reconciliation attempts that became filled with his playing the guitar and us singing Leonard's songs alone and together. The feeling of it all was indescribably powerful and is inexoraby, forever intertwined. My associations are intensely visceral. In my heart and being, very akin to the visuals and viscerals of "You Have The Lovers."


~ Lizzy

Hi Lizzy,

That is a beautiful story, thank you for sharing it. It reminds me of how words, a song or even a smell can bring us back so vividly to a moment in our lives. In my minds eye I can imagine you stretched out listening to Suzanne; a song so well matched for that moment.

[Cate]

Hi Cate,

I remember listening to Leonard's words covered by other people when i was growing up. My mum or dad had an EP of Bridget St John with her wonderful version of Suzanne on it. It took me many many years to find Bridget's version again after I sold the EP when I was 15 so I could by The Soft Parade by The Doors! I think I seriously sought out Leonard's music and writings after I watched The South Bank Show special on him in 1988. I read everything I could, bought every album, loved his words, his music. I thought he was so cool. He very quickly became one of my literary heroes. Then I fell in love with a beautiful girl who was already in love with Leonard's poetry and music. We carried Leonard with us through our happy times and our times of pain. The very first Valentine's card I got from her had the lines of a LC poem in it. Something to do with 'thinking about you/ coming into the room/ I made a pass at myself.' Leonard has been with me for the past 20 years. I still listen to him every day and read him every day. I couldn't sleep last night, so I listened to The Master Poems on Cd over and over imagining myself on the scene in downtown Montreal with all the bohemians in the late 50's, early 60's. I want so much to be a part of it, but then I re-run the B&W film footage of Leonard in my mind from the Ladies And Gentleman, Mr Leonard Cohen DVD and find comfort in seeing Leonard as a young man jumping out of bed in his white underwear in what surely must have been a staged awakening by the CBC director! I imagine myself as a young man sending Leonard's poems to girls whom I had taken a liking to. 20 years on, and I am still sending the same poems to girls I have taken a liking to! I'm so happy that you have found LC again and re-visited the sites of your former selves.

One last aside, which you may or may not find interesting, I have only ever used the poems of three poets to court the attention of women: ee cummings, Leonard Cohen and Brian Patten. Leonard always comes out on top. I let an erotic dancer stay with me in my apartment a few years ago for 9 months. She would sometimes say to me as she was readying herself for work in the nightclub, 'I want a man to treat me the way Leonard Cohen treats a woman!' I don't know what privelidged knowledge she had about Leonard's treatment of women or whether she just thought he was the 'most romantic guy ever' because of his poems and music, but I think she knew a thing or two about men. All good things to you, Cate.

I do find it interesting. I'm not at all surprised that Leonard word come out on top. His images and words are so pure, you become immersed within them; who could resist words like his.
You mentioned listening to the Master Poems on C.D. - Is this Leonard reciting his poems?

[Mark A. Murphy]

Yes. The Master Poems consist of mainly older material, lots from the 1960's of Leonard reading from his early work. It is freely available on this site. I'm sure one of the Cohenites here would burn and send you a copy if you so requested it. I would myself except my burner needs replacing. I'm hopefully taking delivery of a new PC next week, so if you have no luck, get back to me and I will forward you a copy then. All good things, Mark

[lizzytysh]

Thank you, Cate. I'm very glad you appreciated it in the way you did. Beyond his own love, Leonard's music was the most profound and beautiful gift Alan ever gave me.


~ Lizzy

[Kurt W]

Two (or three) years ago I rented the 1994, over-the-top flick, "Natural Born Killers" The soundtrack included "Waiting for the Miracle" and the "Future". I just had to get "The Future" and, after a quick internet search, ended up at Tower Records. I found it on both the movie soundtrack and the "Essential Leonard Cohen". I didn't care for some of the other music on the soundtrack so, without an inkling of what I was getting into, I chose Leonard....... I'll see you all, somewhere, someday, somehow........on the tour.....

Kurt
...only passing through...

"Natural Born Killers" (totally over-the-top)
Director - Oliver Stone
Story - Quentin Tarantino
Screenplay - David Veloz, Richard Rutowski, Oliver Stone

[LuNo]

Hi Cate,
The first time I was struck to LC's words was in the late eighties - 88/89 - thanks to his songs "First we take Manhattan" and "Take this waltz" (from the "I'm your man" album) that were constantly being played in the radio.
I was in college by then and couldn't afford spending much money in LPs, hence the "LC seed" stayed in hibernation.
It took me some 10 years (when my 1st marriage turned into a divorce) to unearth LC's complete discography and buy some of his books.
So, if we think that "Take this waltz" are Garcia Lorca's words translated by Leonard Cohen, my first LC reference was indeed "First we take Manhattan".
Cheers,
Luis

[Cate]

Hi Luis

Thank you for sharing your experience. "Take the Waltz" is one of my favourite songs, I'll listen to it over and over.

All the best

Cate

[Steven]

Hi Cate,

I was first introduced to the words of Leonard Cohen, by suggestion of someone that
I knew when I was 16. She knew I liked Harry Chapin and thought that what I liked
about him I'd find in Cohen's work. Well, she was nuts and I didn't want to listen
to whatever it was that was resonating for her. But, when I heard some Leonard
Cohen on FM radio years later, I listened, partly out of curiosity, remembering her
words and partly out of captivation. I went out and bought an audio tape. She
was right, of course.

[annie blue]

I was 12 years old, it was 1970 and a school friend Ruth that I was visiting needed to go round to her friend to collect something. She only lived a couple of doors away and so I tagged along. Ruth and her friend went upstairs leaving me sitting in a room downstairs that had an album playing. I knew immediately that this was something really special and didn't want to leave the house. It was 'Songs of Leonard Cohen'. I went into town that weekend and bought it. Transfixed ever since. Favourite song changes according to mood, season, company, marital status or lighting, so it's impossible to give only one. If I was put up against a wall and made to choose though, I suspect the first words to come out of my mouth would be 'Famous Blue Raincoat'. I have never worked or lived with anyone who shares my taste until recently. My new partner is a fan and understood completely when I phoned him last week and literally couldn't breathe with the news of a possible tour. It's wonderful to have someone in my life who 'get's it'. He's the only person to ever buy me anything LC - Book of Longing for my birthday and a day in sunny Manchester to visit the art exhibition.

[lizzytysh]

A lovely story, Annie Blue. One that I and many others can relate to... I can only imagine having been 12 and transfixed. I was about 25 and transfixed and remember how that felt. I can also imagine how it felt to finally have someone who would understand your inability to breathe with such great news.

Welcome from me, too .


~ Lizzy

[annie blue]

Why thank you lizzytysh. It only seems like yesterday yet so much water under the bridge since then. It will be my 50th later this year and by hook or by crook I will treat myself if and when the tour is official. My birthday present to myself. Unless of course my beloved has something up his sleeve.....

[Red Poppy]

Hopefully he has.
Arms?
Handkerchiefs?
A shirt?
Elbows even?

[annie blue]

Hopefully a loaded credit card

[remarkblz]

Hi Cate
I read your post and some of the others and I want to write you a response. Reasons for that are that I have enough time on my hands, I love lc and he has enriched my life for so many years, I love Canada and I probably have somewhat of a carmic debt to Canada...
I first heard of lc while growing up in Switzerland, I believe it was in 69. I was 15 at the time and my english was only rudimentary. We had regular parties at the time and this song that was played was getting my attention. It was Suzanne. Even though English came easy to me I hardly understood what lc was singing, something about Suzanne takes you down to the river...(i'm not even sure I understand the song today...)
But I was so intrigued by 'songs from a room' that I then bought one of his books.
lc then accompanied me over the next 20, 30 years. I felt a particular closeness to him and his music when I was in Greece(which I visited many times and which is my favourite country other then the country I live in now).
In the late 80s I heard 'everybody knows' in a movie.'I'm your man' I think is by far his best album and is one of the best 'pop' albums there is. My affection for lc rose to a whole another level.
Listening to his music gets me into a space I like to get into, coincidently I feel close to buddhism too. Some of his songs I could listen to again and again.
My favourites songs are on 'I'm your man', 'Songs of love and hate' and 'songs from a room'. Interestingly, I haven't heard any interpretations of his songs that I like to much, and his voice, which at times has been belittled, I think fits beautifully with his music.
Over the last years I've had an opportunity to catch up with some of my favourite musicians(Dylan, Bo Diddley, Hal Ketchum, JJ Walker), but for lc I have waited so long now and I'll do whatever it takes to hear him live.
Cheers
Toni

[Cate]

Hi Toni and welcome to the Forum, I think you'll like it here.

Listening to his music gets me into a space I like to get into

I like how you phrased that. This is true for me as well, I can't think of another artist that pulls me in like that. To be honest I'm often confused by what Leonard is saying, It must have been interesting for a 15 year not fluent with english, you must have thought the words very odd.

Thank you for your story,
all the best,

Cate