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Also always had a soft spot for Joan - all that passion and submission...

Also always had a soft spot for Joan - all that passion and submission...

Please excuse my clumsy ways of double posting and shit - I'm pretty new at this forum thing. Still I see that Everybody Knows is a song that is pretty high on many fans' list. Let mé tell you a story about that particular song.
When I'm Your Man came out in 88, I quickly discarded it as something of a sell-out - that great lingering accoustic grunding for those grand lyrics were replaced by synth-driven repetivity and melodies were reduced to narrow-toned vehikels for a basso profundo, especially designede to please the ladies.
The release of The Future did not do much to chance that picture in My mind and the nineties were spent playing the old seventies stuff.
Then out of God knows where came 10 New Songs and ears were pricked to the point of citering off the top of My head and I had to go back and listen a bit more to the two albums that I'd lost.
One song I particularly took a liking to was Everybody - especially after a Danish album was released with about 15 LC songs being sung in Danish translation by various Danish rock and pop stars. One of the best songs on this release was a translation of Everybody Knows as Alle ved Besked by Danish singer Claus Hempler. What finally dawned on me was that the song's greatest qualities lay in it's structure - verses only losely connected to each other but shrewdly bound together by the refrain - Everybody Knows. This was a structure I was familiar with from old Kansas City Blues Shouter style rekords by Joe Turner and Jimmy Witherspoon, but also from the traditional Danish style of politically satirical cabare songs of the thirties and forties.
This really got me thinking - gotta emplement this shit in my own writing - so I set out on the great "Monsters are Real" project that I have nutured for about 10 years, writing seprate verses about things that I don't like - all ending with the title refrain proceeded by a line that rhymes with it - I must have at least 35 verses by now and I shall continue till I croak...

metrichansen wrote:Please excuse my clumsy ways of double posting and shit - I'm pretty new at this forum thing. Still I see that Everybody Knows is a song that is pretty high on many fans' list. Let mé tell you a story about that particular song.
When I'm Your Man came out in 88, I quickly discarded it as something of a sell-out - that great lingering accoustic grunding for those grand lyrics were replaced by synth-driven repetivity and melodies were reduced to narrow-toned vehikels for a basso profundo, especially designede to please the ladies.
The release of The Future did not do much to chance that picture in My mind and the nineties were spent playing the old seventies stuff.
...

Hi metrichansen,

We were all new at one time to this forum thing and most of us made mistakes and still do, so no need to apologize.

I'm Your Man and The Future did much to bring in a whole new group of LC fans, yet many of his fans from the the beginning of his career did not immediately embrace these two works for the same reasons you have mentioned. Isn't it amazing how on more and more listenings to certain LC albums/songs, we discover new things and so many times, songs/albums that we were not enamored with take on new depths and meanings that we glossed over on initial listenings. That is one of the things that entrances me with LC's words and music.

Well, here I go, making a mistake and being off topic, so, the song that is on replay in my head right now is 'Different Sides'.
Can't say it's my favorite because, if it is possible, I have too many favorites (probably an oxymoron).

Welcome to the forum metrichansen!

Best regards,
Mary

As a newcomer (Please forgive me! ) to Leonard Cohen's music i dont know many songs.
I only own (As yet but i am buying the 11CD boxset ) a "Best of".
But up to now i would say it would have to be "Suzanne"!
But i've a sneaky feeling that this could be only one of many and my favourite would change day to day,depending on mood etc.
What a great position i'll find myself in!!

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scocoh wrote:

sheffmark wrote:As a newcomer (Please forgive me! ) to Leonard Cohen's music i dont know many songs.
I only own (As yet but i am buying the 11CD boxset ) a "Best of".
But up to now i would say it would have to be "Suzanne"!
But i've a sneaky feeling that this could be only one of many and my favourite would change day to day,depending on mood etc.
What a great position i'll find myself in!!

Oh man I am sincerely happy for you sheffmark. What a wonderful position to be in! You've found you love Leonard's music and are discovering the many many many gems for the first time. What a great amount of listening pleasure lies in your future!

Thanks scocoh!
You guys are lucky too,because you have already enjoyed the pleasures of L.Cohen's music!
I'm just starting out but i'm sure going to enjoy the ride!!

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scocoh - you mean the "Cohen Live" version with Julie (not "Live Songs")!

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My 'absolute favourite' changes regularly - usually the one that is in my head when I wake up is the one I find myself singing through the day.

I have been known to search youtube for all the live versions of the 'can't get it out of my brain' songs that I can find.
(Then going back to my collection and playing the CD(s) the song is featured on.)

The following day I will wake with a different favourite and the cycle starts again.

PS - I MUCH prefer the Leonard Cohen version(s) to those I produce myself - although I am quite partial to the combination of Leonard's vocals with my 'backing'.

scocoh wrote:Number one for me is Night Comes On. I've always loved it, but now it has taken on special meaning and I listen to it in specific circumstances. It's the single Leonard song I most long to hear live.

Next is a bunch tied for second, mostly from the Recent Songs album which ranks as my favorite.

Same here... although I did hear it live at the Birmingham Odeon in 1985. Great night.

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My favorite is "Joan of Arc," which I've read LC wrote for Nico. My second favorite is "If It Be Your Will."