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Rolling Stone: The Playlist Issue
50 Artists Pick Their Personal Top 10s
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Page 70 - Rufus Wainwright: Leonard Cohen

01. Who By Fire
02. Don't Go Home With Your Hard-On
03. Death of a Ladies' Man
04. A Thousand Kisses Deep
05. Sisters of Mercy
06. Chelsea Hotel No. 2
07. The Future
08. Take This Waltz
09. Bird On The Wire (Written as Bird On A Wire)
10. Famous Blue Raincoat

http://rollingstoneextras.com/playlists ... wainwright
Thanks Quasand for letting us know...
Leslie

“Fantastic framed sculptures" is how Wainwright describes the music of Leonard Cohen. "It's daunting to listen to his music as a songwriter," Wainwright says, "but it's worth the challenge: It'll just make you better."

"Who by Fire" 1974
I love how it tricks you. You think you're on this one plane, and then the chorus whisks you off to some either mundane or cataclysmic situation. That line — "And who shall I say is calling?" — I imagine someone said that in the other room, and he just put it in the song.

"Don't Go Home With Your Hard-On" 1977
I'm a big Phil Spector fan, so I adore the production on this song. Leonard is not always the easiest artist to dance to, but this song for sure serves that purpose.

"Death of a Ladies' Man" 1977
I think this is his most personal song in a way. It encapsulates that sense of a man who's at the end of his sexual powers, yet is therefore so much sexier.

"A Thousand Kisses Deep" 2001
It's about the never-ending trap of love and how you're just kind of a slave, but a happy one. I'm good friends with his daughter, and when he was writing it, I was at their house.

“Sisters of Mercy” 1967
I see this as almost a knight's tale, about someone who's in search of the Holy Grail and stumbles upon this cloister full of all these randy nuns. It's interfaith, which is what we need these days.

"Chelsea Hotel No. 2" 1975
I've lived in the Chelsea Hotel and I've given head on the bed at the Chelsea Hotel — received it as well. So I'm all over this song.

“The Future” 1992
Look, he was right: "Give me back the Berlin Wall." Look at what we've gone through: 9/11, global warming, the Bush years, whatever. Things did get worse. He's a prophet.

“Take This Waltz” 1968
I love that this one is very lyrical and romantic and kind of light, unlike the usual dark, brooding, stark and quite scary Leonard. Any songwriter will tell you it's necessary to have some of that in your set, or else people will want their money back.

“Bird on a Wire” 1969
This is my favorite song of his. It's so touching and true in terms of what we go through as human beings — all the attempts we make to do the right thing that just miss the mark. It's probably his most human song.

“Famous Blue Raincoat” 1971
A wonderful, theatrical passion play — a bit of a soap opera. I wish I knew for sure what it's about. I think it's about a gay love affair — my homo gene gravitates toward that. I doubt we'll ever know, though.

Quasand wrote:“Fantastic framed sculptures" is how Wainwright describes the music of Leonard Cohen. "It's daunting to listen to his music as a songwriter," Wainwright says, "but it's worth the challenge: It'll just make you better."

“Famous Blue Raincoat” 1971
A wonderful, theatrical passion play — a bit of a soap opera. I wish I knew for sure what it's about. I think it's about a gay love affair — my homo gene gravitates toward that. I doubt we'll ever know, though.

His take on FBR really threw me. Have I missed something somewhere here where this type of interpretation was ever discussed?

MaryB wrote:

Quasand wrote:“Fantastic framed sculptures" is how Wainwright describes the music of Leonard Cohen. "It's daunting to listen to his music as a songwriter," Wainwright says, "but it's worth the challenge: It'll just make you better."

“Famous Blue Raincoat” 1971
A wonderful, theatrical passion play — a bit of a soap opera. I wish I knew for sure what it's about. I think it's about a gay love affair — my homo gene gravitates toward that. I doubt we'll ever know, though.

His take on FBR really threw me. Have I missed something somewhere here where this type of interpretation was ever discussed?

I had to make sure that the quote was attributed to Wainwright. That was never my take on it, but there is a universality to the song which can make it work for married, for unmarried and I would support that it could work also for gay or lesbian; why not? I think that guessing the sexual orientation of the 3 parties entirely misses the point. (for me)

It is more about a soft betrayal that leaves all parties changed, in some ways for the better and in some ways perhaps damaged by one night........ "And you treated my woman to a flake of your life, and when she came back she was nobody's wife."

Anyone who has been in a relationship that was interrupted by a third party should be able to relate to this song. One can feel that all parties are changed. There is a brief moment of closeness and intimacy, but the end result is enduring isolation.
(There was a similar relationship in "The Big Chill" that was referred to in dialogue w/ similar results)

That's what it looks like from my keyboard.....

willy

MaryB wrote:

Quasand wrote: “Famous Blue Raincoat” 1971
A wonderful, theatrical passion play — a bit of a soap opera. I wish I knew for sure what it's about. I think it's about a gay love affair — my homo gene gravitates toward that. I doubt we'll ever know, though.

His take on FBR really threw me. Have I missed something somewhere here where this type of interpretation was ever discussed?

The narrator refers to the third party, who betrayed him, as "my brother. . ." & the narrator refers to the lover who betrayed him as "Jane" & as "the woman", & previously as "HIS woman"; so I think it's a sensible guess that the narrator is male, the third party is male, & the lover who betrayed the narrator, by doing whatever she did with the third party, is female. There are other possible interpretations that could make sense; but a gay love affair - I personally don't see any support in the lyrics for that one. . .

Thanks for that Willy. I can see what you mean about universitality. LC's words have a way of meaning different things to different people. Look at all the debates here on the forum. Even when I learned what inspired LC to write 'Dance Me To the End of Love', it stills remains a song of the art of lovemaking to me.

In the case of FBR, notwithstanding universitality, I have to agree with Rachel. It will always be about 2 men and 1 woman, in my mind.

Kindest regards,
Mary

I'm with you.

The song ends with; "sincerely L.Cohen,"
then there's "Jane"
And then the third party whom the writer refers to as "my brother, my killer".
Seems like a guy to me.

That works out to 2 guys and the mutual object of their love; Jane.

That's how this thin gypsy sees it. ; )

Willy (who is listening to the naked vinyl album while typing)

I think Rufus's gaydar is malfunctioning

friscogrl wrote:I think Rufus's gaydar is malfunctioning

Well said, Marsha - LOL!! Good poetry certainly does have different meanings for different people, but it always helps if there is SOME TINY IOTA of support in the actual words - or even in the spaces BETWEEN the words - of the poet!!

In my opinion there is nothing in the lyrics of FBR that suggests a gay relationship.

Also, Sisters of Mercy had nothing to do with nuns, as anybody who has read about the circumstances in which the song was written would know.

But as with most of LC's songs, everybody has their own interpretation. What we all have in common is that we love these wonderful and timeless songs because they mean so much to everyone in a different way.

Gerrida