While watching the recent TV drama “So Long Marianne“, about Cohen’s early days in Greece and the first true love of his life Marianne who become a major muse for much of his output, my wife, asked me thoughtfully “What is it about him you like?“.

I thought what a wonderful question, and I purposely didn’t launch into a diatribe of all things that instantly came to mind – this deserved deep reflection. It is no secret I am a long term fan, and have managed to collect most of his output on vinyl that adorns my wall.

One thing my wife didn’t realize was the classic Hallelujah song which pops anytime a TV show/movie needs a reflection montage, was written by Cohen. Ah ha the hook!

I remember precisely the moment and my gateway song into the world of Leonard Cohen. It was on a plane ride from Rome to New York, 16 years ago. I had no entertainment with me, so was forced to watch the inflight selections. They had a music section with “selected videos” and on it was “Closing Time”, and while I knew of Leonard Cohen, I had not listened to any of his output. So, since I had 9 hours to kill, I thought, why not.

Little did I know that pressing “Play” on that video would set off a chain reaction and a journey into one man’s observations on love and the world around him. It started and I wasn’t really paying attention as I was looking out the window at the Italian ground crew tossing bags into the hold.

Then the line “And the Johnny Walker wisdom running high” and for whatever reason caught my attention, and I remember at the time thinking that was a very clever use of words. He now had my full attention – no longer caring about the bags banging underneath me.

Unfortunately this was the only song the airline had on their system, but I repeated it many times, dissecting each line, trying to figure out what the bigger meaning was.

Hoping this wasn’t a one off (and after landing) I went digging further to see if there was any of his back catalog that I may recognize. Running my eyes down the list, I spotted “Bird on a wire” – the original version from his “Songs from a Room” album and when it played, I knew I was hooked. This was outstanding. Though in full disclosure, he reimagined this song on his “Live in London” performance (one my favorite albums of all time) which I prefer.

I consumed as much of his back catalog as possible, and what I realized was that you just can’t simply put on an album and let it play. It is not something you put on in the background. Like a fine meal, it has to be presented, observed and then consumed one mouthful at a time, savoring each taste until the plate is finished.

Leonard Cohen is a poet first and foremost, and a songwriter second. Each album is a collection of poetry, woven around a common theme, set against a simple music underlay with him reciting words in a very conversational tone. Bob Dylan was an admirer and referred to Cohen as the #1 songwriter in the world – ranking himself as #0 naturally.

The “Night of Santiago” is a good example, with him telling the story of how he hooked up with a lady in Santiago after a chance meeting. His words borders on erotic as he describes the night in detail. He puts you in the moment, as if he is retelling the story just for you.

“She said she was a maiden
That wasn’t what I heard
For the sake of conversation
I took her at her word”

Another wonderful example of his thought provoking mixture of poetry and music, is “Tower of Song”, (which he recorded a version with U2).

Here he uses the classic “the man with the golden voice” line which always a crowd pleaser on his live performances.

Now, you can say that I’ve grown bitter but of this you may be sure:
The rich have got their channels in the bedrooms of the poor
And there’s a mighty Judgement comin’ but I may be wrong

He has also published many books in his life time, and those are good to read, but again, you have to be in the right mindset to appreciate them.

So I close this, with the one that kicked started the wonderful question from my wife, “So Long, Marianne”, as he bids farewell to that chapter of his life.

As an aside, he kept in life-long touch with Marianne, and when she was dying, he sent her a beautiful email that read:

Dearest Marianne,

I’m just a little behind you, close enough to take your hand. This old body has given up, just as yours has too. I’ve never forgotten your love and your beauty. But you know that. I don’t have to say any more. Safe travels old friend. See you down the road. Endless love and gratitude.

your Leonard

He died only a few months after her, at 82 after a fall in his LA home in 2016.

I get a lot of joy/comfort, sitting down, with a Talisker, putting on one of his albums on the turntable and being taken on a journey.

Give him a whirl if you haven’t already – he may surprise yourself.