Retrospective Reviews: Leonard Cohen's 'Songs of Leonard Cohen'

No conversation about important, critically acclaimed Canadian musicians can be complete without mentioning Leonard Cohen. The eccentric Quebecer is an award winning poet and novelist, an ordained Buddhist monk, and occasionally a world famous singer songwriter. He is most known for his song, “Hallelujah” a song so massively popular that it has been covered by more than 200 notable artists, and has had a book written about it.

Before, “Hallelujah” Leonard Cohen announced his arrival as an musician and firmly cemented his place in the Canadian folk revival scene with his first album Songs of Leonard Cohen. The album lets you know exactly what kind of ride you're in for with first song, “Suzanne”.The song is a rarity in the Leonard Cohen catalogue, in that it describes a non-sexual relationship between the speaker and a woman. The simplicity of Cohen's lyrics highlight the deep emotional undertones of the song, while tender strings and soft gospel back up vocals ease the song into your memory. Cohen's deep and airy can't-quite-sing voice manages to be eerily soothing over his ingeniously constructed chord progression.

While Cohen seemingly brokered a perfect marriage between his strange voice and gentle music on his first album, it is far from perfect. At the time of recording Cohen and his then producer, John Simon, wanted to take the album in different directions. Simon pushed for backing tracks – strings, horns, drums and back up vocals – while Cohen wanted a raw recording of just himself and his guitar. The result of this dispute had varying consequences. Songs like, “Sisters of Mercy” and, “Stories of the Street” seem to have extra instruments shoe horned onto the track, either adding nothing or becoming a distraction from the real meat of the song. But a song like, “Good-bye Marianne” with the addition backing instruments and vocals, changes from what would have been a moderately catchy folk song into a completely immersive singalong ballad. The extra production works, but only when it decorates the foundation of Cohen's songs rather than build on top of them.

Despite these gripes, the album is a massive poetic and musical accomplishment. With his roots as a poet Cohen takes us deep into his beautifully tortured thoughts. “Hey That's No Way to Say Goodbye,” is a song that somehow manages to reconcile the banal, but immobilizing nature of love dying in a relationship. The album ends with, “One of Us Cannot Be Wrong” a highly symbolic song begging to be interpreted. The song, and album, trail off while Cohen screams the melody of his song as if he quickly descending into madness. It makes any listener uncomfortable in the same way you feel uncomfortable when a rambling lunatic starts to make sense. But the real jewel in this crown of an album is, “The Stranger Song” a song about falling in love, and the transformation people make when they do. In the song Cohen picks his guitar like a melodic rain. It's the kind of song that sticks with you, when you're on the bus, walking home from work, you will think of a profound lyric, the sound of a drumming chord, and be instantly sent into the most satisfying sadness.

Even 37 years after it's initial release, Songs of Leonard Cohen is just as moving and profound as it would have been when Cohen recorded it. Because of Cohen's masterful song construction and timeless, poetic lyrics dealing with universal themes of love, sex, spirituality, and the human condition, Songs of Leonard Cohen cannot be antiquated. Even as the years and decades hammer on, Songs of Leonard Cohen, will be remembered not only as one of the most unique albums to come out of the folk renascence of the 60s, but as cultural, literary, and musical triumph.

Erik Mclaren is a writer living in Ontario - @Erik01