Leonard Cohen: They Wanted it Darker

Leonard Cohen: They Wanted it Darker

   For decades Leonard Cohen has been a part of the songwriting lexicon. Arguably one of the best songwriter's we have known, Leonard found a way to blend his influences of jazz and folk/country into both the verbiage and sound. My introduction to Leonard has been like Alice chasing the ever elusive white rabbit. Never finding the right time to sit and really listen. Since high school however, and most obvious the introduction for me was with "Hallelujah." Where an older man in a fedora sang this song and I was enamored.  He looked like "cool." And as he grew older his voice became more gravelly and baritone. Still enamored, it was on my back porch in Chicago, out of high school, were a lot of things went down, but mainly a musical experience was happening, when "Suzanne" came on. Performed by the widely unknown Fred Holstein, and those words, the longing within them, took me to a place where music does not often take me. There was a peaceful calm hanging on every word and every note I was locked into this song and remaining enamored.

   Fast forward many years and a few moves and here we are today on this the 19th day of 2018. The chasing of him has ceased, and I have been delving deep into his library. The inflection of his voice, the chord changes, and closing my eyes and simply listening. Shutting up for a while and listening to the wise old man of the sea. Telling me nothing I don't already know, but telling me in a way through song that stop me from making footprints in the snow and look back. I didn't get this chance when I was younger, for whatever reason. Time has finally allowed itself, albeit late as hell. But that is the beauty of this. I would probably never have met him, but I can listen to interviews and the library from beginning to whatever end may come. For the great ones always live on. Churning out records long after they are gone.

   Leonard left us with "You Want it Darker," and I find myself feeling the way I did when I first heard "Suzanne." Drifting through the words and sounds in catatonic silence. My once filled brain with constant chatter has silenced itself as his words fill my ear canal, and the chord changes take me on the journey that not many artists do. The great ones do it. There is a list a mile long, and Leonard Cohen is on that list.

   I don't know how to meditate, but his songs make everything quiet. For me it is sort of like being in a trance, or when you are watching a truly unbelievable movie and you become lost in silence. When they are both over you snap out of it, but you could have stayed in that place. It was comforting. It was quiet. Leonard does this. He has this ability to, whether knowing it or not, to make his music feel all these things. Yes, they are just songs. For this listener having finally caught up to his white rabbit the journey has just begun, and I will purposely take a long time to finish it.