Leeds gets ready to welcome Leonard the legend

Songwriter, poet and troubadour Leonard Cohen plays Leeds Arena next week. Chris Bond salutes a musical giant.
Leonard Cohen performing at The Royal Hospital Kilmainham in DublinLeonard Cohen performing at The Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin
Leonard Cohen performing at The Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin

OF all the great singer-songwriters who rose to prominence during the 1960s, only Bob Dylan and perhaps Paul Simon have had a wider influence than Leonard Cohen.

But while Dylan drew inspiration from those Beat movement godfathers Kerouac and Ginsberg, Cohen dug deeper into the literary canon with Federico Garcia Lorca and Walt Whitman among his influences.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Cohen is best known for songs such as Suzanne, Bird on the Wire and Hallelujah, and is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential songwriters of our time, whose body of work seems to gather greater levels of mystery and meaning as time goes on.

His ironic, sometimes melancholic, musings on love, sex and death have become his calling card in a music career spanning more than 45 years, and next week the Canadian-born poet and singer becomes the latest stellar name to appear at the First Direct Arena, in Leeds.

Since 2008, when he returned to touring after a 15-year hiatus, he’s been enjoying not so much a renaissance as a reaffirmation, and as he heads into old age (he turns 79 next month) his creative talents show no sign of sliding. In February last year, Salman Rushdie introduced him at PEN New England’s 2012 Awards where he was honoured for his Song Lyrics of Literary Excellence, while in May he was crowned Songwriter of the Year and Artist of the Year at the JUNO Awards in Canada.

His latest album Old Ideas, has also been garlanded with praise. A characteristic reflection on love, loss and forgiveness, it has had critics swooning, with Rolling Stone saying Cohen had imbued his music with a “lifetime’s worth of grace and wit.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Great as Cohen’s songwriting skills undoubtedly are, success didn’t come quickly or easily. By the time he began his recording career in 1967, he was already well established as a poet and author with two novels and four volumes of poetry under his belt.

However, he soon made up for lost time and quickly emerged as one of the era’s most original and influential singer-songwriters, building an impressive body of work that continues to inspire artists and listeners alike. Much of his reputation and mystique was established by his early work for Columbia Records, particularly the five albums he recorded between 1967 and 1974 starting with his brilliant debut, Songs of Leonard Cohen.

For all his literary panache, though, he is sometimes dismissed by music fans as someone who only sings songs about melancholy and despair. But this overlooks the deprecating humour that runs through his work – like the cover of his 1977 album Death of a Ladies’ Man, in which he’s sat with a wry half smile between two stunning raven-haired women.

But of all his work, Hallelujah is arguably the song that’s been covered the most. In 2009, Jeff Buckley achieved a posthumous UK chart hit when his masterful cover version reached No 2 – behind X Factor winner Alexandra Burke’s rendition of the same song.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Remarkable as this was, what’s just as revealing is that many people hadn’t even realised he’d written it. It reportedly took Cohen more than two years and 70 verses before he finally nailed the song, which offers an insight into the level of dedication he has to his craft. The feeling persists, though, that he’s always been an underrated artist and the sad truth is that had he re-released his own version of Hallelujah it’s unlikely it would have troubled the top 20, never mind the top spot.

But while he might not have had a string of hit singles, or platinum-selling albums to his name, he has unquestionably influenced his peers in a way that few other artists can claim. It’s an influence that can still be seen today with everyone from Jarvis Cocker to Alex Turner doffing their proverbial cap.

After six decades of articulating the human condition in a way few can match, Cohen still has something to say and, to steal another poet’s words, is still raging against the dying of the light.

• Leonard Cohen plays the First Direct Arena, Leeds, on September 7. For tickets call 0844 248 1585 or visit www.firstdirectarena.com

Related topics: