There are times when only the songs of Leonard Cohen can fill the space. Today, in the late afternoon, was one such time. I filled it with four off Ten New Songs, and it felt necessary, and I'm glad I did.
The funny thing is LC is the only musician of the singer-songwriter variety I admire that this applies to. Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Richard Thompson, Elvis Costello, Neil Young: any time. But not Leonard. I have to be in the mood, and I don't mean depressed or sour or dark or melancholy. Today I was perfectly happy on getting back from work but, for reasons I can't quite grasp, it had to be Mr Cohen serenading me as I relaxed.
I was thinking of this just now when it further occurred to me that Songs of Love and Hate was a very special album for me when I got hold of it as a fifteen-year-old (I think.) I didn't own that many albums and forced myself to love every one I spent my hard-earned money on. To be honest LC's third album was way too sophisticated for me but I managed to grow into it, I suppose. For example, I knew Avalanche was a great song pretty much on first hearing, but I didn't know why; and I understood it somehow, without knowing what it meant.
In fact, I still don't. But who needs to wrestle a meaning from, Well, I stepped into an avalanche / It covered up my soul ? I've been in that avalanche even if the song remains above and beyond this particular sleeper.
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