Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker. He released this song right before his death. He is basically one of the greatest poets of modern times and had great comments on love and religion.
@@mindyourownbusiness5515 Well, the album "Closer" by Joy Division was released two months after Ian Curtis's death, so I don't find it that difficult.
@@mindyourownbusiness5515 Good point. But last year, an album called "Thanks For The Dance" was released. Guess who's the author? Leonard Cohen. And it was planned to be the way it is. It's not simply tracks that didn't fit in "You Want It Darker". It's a planned album and made to be his last one. Would you say he didn't release it just because he died? I think it kills the poetic meanings of it. It's like saying Heath Ledger's Oscar means nothing just because he wasn't there to hold it.
He is a true canadian icon.born in Quebec. Died in Los Angeles. His distinctive voice is unforgettable. He was not afraid to sing about all social and cultural. Political etcc issues. He is a folk legend and is very missed. RIP He is in the Canadian music Hall of fame Canadian songwriters hall of fame Rock and Roll Hall of fame. Order of Canada. Fun fact. A bronze statue of him is in the Lithuania Capitol. Vilnius
Yeah, but add that to the lines about a plague spreading and "the scene is dead, but there's a meter on your bed" as well as when the song was written and it's kind of obvious.
I think it’s about how we have been desensitised to seeing naked people. Or rather how it’s been over sexualised when the baked body itself it is like art.
Nobody did irony like Leonard Cohen! (RIP my Canadian poet!!) Even listen to Hallelujah - so many people use it as a religious piece (especially at funerals), but it's really about the destruction & failing of a relationship. Cohen himself said that he believes in God, but admittedly has had a tumultuous relationship with Him. Leonard's catalogue is rife with pieces like this. He told it like it was - no sugar coating. Everybody Knows is certainly no exception! I first got to know this song through it's prominent use in the movie Pump Up The Volume, and it perfectly described the cynicism, ambivalence, hypocrisy and ignorance in society. Leonard Cohen was a master wordsmith! Great reaction guys!
The problem with "Hallelujah" is we only ever hear the same 4 or 5 of the verses. I've heard Cohen do 7 or 8, but also heard him say he's not really sure how many verses there are to it, maybe 75. My first exposure to Cohen, I didn't know it was him. I had an English elective in my junior year(1973), "Contemporary Lyrics and Poetry". I'd found a version of "Suzanne", but actually performed by James Taylor, and did a presentation/report on that. Many years later I found out it was Cohen. Same with "Chelsea Hotel #2", I thought it was Dylan because I had some obscure album by him that isn't in his discography and he did that. Had a friend back that that had a friend or brother that worked at WEA at Toluca Lake in their "Loss Leaders" division. He gave me several LPs that had various artists doing versions of their's and other's works, and I think both were on one of those. Another was Elton John's "Your Song", but performed by the group Bread.
@@andyfletcher3561 I actually got into a heated disagreement with someone who INSISTED that Jeff Buckley was the originator of the song. Now I came to Cohen late (early 90's - thanks to Pump Up The Volume as I mentioned), and only being hatched in '78, but when I analyzed the lyrics, I said 'this isn't as holy a song as people make it out to be!' Funny how people hear what they want to hear.
@@EchoesDaBear I had that same argument with a kid when Tesla did their cover of "Signs". He actually wanted fight over it. This Andy he probably would have no problem with. That Andy he really want any part of, especially over being wrong about a song... And yeah, even Cohen said it wasn't religious, though I believe he was pretty open to folks getting what they need out of a song. I believe it's called alliteration?, using something familiar and universal to tell a story. Chelsea Hotel #2 is not a sappy love song, he was outright PISSED at Janis Joplin.
RIP Leonard Cohen, he was as important as David Bowie for me. It would definitely be pretty rad if y'all listened to both final albums by David Bowie and Leonard Cohen. Leonard Cohen said he was ready to die, released his final album, and then died. Cohen's final album is pretty underrated. Vin might understand this feeling, COVID-19, so far, feels like perpetually preparing for and waiting for a hurricane. The social distancing is good, takes the pressure off the healthcare system--Italy's main problem--and gives the CDC and medical workers time to tackle the problem, but there are so many people, particularly here in Fla, that aren't taking COVID-19 seriously, and a lot of them are older people, boomers, and whatnot. of course, understand that nearly everyone in any position of authority has been trying to play the virus off. BTW, don't forget we've also got pestilence--a swarm of locust in Africa. Also, interesting note, Bernie and Leonard, both Jewish.
I've been following you all for about a year. I've been into metal since the early 90's yet Leonard Cohen is one of my all-time favorites. Perhaps the greatest lyricist of our time. Thank you for this review.
Cohen is a freakin' legend. His lyrics are simply amazing and his voice touches the soul. There are so many of his songs you should listen to. On top of my head: Democracy, Boogie Street, Hallejula, You want it darker, A thousand kisses deep, First we take Manhatten, I'm your man, Waiting for the miracle, Tower of song....
I'M SO DUMB! It never occurred to me that you two had not heard 15 Leonard Cohen songs, and it would all be new to you guys. F'ing WOW. Leonard Cohen's "Tower of Song", "Hallelujah", "Famous Blue Raincoat", and "You want it Darker", to name just a handful... I don't know what to say. Love you. Keep up the great work. Listen to your Patrons etc. But damn. Shared or not, get some Leonard Cohen in your lives! LOL :D
The plague he was referring to was AIDS and the end of the free love society. I would suggest you react to "If it be your will" I think you would enjoy analyzing the meaning of that one.
Interesting factoid: Nick Cave is a big Cohen fan. Which isn't a surprise, Cohen is an "artist's artist" - like Bowie, he's influenced tons of his colleagues in the film and arts....I think you guys would dig his song, "Democracy."
Leonard Cohen was one of the best lyricists of the past century. Not quite a Townes Van Zandt but he was amazing. He's worth diving into more. Suzanne is an incredible song (and from when he was younger and his voice a bit different). Everybody already knows Hallelujah. So many great songs with incredible lyrics. Sadly he passed in 2016. He was a treasure. I'm not much of a Ghost fan but I think you all did a song where they were covering him. Also, I figured that the line about the naked man and woman being a shining artifact of the past, since Cohen references religion constantly, was a reference to a loss of innocence, drawing on Adam and Eve naked in the garden. Similar to what you're saying but I assume, because it's Cohen, that he's referencing the religious.
Cohen wrote Hallelujah (yes that one) and The Chelsea Motel which manymany people cover frequently. People bring him up a lot when talking about the best poet of his generation. RiP.
This song was released in 1988, so the plague in the song was most likely referring to the tragic spread of AIDS, for everyone knew it was hurting LGBT people but in the end tried as hard as they could to sweep the epidemic under the rug. People were literally dying, but because of bigotry they were ignored. And thus the protagonist of the song was also caught up through an unfaithful lover.
Well, since you’ve been into nick cave lately, this makes sense, whether you’re aware or not. Cave covered Cohen and had a natural connection to cave and many many other artists. His writing was so influential.
I am so pleased that you have "read into" the lyrics of Lenard Cohen. That is what the music was intended to be. ---- Lenard was born both Jewish and French-Canadian, became a poet and an intellectual, then realized that the best outlet for "all of that" would be in music. The man was a polygot and we are rather proud of him. So nice that a couple of smart people have been touched by his art.
Someone else here in the comments mentions the line about the 'naked man and woman...' and although it crossed my mind it might be about the AIDS crisis (which would fit the 'plague' mentioned before), it could also be in reference to the innocence of mankind in the Garden before the Fall. Cohen often used a lot of biblical references -- even, as you've noticed, within this song. It could be, too, that it's a pun; and that the 'naked man and woman' being a 'shining artifact of the past' is a reference to both at once.
You nailed it in the head. He was saying that there is a lot of things wrong in the world, and that everybody knows all about them, but that nobody is saying anything openly about them.
"The naked man and women is just a shining artifact of the past" This is a reference to the plaque on Voyager. It was a symbol of the highest hopes of man and his achievements --- and now its gone into the dark emptiness of space.
Guys, people in their 30's are dying from Covid-19 now. Sportsmen who have come through it thought they would die. Some people get it worse than others. Any other weakness in the pulmonary system or immune system puts you on shakey ground. Stay safe.
Yes our homeboy Leonard Cohen, Prodigal Son of Montreal! Google "Leonard Cohen Montreal Mural" to get an idea how big he is/was up here... He's most known here for his writing and influence on the jazz fest...
The most important part of this song in my opinion is his recognition of institutional racism and the world really hasn’t changed for African American people.
Johnny Cash, the original "Man in Black", was old-school country that made some crosses into other charts. You should definitely check out lots of his music.
Growing up in the 60s/70s, my contemporaries always considered him rock and roll. Less for his music and more for him being him. I have to say, that if not for Johnny and that voice of his, and some of the amazing covers he's done as well as his own stuff, I don't think I would have made it through losing my older brother.
Top 5 Leonard Cohen songs that you guys absolutely need to listen, in order of essentialness (is that a word, it is now): 1. Anthem 2. Avalanche 3. Hallelujah 4. You Want it Darker 5. Come Healing There's others like "Take This Waltz" and "First We Take Manhattan" that I consider even more essential that some of them, but I feel those 5 might be the most appealing to you two on a personal level. Please try at least some of them.
There is a folk element to it. Cohen lived in a Greece and there’s a mandolin in this song. The plague here is AIDS btw. This was 1988! Cohen is a writer and poet, not just a musician.
Hey guys, this was very much about live in the time of AIDS and then loss of privacy, and invasion of privacy with the information age. The key is understanding when the album came out in 1988 - and it's effect on the psyche of society.
This song was released in 1988, and with Leonard being a slow writer, it was probably written a few years before the release. But I don’t think he was prophesizing COVID-19.
Love me some Cohen. Aside from the one you reacted to here, my favourites include Dance Me to the End of Love, The Partisan, Famous Blue Raincoat, Hallelujah. I'll stop here, but there's so many great song that are essential listening. I think your interpretation of the song pretty much nails it. It's a song about defeat. I view it as a warning about what's to come if we don't act. As in: yeah, the world's not fair, but if we accept it as is, it'll always continue.
It is worth knowing that Leonard Cohen was a Buddhist Jew - that is to say, he was raised Jewish and later in life became Buddhist but kept his Jewish heritage and I think that has something to do with his world view. I recommend checking out more of his work - Dance Me to the End of Love, for example - very subtle in that it is actually all about the Holocaust but many people assume it is about love and growing old together. Another song you might like by him is First We Take Manhattan - understand that I'm not asking for reaction videos, just suggesting a couple things you might find worth listening to. Leonard was an amazing poet and performer who had a lot of very deep material and was not afraid to say things even when they were not the sort of things people generally would say.
I find it fascinating when Americans think this pandemic is a conspiracy by the American government when it is literally happening all over the world. Everyone is in the same situation
To me, Leonard Cohen sits only behind Bob Dylan as a lyricist. His catalog is exceptional. Be prepared to go on an intense and in depth journey if you decide to explore his music. His song Suzanne is my 2nd favorite song of all time (Let It Be being my favorite). And his song So Long, Marianne is in my top 10. Cohen makes you think, and feel, and love, and laugh, and cry. You're alive, mind, body, soul, while listening to his songs.
Excelent! It’s make me remember the song of Soda Stereo “Corazón Delator” In the words of Gustavo Cerati, this song starts from a story by Edgar Allan Poe, where a heart betrays a person who killed another. In this case I wrote it thinking that my heart gives me away when I see the person I love. Lyrics. A decoy There's something hidden in each sensation She seems to suspect Seems to uncover in my Weakness The vestiges of a bonfire Oh, my heart turns telltale Betraying me. By disregard I was victim of everything ever She can perceive, now nothing can prevent in my Fragility It's the course of things Oh, my heart turns telltale My handcuffs open. A soft whip A premonition They draw sores on hands A sweet heartbeat The intimate key Are falling off my lips (Mantra) A decoy There's something hidden in each sensation She seems to suspect Seems to uncover in my That that love Is like an ocean of fire Oh, my heart turns telltale The fever will come back. A soft whip A premonition They draw sores on hands A sweet heartbeat The intimate key Are falling off my lips Like a mantra Off my lips Off my lips. Sweet melody, an atmosphere of pain and anger, a delicate letter full of metaphors and images, a voice whispered and torn by the vocalist's moments, with the mixture of a guitar that also demonstrates at times that the pain goes from being dark to full of anger, and a play of light between shadows, product of the depression of unrequited love to the brilliant flash of light from the outbreak of the feeling of being broken. And the crowd singing the lyrics in chorus but respecting the climate of introspection. Link: ruclips.net/video/EfzORBnuUak/видео.html Only enjoy
The greatest songwriter to ever walk the earth! He was like the proverbial sage on top of the mountain who had knowledge inaccessible to average mortals. Interesting fact: He died the night before the 2016 election. It’s almost like he knew what was coming....🤨🤔
Now that you got your first take on Leonard Cohen, you should listen to "You Want It Darker". And if you've seen Shrek, you've heard his song "Hallelujah". One of the most important poets ever.
Vin and Sori, via to this song, and to a revealed look upon your Faces, I bet you haven't seen Director Atom Egoyan's 1994 movie, 'Exotica'. Monsieur Cohen's song here is woven beautifully into a movie, Multi-layered and laden as an Ouroborus, a Tale rich in initial misdirection, but towards the Movie's End, all the Before will come to a crushing conclusion. Your Lives with be enriched by its Travels and to its Travails.
8:50 yeah. It's like we're culturally indoctrinated, or predisposed, to 'put the best face on it' and 'keep a stiff upper lip' and 'not let our side down,' which are social excuses to pretend that bad isn't all *that* bad...
As a Religious Couple, to not know that Leonard Cohen wrote Hallelujah decades ago, with over 80 Verses, so many which have never been heard live, and that his version is sacrosanct, is sad in a way.
Definitely dive into more Cohen. If you have an appetite for complex brilliant lyrical content that is steeped in biblical allusions, in Judaic spirituality and Catholic iconography. *The Stranger Song *Marianne *Teachers *You want it darker *The Partisan... All are worth while songs to checkout.
not sure why everyone who requests Cohen seems to pick this song or 'you want it darker', but these are way later in his career. "suzanne' "bird on a wire" "one of us must be wrong" would be much better places to start, first 3 albums are all perfect. your skipping over two decades of his music! as much as i love his later stuff, it's like watching the last season of show first. really any song off first 3 would be better.
Song of Bernadette - cover by Jennifer Warnes from Famous Blue Raincoat, co-written by Jennifer and Leonard Cohen and Bill Elliot. That whole album, of her covers of Cohen was impressive.
Cohen is a masterful poet. His lyrics are works of art on their own. Put to music, he's created some masterpieces. It's fun to hear you talking about Covid back when it first hit. What a time to live through, huh? I think we've all accepted that we'll be living with Covid just like we live with the flu. Don't buy into the conspiracy crap! The naked man and woman make me think of Adam and Eve. Innocence is a shiny artifact of the past. So is the honesty, openness that comes with nakedness.
"Everybody knows that the naked man and woman Are just a shining artifact of the past"...I'm surprised you guys didn't make the Adam and Eve connection to this lyric.
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Leonard Cohen is a legit legend in music. As important as any band or artist you could name.
Second that
He was a poet for years before becoming a "singer".
Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker. He released this song right before his death. He is basically one of the greatest poets of modern times and had great comments on love and religion.
I love this one...
Well it would have been difficult for him to have released it after his death!
@@mindyourownbusiness5515 Well, the album "Closer" by Joy Division was released two months after Ian Curtis's death, so I don't find it that difficult.
Yeah but Ian Curtis didn't release it did he?
@@mindyourownbusiness5515 Good point. But last year, an album called "Thanks For The Dance" was released. Guess who's the author? Leonard Cohen. And it was planned to be the way it is. It's not simply tracks that didn't fit in "You Want It Darker". It's a planned album and made to be his last one. Would you say he didn't release it just because he died? I think it kills the poetic meanings of it. It's like saying Heath Ledger's Oscar means nothing just because he wasn't there to hold it.
Cohen wrote "Hallelujah" which, covered by so many, is the original.
Morgan James
@@corneliusantonius3108 I love Morgan James, but for this song, the Jeff Buckley cover takes it
"I never heard of him before" - one of the greatest poets and songwriters of the 20th century.
Well, he also never heard ofJohn Lennon before this channel started, so there's that...
Yes. "there is a crack, a crack, in everything...That's how the light gets in"
Ja¡ this guys are millenials ....sucks
Dude... They weren't born when this song was written. Even with legends, there has to be a first time!
He has been so influential for many contemporary musicians. Many of those cover his songs, use part of his lyrics, or make tributes.
He is a true canadian icon.born in Quebec. Died in Los Angeles.
His distinctive voice is unforgettable. He was not afraid to sing about all social and cultural. Political etcc issues.
He is a folk legend and is very missed. RIP
He is in the Canadian music Hall of fame
Canadian songwriters hall of fame
Rock and Roll Hall of fame.
Order of Canada.
Fun fact. A bronze statue of him is in the Lithuania Capitol. Vilnius
"Give me a Leonard Cohen afterworld, so I can sigh eternally."
- Pennyroyal Tea
By: Nirvana
"The naked man and woman are just a shiny artifact of the past" is a reference to the AIDS crisis in the '80s
Maybe is about Adam and Eve
Yeah, but add that to the lines about a plague spreading and
"the scene is dead, but there's a meter on your bed" as well as when the song was written and it's kind of obvious.
I think it’s about how we have been desensitised to seeing naked people. Or rather how it’s been over sexualised when the baked body itself it is like art.
Leonard Cohen is a Legend, try to listen to you want it darker
Absolutely!
His song Famous Blue Raincoat is hauntingly beautiful. Highly recommend it.
Wonderful song! I also absolutely adore Tori Amos's cover, it's appropriately delicate and fierce and mournful.
His song more covered...until in Spanish¡
Leonard Cohen - Famous Blue Raincoat
Leonard Cohen - Chelsea Hotel N#2 (this one's about Janis Joplin and Him)
Also "Suzanne".
Nobody did irony like Leonard Cohen! (RIP my Canadian poet!!) Even listen to Hallelujah - so many people use it as a religious piece (especially at funerals), but it's really about the destruction & failing of a relationship. Cohen himself said that he believes in God, but admittedly has had a tumultuous relationship with Him. Leonard's catalogue is rife with pieces like this. He told it like it was - no sugar coating. Everybody Knows is certainly no exception! I first got to know this song through it's prominent use in the movie Pump Up The Volume, and it perfectly described the cynicism, ambivalence, hypocrisy and ignorance in society.
Leonard Cohen was a master wordsmith! Great reaction guys!
The problem with "Hallelujah" is we only ever hear the same 4 or 5 of the verses. I've heard Cohen do 7 or 8, but also heard him say he's not really sure how many verses there are to it, maybe 75. My first exposure to Cohen, I didn't know it was him. I had an English elective in my junior year(1973), "Contemporary Lyrics and Poetry". I'd found a version of "Suzanne", but actually performed by James Taylor, and did a presentation/report on that. Many years later I found out it was Cohen. Same with "Chelsea Hotel #2", I thought it was Dylan because I had some obscure album by him that isn't in his discography and he did that. Had a friend back that that had a friend or brother that worked at WEA at Toluca Lake in their "Loss Leaders" division. He gave me several LPs that had various artists doing versions of their's and other's works, and I think both were on one of those. Another was Elton John's "Your Song", but performed by the group Bread.
@@andyfletcher3561 I actually got into a heated disagreement with someone who INSISTED that Jeff Buckley was the originator of the song. Now I came to Cohen late (early 90's - thanks to Pump Up The Volume as I mentioned), and only being hatched in '78, but when I analyzed the lyrics, I said 'this isn't as holy a song as people make it out to be!' Funny how people hear what they want to hear.
@@EchoesDaBear I had that same argument with a kid when Tesla did their cover of "Signs". He actually wanted fight over it. This Andy he probably would have no problem with. That Andy he really want any part of, especially over being wrong about a song...
And yeah, even Cohen said it wasn't religious, though I believe he was pretty open to folks getting what they need out of a song. I believe it's called alliteration?, using something familiar and universal to tell a story. Chelsea Hotel #2 is not a sappy love song, he was outright PISSED at Janis Joplin.
You should listen to the song You want it darker by Leonard Cohen, would like to see your reaction video for that
RIP Leonard Cohen, he was as important as David Bowie for me.
It would definitely be pretty rad if y'all listened to both final albums by David Bowie and Leonard Cohen. Leonard Cohen said he was ready to die, released his final album, and then died. Cohen's final album is pretty underrated.
Vin might understand this feeling, COVID-19, so far, feels like perpetually preparing for and waiting for a hurricane. The social distancing is good, takes the pressure off the healthcare system--Italy's main problem--and gives the CDC and medical workers time to tackle the problem, but there are so many people, particularly here in Fla, that aren't taking COVID-19 seriously, and a lot of them are older people, boomers, and whatnot. of course, understand that nearly everyone in any position of authority has been trying to play the virus off.
BTW, don't forget we've also got pestilence--a swarm of locust in Africa.
Also, interesting note, Bernie and Leonard, both Jewish.
Fully agreed on Bowie and Cohen. Two creative titans in their own rights who died shortly after releasing amazing and haunting final albums.
And Mercury with "Innuendo" the 3 record his postum albums
I've been following you all for about a year. I've been into metal since the early 90's yet Leonard Cohen is one of my all-time favorites. Perhaps the greatest lyricist of our time. Thank you for this review.
Lou Reed, Leonard Coen, Tom Waits and Nick Cave are known to be great lyricist...you should do more songs from this 4
I can vouch for Tom Waits. 'The day after tommorow', and 'Hell Broke Luce' come to mind, as well as Downtown Train.
I would add Shane Macgowan to the list too.
You just named my favorite artists of all time
@@chinesesloppyplop hell yes
Cohen is a freakin' legend. His lyrics are simply amazing and his voice touches the soul. There are so many of his songs you should listen to. On top of my head: Democracy, Boogie Street, Hallejula, You want it darker, A thousand kisses deep, First we take Manhatten, I'm your man, Waiting for the miracle, Tower of song....
I'M SO DUMB! It never occurred to me that you two had not heard 15 Leonard Cohen songs, and it would all be new to you guys. F'ing WOW.
Leonard Cohen's "Tower of Song", "Hallelujah", "Famous Blue Raincoat", and "You want it Darker", to name just a handful... I don't know what to say.
Love you. Keep up the great work. Listen to your Patrons etc. But damn. Shared or not, get some Leonard Cohen in your lives! LOL :D
I would love to hear your reaction to Leonard Cohen's song the future.
That would be amazing! I hope they do that one.
Yeah! It will blow Vin's mind...
The plague he was referring to was AIDS and the end of the free love society. I would suggest you react to "If it be your will" I think you would enjoy analyzing the meaning of that one.
Interesting factoid: Nick Cave is a big Cohen fan. Which isn't a surprise, Cohen is an "artist's artist" - like Bowie, he's influenced tons of his colleagues in the film and arts....I think you guys would dig his song, "Democracy."
Mr. Cohen. True poet.
Like literally what he successfully made a career out of before music.
Leonard Cohen was one of the best lyricists of the past century. Not quite a Townes Van Zandt but he was amazing. He's worth diving into more. Suzanne is an incredible song (and from when he was younger and his voice a bit different). Everybody already knows Hallelujah. So many great songs with incredible lyrics. Sadly he passed in 2016. He was a treasure. I'm not much of a Ghost fan but I think you all did a song where they were covering him.
Also, I figured that the line about the naked man and woman being a shining artifact of the past, since Cohen references religion constantly, was a reference to a loss of innocence, drawing on Adam and Eve naked in the garden. Similar to what you're saying but I assume, because it's Cohen, that he's referencing the religious.
Jesus, Townes should be way more recognized than he his in American songwriting....
Yaass, more Cohen please. Famous Blue Raincoat, Avalanche or You Want it Darker would be great
Oh dear Leonard, how i miss you....! :°-(
Cohen wrote Hallelujah (yes that one) and The Chelsea Motel which manymany people cover frequently. People bring him up a lot when talking about the best poet of his generation. RiP.
This song was released in 1988, so the plague in the song was most likely referring to the tragic spread of AIDS, for everyone knew it was hurting LGBT people but in the end tried as hard as they could to sweep the epidemic under the rug. People were literally dying, but because of bigotry they were ignored. And thus the protagonist of the song was also caught up through an unfaithful lover.
More Leonard Cohen please! Suzanne, You Want it Darker, The Stranger Song...
Well, since you’ve been into nick cave lately, this makes sense, whether you’re aware or not. Cave covered Cohen and had a natural connection to cave and many many other artists. His writing was so influential.
The lines about the plague do not refer to COVID-19 specifically, this was written well before that was even a thing in China, let alone elsewhere.
For the love of all that's good and nice in this world, more Leonard Cohen.
Can't believe you have not heard of him one of the greats please do more.
I am so pleased that you have "read into" the lyrics of Lenard Cohen. That is what the music was intended to be. ---- Lenard was born both Jewish and French-Canadian, became a poet and an intellectual, then realized that the best outlet for "all of that" would be in music. The man was a polygot and we are rather proud of him. So nice that a couple of smart people have been touched by his art.
Someone else here in the comments mentions the line about the 'naked man and woman...' and although it crossed my mind it might be about the AIDS crisis (which would fit the 'plague' mentioned before), it could also be in reference to the innocence of mankind in the Garden before the Fall. Cohen often used a lot of biblical references -- even, as you've noticed, within this song. It could be, too, that it's a pun; and that the 'naked man and woman' being a 'shining artifact of the past' is a reference to both at once.
Both at once fits with the interviews I've heard...And possibly even more LoL
You have stumbled on a master of verse and rhyme.
Love this song, concrete blond does a awesome cover of everybody knows
You nailed it in the head. He was saying that there is a lot of things wrong in the world, and that everybody knows all about them, but that nobody is saying anything openly about them.
7:42 “Is Johnny Cash country?” 😂😂😂. Yeah... He’s country. Lil’ bit.
"The naked man and women is just a shining artifact of the past" This is a reference to the plaque on Voyager. It was a symbol of the highest hopes of man and his achievements --- and now its gone into the dark emptiness of space.
Thanks - that line always had me stumped.
Guys, people in their 30's are dying from Covid-19 now.
Sportsmen who have come through it thought they would die.
Some people get it worse than others. Any other weakness in the pulmonary system or immune system puts you on shakey ground.
Stay safe.
Never heard of Leonard Cohen? The fuck
Never heard of Leonard Cohen? Really?
This song is the anthem for 2020.
I advice you: "you want it darker"but they are so so many good songs.......!!!!
This song was in Pump Up the Volume... Concrete Blonde did a cover(Johnette Napolitano did an amazing job with it.)
Yes our homeboy Leonard Cohen, Prodigal Son of Montreal! Google "Leonard Cohen Montreal Mural" to get an idea how big he is/was up here... He's most known here for his writing and influence on the jazz fest...
This was a good one. his music isn't in my wheelhouse, but I love his lyrics. He's one of the most influential musicians ever.
The most important part of this song in my opinion is his recognition of institutional racism and the world really hasn’t changed for African American people.
I'd love to see what they make of Leonard's "Joan of Arc."
Love that song
I dont know how you would work Donald the duck into that one !!! Great song, love it.
His duet with Jennifer Warren on that from her album Famous Blur Raincoat.
Cohen began as a very accomplished poet. I studied his poetry/lyrics in college lit class. The man was brilliant and sexy as hell.
Johnny Cash, the original "Man in Black", was old-school country that made some crosses into other charts. You should definitely check out lots of his music.
Growing up in the 60s/70s, my contemporaries always considered him rock and roll. Less for his music and more for him being him. I have to say, that if not for Johnny and that voice of his, and some of the amazing covers he's done as well as his own stuff, I don't think I would have made it through losing my older brother.
Do You Want It Darker, your minds will be blown
I know 'You want it darker' will blow your socks off, the lyrics are spectacular and deeeep
Top 5 Leonard Cohen songs that you guys absolutely need to listen, in order of essentialness (is that a word, it is now):
1. Anthem
2. Avalanche
3. Hallelujah
4. You Want it Darker
5. Come Healing
There's others like "Take This Waltz" and "First We Take Manhattan" that I consider even more essential that some of them, but I feel those 5 might be the most appealing to you two on a personal level.
Please try at least some of them.
The Tower of Song
The live songs from his last tour. Its so good at is get.
There is a folk element to it. Cohen lived in a Greece and there’s a mandolin in this song. The plague here is AIDS btw. This was 1988! Cohen is a writer and poet, not just a musician.
Hey guys, this was very much about live in the time of AIDS and then loss of privacy, and invasion of privacy with the information age. The key is understanding when the album came out in 1988 - and it's effect on the psyche of society.
This song was released in 1988, and with Leonard being a slow writer, it was probably written a few years before the release. But I don’t think he was prophesizing COVID-19.
Love me some Cohen. Aside from the one you reacted to here, my favourites include Dance Me to the End of Love, The Partisan, Famous Blue Raincoat, Hallelujah. I'll stop here, but there's so many great song that are essential listening.
I think your interpretation of the song pretty much nails it. It's a song about defeat. I view it as a warning about what's to come if we don't act. As in: yeah, the world's not fair, but if we accept it as is, it'll always continue.
"Dance Me..." is one of my absolute favorites. Seems like not many know it though.
Omg everything that is not metal sounds country to Sori xD
lol facts
Doesn't it to you?
@@omarlopez-ortega Sori?
@@omarlopez-ortega not at all. the tone of someones voice doesn't usually suggest genre. this is a folk song with elements of gospel and pop.
Jajajaja these guys ignored the word "Crooner"
@VinAnd Sori - 2 years later, I wonder what your take on this song is now, in light of current events.
Hallelujah. Leonard wrote it. Jeff Buckley perfected it.
Leonard wrote some amazing lyrics.
I couldn't speak for a week after hearing 'You Want It Darker' for the first time..
Congrats on 100K guys
I see Leonard Cohen and I subscribe. Hoping to see more
You should listen "the future" by him, he basically predicted everything, plus it's a really good song
Lyrical genius
Rip Leonard
It is worth knowing that Leonard Cohen was a Buddhist Jew - that is to say, he was raised Jewish and later in life became Buddhist but kept his Jewish heritage and I think that has something to do with his world view.
I recommend checking out more of his work - Dance Me to the End of Love, for example - very subtle in that it is actually all about the Holocaust but many people assume it is about love and growing old together.
Another song you might like by him is First We Take Manhattan - understand that I'm not asking for reaction videos, just suggesting a couple things you might find worth listening to. Leonard was an amazing poet and performer who had a lot of very deep material and was not afraid to say things even when they were not the sort of things people generally would say.
Everybody knows 😔✌️
cohen is a poet who put some of his work to music.
Please please try Dance me to the end of love, Suzanne and waiting for the miracle to come
Love Leonard Cohen Nevermind would be a great song for you guys to do.
one of the best songwriters ever. How appropriate is this song today?
Good analysis, man
Legend pure gold
Cohen always makes me laugh. It's what he intended.
Happy Harry Hard on says to always talk hard
I was so mad that the Concrete Blonde cover was on the soundtrack and this wasn't.
You Want it Darker - Leonard Cohen
I find it fascinating when Americans think this pandemic is a conspiracy by the American government when it is literally happening all over the world. Everyone is in the same situation
To me, Leonard Cohen sits only behind Bob Dylan as a lyricist. His catalog is exceptional. Be prepared to go on an intense and in depth journey if you decide to explore his music. His song Suzanne is my 2nd favorite song of all time (Let It Be being my favorite). And his song So Long, Marianne is in my top 10. Cohen makes you think, and feel, and love, and laugh, and cry. You're alive, mind, body, soul, while listening to his songs.
"Who by Fire" about the Jewish Day of Atonement.
"I've never heard of him before" - seriously, where do those people come from. Some remote cellar in the middle of Siberia?
Everybody know that the war is over, everybody knows the good guys lost.
That is why we are where we are.
Excelent! It’s make me remember the song of Soda Stereo “Corazón Delator” In the words of Gustavo Cerati, this song starts from a story by Edgar Allan Poe, where a heart betrays a person who killed another. In this case I wrote it thinking that my heart gives me away when I see the person I love. Lyrics. A decoy
There's something hidden in each sensation
She seems to suspect
Seems to uncover in my
Weakness
The vestiges of a bonfire
Oh, my heart turns telltale
Betraying me. By disregard
I was victim of everything ever
She can perceive, now nothing can prevent in my
Fragility
It's the course of things
Oh, my heart turns telltale
My handcuffs open. A soft whip
A premonition
They draw sores on hands
A sweet heartbeat
The intimate key
Are falling off my lips
(Mantra)
A decoy
There's something hidden in each sensation
She seems to suspect
Seems to uncover in my
That that love
Is like an ocean of fire
Oh, my heart turns telltale
The fever will come back. A soft whip
A premonition
They draw sores on hands
A sweet heartbeat
The intimate key
Are falling off my lips
Like a mantra
Off my lips
Off my lips. Sweet melody, an atmosphere of pain and anger, a delicate letter full of metaphors and images, a voice whispered and torn by the vocalist's moments, with the mixture of a guitar that also demonstrates at times that the pain goes from being dark to full of anger, and a play of light between shadows, product of the depression of unrequited love to the brilliant flash of light from the outbreak of the feeling of being broken. And the crowd singing the lyrics in chorus but respecting the climate of introspection. Link: ruclips.net/video/EfzORBnuUak/видео.html Only enjoy
The greatest songwriter to ever walk the earth! He was like the proverbial sage on top of the mountain who had knowledge inaccessible to average mortals. Interesting fact: He died the night before the 2016 election. It’s almost like he knew what was coming....🤨🤔
Now that you got your first take on Leonard Cohen, you should listen to "You Want It Darker". And if you've seen Shrek, you've heard his song "Hallelujah". One of the most important poets ever.
Vin and Sori, via to this song, and to a revealed look upon your Faces, I bet you haven't seen Director Atom Egoyan's 1994 movie, 'Exotica'. Monsieur Cohen's song here is woven beautifully into a movie, Multi-layered and laden as an Ouroborus, a Tale rich in initial misdirection, but towards the Movie's End, all the Before will come to a crushing conclusion. Your Lives with be enriched by its Travels and to its Travails.
Nothing compares to Leonard Cohen
Tom Waits - God's away on business. One of the greatest artist of all time.
8:50 yeah. It's like we're culturally indoctrinated, or predisposed, to 'put the best face on it' and 'keep a stiff upper lip' and 'not let our side down,' which are social excuses to pretend that bad isn't all *that* bad...
As a Religious Couple, to not know that Leonard Cohen wrote Hallelujah decades ago, with over 80 Verses, so many which have never been heard live, and that his version is sacrosanct, is sad in a way.
Leonard Cohen, "I Can't Forget"
Definitely dive into more Cohen. If you have an appetite for complex brilliant lyrical content that is steeped in biblical allusions, in Judaic spirituality and Catholic iconography. *The Stranger Song *Marianne *Teachers *You want it darker *The Partisan... All are worth while songs to checkout.
EPICA - Kingdom of heaven
not sure why everyone who requests Cohen seems to pick this song or 'you want it darker', but these are way later in his career. "suzanne' "bird on a wire" "one of us must be wrong" would be much better places to start, first 3 albums are all perfect. your skipping over two decades of his music! as much as i love his later stuff, it's like watching the last season of show first. really any song off first 3 would be better.
Song of Bernadette - cover by Jennifer Warnes from Famous Blue Raincoat, co-written by Jennifer and Leonard Cohen and Bill Elliot.
That whole album, of her covers of Cohen was impressive.
CODE ORANGE “ERASURE SCAN” OR SWALLOWING THE RABBIT WHOLE” CRAZY SLIPKNOT VIBES & DEEP MEANINGS MUCH LOVE
6 months later, what does Sori thinks about Covid?
Cohen is a masterful poet. His lyrics are works of art on their own. Put to music, he's created some masterpieces.
It's fun to hear you talking about Covid back when it first hit. What a time to live through, huh? I think we've all accepted that we'll be living with Covid just like we live with the flu. Don't buy into the conspiracy crap!
The naked man and woman make me think of Adam and Eve. Innocence is a shiny artifact of the past. So is the honesty, openness that comes with nakedness.
"Everybody knows that the naked man and woman
Are just a shining artifact of the past"...I'm surprised you guys didn't make the Adam and Eve connection to this lyric.
Moonspell - Full Moon Madness
Moonspell - Night Eternal
It wasn't written just before Covid though. It was released in 1988. Ive hearrd it was written partly about the aids epidemic