We’re pretty convinced that the best way to honour a great in the music industry is to remember their music and pass it on. Leonard Cohen’s death today will be mourned by millions of fans worldwide, but there will be plenty of people that don’t really know all that much about his music, which is why we’ve created a list of Leonard Cohen’s best songs.
Exceptional live, deeper than a well and graced with a golden voice, there’s obviously a whole lot more to his life than a clutch of his best songs, but hopefully, it acts as a starting point for newcomers to his music following his death. It also gives us an opportunity to track back through it all ourselves, listening to some of the incredible lyrics once again, which swirl though themes of religion, politics, relationships, isolation, bondage and dark ruminations in general. You can read more about Leonard Cohen’s life and career at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Cohen.
Halleluja
Arguably, Leonard Cohen’s most famous song, and equally the number one in our list of best songs, it’s an incredible track that has gone on to be covered by John Cale, Jeff Buckley and Allison Crowe. It was originally released on Various Positions in 1984 and with a variety of lyrical variants and interpretations it’s got chameleon-like capabilities to evolve over time, which is pretty impressive in itself.
Tower Of Song
Another timeless sledgehammer of depth, Tower Of Song is a slow burn calypso thunder mountain that you’ll find yourself singing randomly for years after listening to it for the first time. Released on I’m Your Man in 1998, it contains some incredible lyrics, including the genius that is “the rich have got their channels in the bedrooms of the poor”.
Joan Of Arc
Joan Of Arc may well be one of Leonard’s lesser known songs, but it’s also one of our favourites. It’s structured as a dialogue between the 15th century freedom fighter and the flames that went on to kill her as she was burnt at the stake. You don’t get many songs released with lyrics like this nowadays. It also spawned a stunning cover from Anna Calvi.
Suzanne
This single was first published as a poem in 1966 before going on to be recorded as his opening single from the 1967 album, Songs of Leonard Cohen. It’s a beautiful ode to Suzanne Verdal, the then-girlfriend of sculptor Armand Vaillancourt.
The Stranger Song
This rapid fire finger picking acoustic wonder is hard not to get wrapped up in with its lyrical crossover between modern day intricacies and Biblical references.
The Partisan
If you like the content of Edwin Star’s War, but want more of a thought provoking deep thought delivery then The Partisan is the song for you. While the Leonard Cohen track is an English cover of the French Resistance original – La Complainte du Partisan, written in 1943 by Emmanuel d’Astier de la Vigerie with music by Anna Marly – it’s no less worthy of being marked down as one of Leonard Cohen’s best songs for the quality of the cover and his selection of the material in 1969 in the thick of the Vietnamese War (known in Vietnam as Resistance War Against America) and the Cold War.
Chelsea Hotel #2
Recorded for the 1974 album New Skin for the Old Ceremony, which was defined by its move towards more complex orchestration arrangements from Cohen, Chelsea Hotel #2 was written for Janis Joplin at the hotel in the name of the song. There’s an element of comedy to the track, but there’s also an insight into the world of Cohen in the music industry, which is sharp as a razor.
I’m Your Man
There’s more comic wisdom on I’m Your Man, which is about as fun as things get where Leonard Cohen songs are concerned. If you don’t get the gist, the point is that if you want something badly enough you might be better off doing everything in your power to make it happen.
Ain’t No Cure For Love
You can’t have a best of Leonard Cohen songs list without a little heartfelt romance making its way into the mix and Ain’t No Cure For Love is our pick of the crop.
Love Itself
You can also add Love Itself to to the amourish tail end of our list, but covering the closing chapter of it, not the beginning or the beating heart. It’s got epic tone with a slow and soft refrain in the background, along with Cohen’s rumbling voice over it all.
A note on our list of the best Leonard Cohen songs:
Obviously, any list is subjective, so if you’ve got your own take on the best Leonard Cohen songs, then please feel free to post them in the comments below. Equally, if you think we’ve got it all wildly wrong, don’t hold back in giving it to us with both barrels firing.
