An enigma,
Leonard Norman Cohen was possibly the most improbable bohemian intellectual
songwriter/singer in music history. He was certainly the working-class hero,
the peoples’ poet, the suicidal lamenter of doom and the purveyor of popular
songs. But the truth is even more complex. Throughout his life, there were
juxtapositions of the most unlikely life choices and influences. To have
fashioned a mishmash of ideas, styles and influences into a successful,
long-lasting musical career is nothing short of amazing.



 



   He blended secular, mystical, sexual and
religious themes into ambiguous poetic tapestries and devised an intricate,
unique musical style. He possessed a deep baritone voice that, although
mesmerising, was sometimes in danger of sounding monotonous. Leonard was able
to fuse these elements into a distinctive amalgam that somehow worked on many
levels. He did not look the part, play the game or conform to any rules, but
Leonard touched hearts and minds all over the world, while writing some
remarkable songs, including ‘Halleluyah’ and ‘Suzanne’.



 



   Focusing equally on this popular early
albums, his more experimental mid-period and his final, late-career
renaissance, this book analyses and interprets every album and every individual
song to shed light on the phenomenon of Leonard Cohen.