The Sun Also Rises

I tried to persuade my partner we should go to Paris for his birthday (this is 4 days before his birthday), and he replied to me "I think I want to go to Antartica"!! He wasn't joking, he really wants to go. There's no chance of seeing Lana in Antartica So happy for all of you going to this

Also, I have no shame in posting so much in this thread one after the other ... Because this is so cool - all her band members did a doodle on her concert dress, based on one of the songs she sang on the tour. One for each city! https://www.facebook.com/reel/876164223825162 From the post: "Todd Lynn, long-time friend of and designer for PJ Harvey, discusses the dress he made for the tour. A spare dress was set aside for the band members, with the suggestion that they draw something related to the record, the tour, and / or the city hosting that night's performance. "During the tour, Polly wanted to capture every place the band performed - every city was an event to be celebrated, and every place would have a visual record. The dress will continue to be drawn on by Polly, John, Jean-Marc, James and Giovanni in each city where they play. It will gradually turn from white to black! First worn in Oslo; where it appears next is anyone's guess.""

PJ Harvey live at L'Olympia! The same setlist I saw in the U.K. just a few days before in a similar venue! The staging and lights were gorgeous and so was her dress! Not to mention her singing, obviously! For everyone who didn't get to see the tour this year or won't make it to the festivals next year this would be a great one to watch!

I'm so glad that A&W is getting the praise it so deserves in the end of year lists so far. It's a career-defining song. It's perfect in every way.

Apocalypse Now (Top 10 movie for me!) vs There Will Be Blood

Agreed 1000x. Avalanche is gut wrecking and there are so many ways to interpret the song (from a religious or agnostic or atheist standpoint). My personal reading would be a conversation between the same person, something along the lines of "I can't help but feel somewhat like my body marred my soul" (although I think Lana comes from a different perspective) ... and the way that Cohen contemplates suicidal thoughts during Dress Rehearsal Rag is absolutely chilling ... I especially like this line`; "But you've used up all your coupons except the one that seems To be written on your wrist along with several thousand dreams" In context to the rest of the song ... he really was a master of words. It's his darkest album (for me), and it doesn't have the light at the end of the tunnel that Ocean Blvd has, although it shares so many of the same themes that make each album great!

I absolutely adore that album and those lyrics you chose ... I find myself singing Who By Fire to myself all the time. My favourite from the album is probably Who By Fire or Lover, Lover, Lover, it's heartbreakingly beautiful. Especially the live slightly slower version. I really relate to these lyrics, "I asked my father, I said, "Father, change my name The one I'm using now, it's covered up with fear and filth and cowardice and shame"" His writing is so timeless, it will always be relevant. I miss him so much too. Like Lana said, he's a kindred soul who spoke my language

Here's a few of my favourite Leonard live duets I love him singing solo (as originally sung), but I also love hearing him sing with other legends and greats. Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye has some of my favourite Leonard lyrics. Simple, but heartbreakingly beautiful. Like, "You know my love goes with you as your love stays with me It's just the way it changes, like the shoreline and the sea" and, "I loved you in the morning, our kisses deep and warm Your hair upon the pillow like a sleepy golden storm Yes many loved before us, I know that we are not new In city and in forest they smiled like me and you But let's not talk of love or chains and things we can't untie Your eyes are soft with sorrow, hey, that's no way to say goodbye" Probably my favourite Leonard Cohen song because of this verse, "And Jesus was a sailor When he walked upon the water And he spent a long time watching From his lonely wooden tower And when he knew for certain Only drowning men could see him He said "All men will be sailors then Until the sea shall free them" But he himself was broken Long before the sky would open Forsaken, almost human He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone" It's probably some of my favourite lyrics of all time

Thanks for showing this thread so much love everyone, I'm so happy to hear that there are many Lipsters who love Leonard's music as much as me

Omg I still think that might be a perfect description for her honestly Absolutely. It's a lyrical masterpiece. It's probably in my top-5 all time favourite songs. Honestly aside from Jeff Buckley's I don't like the covers of Hallelujah very much as they don't quite capture the feeling of Leonard's lyrics, but it's ... urgh just too good. This verse!! "Well, maybe there's a God above As for me all I've ever learned from love Is how to shoot somebody who outdrew you But it's not a crime that you're hear tonight It's not some pilgrim who claims to have seen the Light No, it's a cold and it's a very broken Hallelujah" That upbeat music and then .... those iconic, pessimistic lyrics

It's such a stunning album, sparse and full of musings on death and God and faith. It's the perfect final album for a genius like Leonard Cohen When I first found out that Leonard Cohen passed, I absolutely sobbed (nearly) all day. It was like I was mourning a friend. If anyone wants to cry, then you should read about his relationship with one of his muses, Marianne. She died in 2016, and when Leonard found out she had only a few days left to live, her wrote her this letter: “Dear Marianne, I’m just a little behind you, close enough to take your hand. This old body has given up, just as yours has too. I’ve never forgotten your love and beauty. But you know that. I don’t have to say any more. Safe travels old friend. See you down the road. Endless love and gratitude. Your Leonard.” He died just a few months after her. I listened to this song, that he wrote to her back in 1967, and just sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. Edit: Here's an interesting article: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jun/30/leonard-cohen-marianne-ihlen-love-affair-of-a-lifetime-nick-broomfield-documentary-words-of-love

Leonard's music is definitely perfect for winter! I might start with Songs of Leonard Cohen (probably the most accessible and famous), then Songs of Love and Hate, then I'm Your Man, but it's so hard to pick.

I KNOW! I was introduced to Leonard through my parents too. My Mum would tell me that when she was younger, she had a terrible home life and she would spend all her time in the library reading his poetry books. She gifted me a few of his books and then I started listening to his music and immediately fell in love with the absolute beauty of his lyrics!!

As for Lana referencing Leonard Cohen, here's a few I can think of: Most recently, in Kintsugi, the beautiful repeated lyric “That’s how the light shines in That’s how the light shines in That’s how the light gets in." Is a reference to one of Leonard's most famous songs, Anthem, in which the lyrics go: "Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack, a crack in everything That's how the light gets in" Anthem is a stunning song that I recommend you all check out. It's one of the most beautiful sentiments I've ever heard of in my life and truly comforting. Many people have used the song to help cope with grief, which is what I suspect Lana was doing (as a Leonard fan) around the time the events in Kintsugi took place. Then, in her beautiful mind, she managed to turn the sentiment into her own metaphor and make it her own. In Mariners Apartment complex: "You lose your way, just take my hand You're lost at sea, then I'll command your boat to me again Don't look too far, right where you are, that's where I am I'm your man" Is a reference to Leonard's song "I'm Your Man," which Lana subverts. Here's Leonards; "If you want a partner, take my hand, or If you want to strike me down in anger Here I stand I'm your man." It's actually a fairly tragic song about love, telling how he will do anything his lover wants, even becoming a completely different person to suit her needs. Particularly notable of course is the common sentiment of "take my hand" as well as the phrase "I'm your man." Mariners Apartment Complex also reminds me a bit of the Leonard song "Suzanne," I can't quite put my finger on why though. Finally, on "Venice Bitch," Lana makes a subtle reference that I almost missed in the bridge; "La-la-la-la-la-la, losers, beautiful losers" Which references Leonard's book of the same name. It was his last book he published before he became a singer/songwriter. You can read more about Beautiful Losers here, it's interesting thinking about how it fits into the "feel" of Venice Bitch! Please let me know if I missed any and please contribute to this thread, Leonard really deserves it.

I can't believe one of the most eminent poets and lyricists of our age, Leonard Cohen, doesn't have a thread on LanaBoards! Leonard Cohen (1934 - 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, social and political conflict, and sexual and romantic love, desire, regret, and loss. Known as a poet before he was a songwriter, Leonard Cohen touched the hearts of many people with his poetry and songs, including Lana, who wrote on an Instagram caption after his passing, “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t kind of break my heart that I never got to tell you how much you changed me,” she wrote underneath. “Not that it would’ve mattered to ya, it’s just that other than Bob and Joan you were the only person I ever really felt spoke my language. I love you as a real fan and I always looked for a little bit of you in all of my future friends. God bless.” She has referenced Leonard Cohen many times throughout her body of work. Also, she has sung a Leonard Cohen cover, "Chelsea Hotel #2," with Leonard's son, Adam Cohen. Iconic! Please post below about how Leonard Cohen's work has impacted your life, Leonard's inspiration that can be found in Lana's songs, and of course, your favourite songs, albums. etc.