Selected Poems, 1956-1968 by Leonard Cohen

His work often explores the themes of religion, isolation, sexuality, and complex interpersonal relationships.Ĭohen's songs and poetry have influenced many other singer-songwriters, and more than a thousand renditions of his work have been recorded. Since the 1980s he has typically sung in lower registers (bass baritone, sometimes bass), with accompaniment from electronic synthesizers and female backing singers. The 1970s were a musically restless period in which his influences broadened to encompass pop, cabaret, and world music. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963.Ĭohen's earliest songs (many of which appeared on the 1968 album Songs of Leonard Cohen) were rooted in European folk music melodies and instrumentation, sung in a high baritone. It does not store any personal data.Leonard Norman Cohen was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Performance'. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Other. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Necessary'. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Functional'. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Analytics'. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Because a man who can recognize this, who can know the meaning of this, is a man that should be loved.įrom Selected Poems, 1956-1968 by Leonard Cohen, published by Bantam Books, 1971. Because it is one of the most beautiful poems ever written. I said, someday if a man reads this to me, if a man knows this poem and gives it to me-I will love him with all my heart. I have written it in journals, recited it to myself in the dark.