The story of Leonard Cohen’s final years through his last two albums
Leonard Cohen was the ultimate artist, an unreal talent, and a true master of the written language. Primarily known as a folk singer-songwriter, he was far more than that. In fact, Cohen was so attuned to his life as a work of art that he even used his death to inform the writing of his final two albums.
Cohen released his penultimate album, You Want It Darker, on October 21st, 2016, just 17 days before he passed away. In the lead-up to the recording sessions for the album, he knew his death was in sight and set about writing songs that confronted the sad end we all must face. The album focuses on his relationship with God and serves as a reflection on the life that passed before him.
The iconic poet had toured extensively between 2008 and 2013, and after the intense schedule had come to an end, Cohen began to suffer from a fractured spine, along with several other bodily conditions. He had been unable to move, so to record the tracks, the equipment was set up in his living room in Los Angeles by his son Adam Cohen.
Throughout Cohen’s life, his muse had been Marianne Ihlen. Cohen had written his iconic track, ‘So Long Marianne’ about her. Ihlen herself died just a few months before Cohen, so he clearly had her on his mind while writing his penultimate album, and with that, Cohen wrote a poignant letter to Ihlen just before his death.
It read: “Dearest 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 your 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.”
One of the most beautiful tracks on You Want It Darker is ‘Treaty’, where Cohen wishes that there could have been a ‘treaty’ between his and Marianne’s love for one another, seeing as their relationship had shifted throughout their lives, they had been ‘on-and-off’ so to speak, and came and went from one another’s life experiences. So You Want It Darker serves as Cohen finally coming to terms with his regrets as he prepares to meet his maker.
After Cohen sadly passed away eight years ago today, on November 7th, 2016, a follow-up album to You Want It Darker was released posthumously in 2019. The album was beautifully titled Thanks for the Dance and primarily served as a continuation of the themes found in the prior release. The vocals had been recorded during the same sessions, and Adam Cohen composed and recorded the instrumental elements, having discussed his father’s ideas for them with him before he died.
However, Cohen didn’t know whether the songs would be released or not. In his final days, he said: “There’s a great deal of new material that I haven’t sorted out. There are songs halfway through that are not bad.” After reciting the verses for ‘Listen to the Hummingbird’, he added: “Well, so, it’s halfway. I don’t think I’ll be able to finish those songs. Ah, maybe I’ll get a second wind; I don’t know.”
Fortunately, those songs were finished and together, Cohen’s final two albums are arguably some of his best work, in a similar fashion to David Bowie’s Blackstar. Cohen was another of those ultimate artists, a poet in every sense of the word; so much so that he even used his death as a form of artistic expression. He never stopped letting his life become art, and he remains truly, sorely missed.
