“50,000 cigarettes and several swimming pools of whiskey”: the myths surrounding Leonard Cohen’s evolving vocals
Something happened between 1979 and 1984—something that Leonard Cohen couldn’t put his finger on. A well-respected man whose vocal cords had taken to the darkness of cigarette smoke and the swirls of endless glasses of whiskey likely knew the reasons for a deepening voice, but it continued even after ridding himself of the toxins.
Every musician experiences changes in their own vocal cords. Such evolution is natural due to various reasons, whether it’s related to age, refinement, changes in musical genre or tone, or even drug and alcohol abuse. The case of Cohen remains enigmatic, however, considering the continuation of his vocal transformation long after giving up cigarettes, during a time when most would expect a singer’s voice to more or less remain the same.
The deepening of Cohen’s voice may not seem that severe unless severity is applied—listening to ‘Suzanne’ and ‘I’m Your Man’ back-to-back will likely cause a shock to the system, but listening to the subtle changes in his voice chronologically reveals more answers than if we were to place his earlier material against his later material without evaluating the progression that occurred in between.
According to Cohen, although he admits his voice “has gotten very, very deep over the years” due to what he thought was caused by “50,000 cigarettes and several swimming pools of whiskey,” the real change first started “around 1982”. In his view, this was when “it started to deepen, and I started to cop to the fact that it was deepening.”
However, a closer analysis of this transformation reveals a natural lowering throughout his entire discography. Cohen was in his 30s when he released his debut album, leaving little room for speculation about the maturity levels of his voice. Nonetheless, many songs on the album involve Cohen singing with a delicate register without the heady weight of his latter years.
There could, of course, have been an element of trepidation to Cohen’s vocal musings, given the fact that this was a man who was first and foremost a poet. Cohen had also been working with Willie Ruff at the time, letting down his walls in front of someone he trusted in an intimate environment that was open only to the two of them. This changed, however, when record producer John Hammond brought in a handful of session musicians that, according to biographer Anthony Reynolds, made Cohen nervous.
Nonetheless, the album as a whole never faltered, as evidenced by enduring tracks like ‘So Long, Marianne’. However, Cohen was unable to wholly appreciate the success of the album after many of his friends criticised the over-complication of the its arrangements, who knew the power of Cohen’s stripped-back appeal and the power of simplicity.
As a result, Cohen still arrived at the recording studio to work on Songs from a Room with the same level of nervousness, but this time, it was underscored by the determination to make an even better record that showcased who he really was as a musician. Alongside the straightforward arrangements, Songs from a Room saw Cohen singing in an ever-so-slightly lower register, likely due to his growing self-assuredness.
As Cohen’s voice grew darker, so did his music. Although the songwriter himself later expressed disdain towards Songs of Love and Hate, calling its attempts at experimentalism a failure, many of the songs on the album are in minor chords. Even the ones that don’t manage to yield a haunting atmosphere see Cohen explore the darker corners of his psyche.
Following the chaos of creating Death of a Ladies Man, Cohen returned to his earlier sound with Recent Songs with the beautiful addition of Jennifer Warnes’ harmonies. Despite recreating his earlier folksy appeal, Cohen’s voice seemed to have changed but not as drastically as the forthcoming Various Positions, which saw a now-50-year-old Cohen delivering a richer, more croaky vocal that perfectly complimented the album’s introspective themes of reconciliation.
As we get older, our vocal cords can thicken and lose elasticity, leading to a deeper voice. It’s likely that Cohen also adopted a slightly different singing technique that sounded much more natural or that the drinking and smoking triggered the process, continuing long after he lit his last cigarette. By the time he released his eighth album, I’m Your Man, Cohen’s low voice seemed to compliment his modern experimental style well.
Audiences noticed the change most drastically between the releases of 1979’s Recent Songs and 1984’s Various Positions, but this was a transformation that was emerging from the beginning. While it’s likely that various factors contributed to the deepening of the singer’s voice, he also played an integral part in the distinction, allowing his mystical wisdom to come to the fore in the latter years as he came into his own as a musical trailblazer.
Throughout each and every change, Cohen maintained his folk roots, even with the introduction of other elements like synthesizers, keyboards, and drum machines. Cohen’s legacy centres around his mystery as an outsider who weaved poetic verses with straightforward, catchy tunes. His lyrics often teetered on the edge of comprehension while retaining an aura of intrigue that captivates your attention. His voice, always arriving dense with stories to tell, renders the entire encounter unforgettable.
