‘Songs of Leonard Cohen’: The first album Suzanne Vega fell in love with
Given the sheer number of musicians there are in the world and the very slim chances of achieving fame and success in the industry, there will obviously be a lot who get consistently overlooked and not rated as highly as they ought to be despite years of outstanding output. One such example of this is American folk rock songwriter Suzanne Vega, who, since the 1980s, has continually released intelligent and thoughtful compositions but has never quite been regarded among the greats.
Her modern interpretation of what folk music could sound like was celebrated by many as having ushered in a new generation of songwriters, but still looked backwards to artists from prior generations for inspiration, with there being noticeable similarities to the lyricism of Leonard Cohen in her early work in particular. The sense of intimacy she chose to bring into her sound was directly influenced by Cohen as well, and the story of her love for the Canadian singer is one that stretches back to her early years.
Of course, Vega shares her first name with one of Cohen’s most famous songs, taken from his 1967 debut album, Songs of Leonard Cohen, although for many years, she remained unaware of how ‘Suzanne’ actually sounded. In a feature for The Guardian in 2020, she recalled how she would regularly be asked what her name is, and upon responding with “Suzanne,” people would reply, “Oh, like the song?”
It was a confusing response for the eight-year-old Vega to wrap her head around; she wouldn’t realise what song they were referring to until later on in her adolescence when she happened upon a cover of the song by Judy Collins. “I was so relieved that the song was beautiful and… weird!” she exclaimed before explaining that in 1974, during her teenage years, she saw a copy of Songs of Leonard Cohen in her local record store and decided to take the risk of buying it.
Immediately hooked in by the sounds she was greeted with, the chance she took to purchase the album was one that ignited a lifelong adoration for Cohen and his music. “All the songs were so beautiful, interesting and intimate,” Vega enthused, “And he used a nylon string acoustic guitar, which I’d just started playing.”
Of course, only a decade later, she would release her own self-titled debut album and found herself gaining plenty of attention for her contemporary spin on what Cohen had made a name for himself doing two decades prior. Full of wit, charm and minimalistic arrangements, Vega’s debut owes a lot to Cohen’s earliest work, and it’s no surprise that once she had been thrust into the public eye, the respect became mutual.
When she had the opportunity to see Cohen perform in 1988, shortly after the release of her second album, Solitude Standing, she was fortunate enough to meet his sister, who told her that he had been dying to meet her. “My inner teenager was thrilled,” she claimed, having just realised a dream that had lived with her since childhood.
Vega remained in contact with Cohen after this encounter and remained a massive devotee of the singer-songwriter in the years after, especially Songs of Leonard Cohen. “I still listen to the album,” she declared, “And consider it a good friend”.
