The one lyric Leonard Cohen always wished he had written
There haven’t been too many songwriters throughout the history of music whose lyrics have been analysed as much as those of Leonard Cohen.
Despite having started late compared to many of his contemporaries, releasing his debut album at the age of 33, he was instantly regarded as a singular songwriter whose way with words was far beyond what most others were capable of producing. Having begun as a poet and transferred those skills to writing lyrics to music, he was already at an advantage over many others, but being able to write in this way and have it work in the context of a song is still a tricky thing to manage.
His debut record, Songs of Leonard Cohen, is perhaps still his best-loved work, but there’s a lot more to him than just this release, with the two subsequent releases of Songs From a Room and Songs of Love and Hate also being highly regarded to this day as being masterful examples of his songwriting ability.
He would go on to write a string of other albums and songs that were just as deeply profound in their lyrical content, and the simple songs that accompanied them were always full of emotion. If you’re able to imagine how a painter approaches their canvas, adding fine details in corners and highlighting even the smallest features, this is exactly how Cohen used to make his stories stand out, injecting richness into something so simple.
Cohen’s career in music lasted almost 50 years, and although there were periods where he wasn’t as active, there were very few moments where he failed to live up to expectations, with little there to be regretful about. So many of his albums are still hailed as masterpieces to this day, and the level of consistency that he was able to deliver is something that a lot of other artists and creatives can only dream of being able to replicate.
However, even for those who continually prove they’re able to work at the top of their game, there will be times when you wish you’d been able to elevate your work to another level, and looking at the work of others often prompts a reaction of ‘I wish I’d thought of that’.
In 2012, Cohen became one of the first recipients of the PEN New England Award for Song Lyrics of Literary Excellence, and despite obtaining this high accolade for his songwriting prowess, he thought that one of the most famous lines by his fellow recipient, Chuck Berry, stood out as being one of the greatest in the history of rock and roll.
Quoting Berry’s hit, ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, he proclaimed: “‘Roll over Beethoven and tell Tchaikovsky the news.’ I’d like to write a line like that.” Of course, this isn’t anywhere near as profound as any of the lyrics that Cohen produced throughout his career; it’s the sort of line that will undoubtedly lodge itself in the mind.
Its reference to some of the great composers as a means of acknowledging the shift from classical music to rock and roll, being the most prominent musical art form, is such a simple way of highlighting the song’s historical significance. Even though Berry wouldn’t have known at the time that it would go on to become such a beloved song, for Cohen to acknowledge its genius is indicative of just how good a line it is.
