Why was Joni Mitchell “disappointed” by Leonard Cohen’s songwriting?
It’s likely that there’s a pretty big overlap between the fans of Joni Mitchell and fans of Leonard Cohen. They’re two of the biggest names to spawn from folk, each penning vulnerable tales of faith and freedom accompanied by soft plucks and strums. There are a number of similarities between the two – their poetic prowess, their Canadian homeland – but Mitchell might not like you saying so.
Cohen and Mitchell would embark upon a long-term friendship and a brief romance after they met at Newport Folk Festival in 1967, but that didn’t stop Mitchell from criticising the output of her peer. Though she has previously shared her admiration for his work, there was one element of his songwriting that she couldn’t quite look past.
Speaking about the folk scene that surrounded her during a conversation with New York Magazine, Mitchell admitted that she “briefly” liked Cohen, but was turned off his work when she realised that he had borrowed certain lines from other writers.
After she delved into the works of French writer Albert Camus and Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, Mitchell noticed that Cohen had taken “a lot of lines from those books”. While this referentiality might intrigue certain listeners, Mitchell found it “disappointing”, explaining why her liking for Leonard was only brief.
While Cohen may have borrowed from Camus and from Lorca, and likely from a whole host of other writers who inspired him, this doesn’t necessarily negate the poetry or power of his own work. He was a writer and a poet before he was a musician, and any good writer is also a reader.
It’s no surprise that Cohen will have picked up inspiration and even phrases here and there from his readings, perhaps deliberately paying homage to the writers who helped him hone his own craft. Those references are also few and far between in his catalogue. Amidst odes to his predecessors, the Canadian lyricist consistently displays his own poetic mastery, weaving words into sonic tapestries with unparalleled prowess.
While Cohen was open to taking inspiration from the artists and writers that preceded him, Mitchell was staunchly in favour of absolute originality, and therein lies the difference between the two. “It’s in my stars to invent,” Mitchell added while explaining her distaste for those who apparently didn’t, “I have this need for originals, for innovation.”
She certainly was an innovator in her own right. Her folk musings paved the way for generations of women with guitars, while her ventures into jazz proved her cross-genre aptitude for experimentation. Throughout her career, she’s been committed to maintaining the creativity and artistry within music.
Mitchell may have been true to her word in her own career, but her statement feels slightly dismissive. Cohen may have been inspired by poetry and books, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t innovating. His writing was just as creative and affecting as her own, infused with his own emotional depth as well as literary references.
Taking certain lines penned by others and putting them into song is a form of reinvention itself, turning old art into new art, making new meaning out of it, and connecting with others who are familiar with the same material. While Mitchell may have been disappointed by Cohen’s songwriting style, it endeared him to countless others and earned him a legacy as one of the greatest songwriters of all time.
