Vale Leonard Cohen, high priest of erotic romanticism
The iconic Canadian musician wrote great songs, but does anyone listen to the lyrics?
Music critics reminisced this week on the work of one of the great singer-songwriters of our time, 82-year-old Canadian Leonard Cohen. Cohen passed away at his home in Los Angeles last week, after a battle with cancer.
The media obituaries were suffused with mournful nostalgia – Cohen was for many a kindred spirit who gave words to their melancholy romanticism. And for sure, songs like Cohen’s “Hallelujah” are a Cupid’s arrow to the heart of a lovesick soul.
While it’s customary at these moments to reflect on what an artist meant to us, it’s also worth taking a second look at the themes of the music of the “High-priest of pathos”. Cohen is, after all, one of the quintessential late 20th century singer-songwriters, and he offers insight into the way a generation past, and even perhaps the current generation, see love and romance.
What we see in Cohen’s music is a complex picture of pure love and thinly veiled sensuality, or, if you will, romance and eroticism. Much of this is set against the backdrop of a sentimental religiosity. (Cohen describe himself a “Sabbath-observant Jew”).
Cohen’s lyrics have all the typically themes of brooding love poetry – unrequited affection, forbidden love, seduction, and, of course, betrayal.
“Hallelujah” charts the whole spectrum of romantic experience, and what’s more, builds on a number of Biblical tropes. King David, Samson and even the “holy dove” channel Cohen’s lovesick musings.
As if this were not dramatic enough, Cohen intermingled chivalry into the tale – no less than a “victory march” and “marble arch” adorn what is perhaps one of the most memorable cadences in the history of modern romantic music.
But therein is a perennial aesthetic tension – Cohen, like so many other musicians after him, runs eroticism and pure love together. And he does it so well that you’re almost tempted to forget about any dubious subject matter underpinning the lyrics.
Here’s one example: in the song “Suzanne”, Cohen sings about the gorgeous Suzanne Verdal, the partner of Cohen’s friend, renowned Canadian sculptor Armand Vaillancourt.
Cohen paints lyrical picture of a romantic night on the river with his forbidden lover. Amidst the dreamy imagery, Cohen sings: “you’ve touched her perfect body with your mind”.
Not to get all prudish, but remember that he’s is singing about his friend’s partner (or, at least, that’s how the narrative is constructed). After hearing this one, Vaillancourt probably wanted to hurl a block of marble at Cohen!
Or take “I’m your Man”, a far less subtle ballad. Cohen’s lyrics are so dripping with innuendo that they make contemporary pop look like something from the Victorian-era. “If you want a doctor, I’ll examine every inch of you”, Cohen sings.
I mean, come on! And as if the carnal-to-the-point-of-smouldering lyrics weren’t enough, it’s all put to fuzzy synths and slinky reggae rhythms. Coming from anyone else this would be nothing short of sleaze pop.
But yes, it’s Leonard Cohen. And he’s a poet, and his lyrics are brilliant, and many of his songs are just innocent love ballads. For sure, we should celebrate his life.
He was, after all, a man who battled depression, and nevertheless had a stellar musical career. Indeed, watching some of his live performances, it seems as if music were a form of catharsis for him.
Blogger Karl Nerenberg said of Cohen’s music, ”there is a certain ineffable ‘rightness’ -- to borrow a phrase Leonard Bernstein used to describe Beethoven's music -- to Cohen's musical creations”. And this is true, save for the unbridled and at times creepy eroticism.
Vale Leonard Cohen; the man whose music was sublime. Well, most of it.
Xavier Symons is a research associate with the Institute for Ethics and Society at the University of Notre Dame, Australia.
We have run quite a few stories in recent days about the cluelessness of the media in the months, weeks and days approaching the US election on November 8. The editors of the New York Times agreed with us.
The publisher and the executive editor of the Times took the extraordinary step of writing an open letter to its readers assuring them that the paper would learn from its mistakes. "As we reflect on the momentous result, and the months of reporting and polling that preceded it," they said, "we aim to rededicate ourselves to the fundamental mission of Times journalism".
And in a chastened survey of its coverage Liz Spayd wrote that the paper had painted a picture of a juggernaut of blue state invincibility that mostly dismissed the likelihood of a Trump White House." Trump's campaign was chaotic, disorganised, underfunded and shambolic. Clinton's was confident, organised, energetic, and well-funded. (Trump won.)
Ms Spayd chided her fellow journalists and told them that they needed to dig deeper and do more "agenda-free" reporting.
To no avail. The lead headline in the Times at the moment is "Firings Leave Trump Transition in Disarray". “U.S. Allies Struggle to Make Contact as Protocols Ignored .. Prominent American allies … scrambling to figure out how and when to contact Mr. Trump.” Is the Times still clueless?
Michael Cook
Editor
MERCATORNET
| Why a fractured nation needs to remember Martin Luther King’s message
By Joshua F.J. Inwood
How can we heal a nation that is divided along race, class and political lines? With love.
Read the full article |  |
| Vale Leonard Cohen, high priest of erotic romanticism
By Xavier Symons
The iconic Canadian musician wrote great songs, but does anyone listen to the lyrics?
Read the full article |  |
| Family capital: The fuel that drives development
By Marcia Barlow
The UN's sustainable development agenda must recognise society's basic asset.
Read the full article |  |
| Life in the new bubble democracy
By Karl D. Stephan
Social media allows us to reinforce our prejudices and shut out disagreeable ideas
Read the full article |  |
| Slower economic growth is the ‘new normal’
By Shannon Roberts
Four demographic reasons why.
Read the full article |  |
| Why was Shakespeare’s death such a non-event?
By Ian Donaldson
His name rings down the ages, but his death passed almost unnoticed.
Read the full article |  |
| New Zealand’s earthquake shows society functioning as it should
By Carolyn Moynihan
If only we could always see things so clearly.
Read the full article |  |
| Hacksaw Ridge: a lesson in courage, a master class in conscience
By Sebastian James
Mel Gibson uses his trademark violence to praise conscientious objection
Read the full article |  |
| Why the mainstream media was doomed to call the US election wrong
By Denyse O'Leary
The traditional gatekeeper are rapidly losing viewers, advertisers, and staff and fading into irrelevance
Read the full article |
MERCATORNET | New Media Foundation
Suite 12A, Level 2, 5 George Street, North Strathfied NSW 2137, Australia
Designed by elleston
New Media Foundation | Suite 12A, Level 2, 5 George St | North Strathfield NSW 2137 | AUSTRALIA | +61 2 8005 8605
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario