UnquietDreams
Beacon of Joy
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- Dec 20, 2023
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Day 28: A song from the 00s
Staying with the loving theme, I am still focusing on Jewish artists. And this is a big one. Leonard Cohen is so many things: novelist, musician, actor, film maker, poet, and even a psalmist. His Book of Mercy is a book of contemporary psalms, not a topic that many others could (or should) tackle. He was raised to be a kohen, a decedent of Aaron and a rabanical priest of the temple, and believed that to his core. His Judaism was bedrock to both his life and his work. But he was also a deep delver into the secular and profane, at times wondering if he was a sex addict. He had a singular insight into mixing both the sacred and the sensual, and trying to find balance between those had been where a lot of his poetry and lyrics were. His most well-known song tackles that dichotomy and struck such a nerve with people that it was not only covered by countless artists from John Cale, Rufus Wainwright, Bob Dylan, k.d. Lang, and of course, Jeff Buckley, but so so many more. It was the focus of its own film. Most people know it from its covers. (The original version was constantly being added to by Cohen. When Dylan requested a copy, Leonard faxed him over 100 verses). He was a singular talent.
And that talent was also on point for this song. Adapting a poem from another poet is ...tricky, especially adapting it to another medium. It can come off heavy-handed, or excessive, and usually does. On his album Ten New Songs, from 2000, he adapts a poem that is itself an adaptation of a poem. "Alexandra Leaving" is an adaptation of Constantine P. Cavafy's 1911 work "The God Abandons Antony," which was focusing on updating Plutarch's First Century work on the Seige of Alexandria. Cavefy's work is in Greek. So how would Cohen get a handle on this complex and intense set of poems? Plutarch and Cavefy wrote about the city of Alexandria. Cohen dropped the "i" and made the song about a woman. And it was genius, keeping the original focus in a unique direction.
And another genius choice? Making this a duet with the wonderful Sharon Robinson. I love Leonard's songs. I have many of his albums, and enjoy all of them. But his voice is...human. So very human, but not what I would call dulcet. But here, it is lovely.
"Alexandra Leaving," Leonard Cohen.
Staying with the loving theme, I am still focusing on Jewish artists. And this is a big one. Leonard Cohen is so many things: novelist, musician, actor, film maker, poet, and even a psalmist. His Book of Mercy is a book of contemporary psalms, not a topic that many others could (or should) tackle. He was raised to be a kohen, a decedent of Aaron and a rabanical priest of the temple, and believed that to his core. His Judaism was bedrock to both his life and his work. But he was also a deep delver into the secular and profane, at times wondering if he was a sex addict. He had a singular insight into mixing both the sacred and the sensual, and trying to find balance between those had been where a lot of his poetry and lyrics were. His most well-known song tackles that dichotomy and struck such a nerve with people that it was not only covered by countless artists from John Cale, Rufus Wainwright, Bob Dylan, k.d. Lang, and of course, Jeff Buckley, but so so many more. It was the focus of its own film. Most people know it from its covers. (The original version was constantly being added to by Cohen. When Dylan requested a copy, Leonard faxed him over 100 verses). He was a singular talent.
And that talent was also on point for this song. Adapting a poem from another poet is ...tricky, especially adapting it to another medium. It can come off heavy-handed, or excessive, and usually does. On his album Ten New Songs, from 2000, he adapts a poem that is itself an adaptation of a poem. "Alexandra Leaving" is an adaptation of Constantine P. Cavafy's 1911 work "The God Abandons Antony," which was focusing on updating Plutarch's First Century work on the Seige of Alexandria. Cavefy's work is in Greek. So how would Cohen get a handle on this complex and intense set of poems? Plutarch and Cavefy wrote about the city of Alexandria. Cohen dropped the "i" and made the song about a woman. And it was genius, keeping the original focus in a unique direction.
And another genius choice? Making this a duet with the wonderful Sharon Robinson. I love Leonard's songs. I have many of his albums, and enjoy all of them. But his voice is...human. So very human, but not what I would call dulcet. But here, it is lovely.
"Alexandra Leaving," Leonard Cohen.
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