Words of tribute like this seem only capable of falling short for the man, Leonard Cohen. My wife knows how I feel about him...how many times have I asked her to listen to one of his songs with me, while tears fall down my cheeks. She has a couple of song instructions for my own funeral.
I remember binge-listening to Leonard's songs with a friend or two during a season of painting work I did some years ago. He had an ability to write about life in a unique and powerful way -- at the highest level about the lowest of things. It's kind of weird to call someone you've never met a friend, so I don't know how to claim that status, but he was a kind of friend to me, even if he never knew it. Many people feel the same.
Here is a link to a stream of the title track, "You Want It Darker", from his recently released 14th album.
One estimate of his Top 20 songs (with some pretty great descriptions in their own right) can be found here. Surprisingly, perhaps to some people, "Hallelujah" isn't #1. One of my favorites, "Anthem", is #14. The point really isn't the ranking, but the songs themselves and the man, as reflected in this interview about Leonard's impact on his son, Adam.
