As Cohen grew older, he began to explore religion on a wider scale. This time, he stayed there for nearly six years straight. It was a grand, mad place. January 19, 2023. what kind of cancer did leonard cohen have You're just too old for me. But thematically I wanted to be broader than he was. I had a great appetite for the company of women, and for the sexual expression of friendship, of communication. And if there is some way of apologizing to a ghost, I want to apologize now for having committed that indiscretion. "I fell right off my chair," Collins recalled to CBC. what kind of cancer did soupy sales have. Answer (1 of 7): On November 16, 2016 an article by Ben Sisario in the New York Times quoted Leonard Cohen's manager, Robert B. Kory: > "Leonard Cohen died during his sleep following a fall in the middle of the night on Nov. 7," Mr. Kory said in a statement. Says Suzanne, "We admired the wild peacocks, listened to the stream in the morning, watched the sunset in the evening. He revealed that the song was about Joplin during a 1976 concert, but grew to regret it. ", At 222 West 23rd Street in New York City lies the infamous Hotel Chelsea, which is where countless artists, writers, rock stars, and starlets have lived, created, loved, and even died. He said into my ear, You look beautiful, darling, Ms. Robinson recalled. Verse 5. In the spring of 1960 on the Greek island of Hydra, Leonard Cohen met and befriended a single mother named Marianne Ihlen, as noted by The Guardian. Your spouse may grumble, but its worth it so you dont trip and fall. nipsco rate increase 2022. zillow software engineer intern; peter cookson, rowing Like himself, Leonard Cohen's family was often out of the spotlight. Work begins with a verse or two that Cohen presents her with, on paper. In the first, you learn that your mother has just been diagnosed with cancer. "There was the sole indiscretion, in my professional life, that I deeply regret," he told the BBC in 1994 (via Rolling Stone). A collection of love letters written by Canadian musician Leonard Cohen to the woman who inspired his song, "So Long, Marianne" is going up for auction next month, two years after both of them died. In April 1960, a 25-year-old Leonard Cohen was holed up in London, trying to write three pages a day on a Canadian Arts Council grant, as noted by The Guardian. In 1967, Cohen told the Village Voice,"I really am for the matriarchy.". We often stood in front of the mirror before going out and wondered who we were today and stuff like that. I am ready to die. He will be missed. She also spoke beautifully of it in retrospect. All those things and I touched her perfect body with my mind. I feel exactly the same. Mr. Cohen had to be helped to his seat and appeared short of breath. A May 1968 recording produced by David Crosby, titled "Like a Bird", was added to the 2007 remastered CD. Whether it has a spiritual aspect is debatable. His manager said that he died following a fall. "This has propelled us into incessant work," he told Macleans in 2005. We both had problems. When he first played the song for record label executives, they did not hear anything special in it and nearly refused to release it. But falls that cause broken hips and legs can cause death and disability even well after the acute phase. A friend in her 70s with terminal leukemia died a few days after hitting her head in a fall at home. Marianne Ihlen, Leonard Cohen old girlfriend was in Langesund to see the Leonard Cohen Concert. If you live long enough, these most certainly will catch up with you, though often after a long, slow, and steady decline. On the first page of his 1994 biography, Leonard Cohen: A Life in Art, Ira Nadel notes approvingly, "when entrapped by beauty, [Cohen] finds his art imperiled. "I had a very Messianic childhood," he told Richard Goldstein in 1967 (via Crawdaddy magazine), "I was told I was a descendant of Aaron, the high priest." A few days later, she received a call from the comedian Joan Rivers (whose . Regardless of its stage, this news is likely to be met with tremendous distress by both patients and their families. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. Concerts with Joan Baez, Jennifer Warren and so many others. He in fact reminded me very much of grandma. Leonard Cohen was born to Nathan Cohen and Marsha Klonitsky on 21st September 1934, in Westmount, Quebec. The documentary Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song, now on video, examines . I have to say that. Why are falls so dangerous? Though Cohen had given Suzanne a filigreed Jewish wedding ring, the union had never been formalized. Barbara Seccombe. Leonard Cohen died during his sleep following a fall in the middle of the night on Nov. 7, Mr. Kory said in a, At the time of his death, Cohen and Leonard were working on an album, of string arrangements of his songs and another of songs that he said were inspired by old rhythm-and-blues grooves, according to the, Priscilla Presley Shares Emotional Post On Lisa Marie's Birthday, Heartbreaking Details About Leonard Cohens Death Revealed, Saving Private Ryan Actor Tom Sizemore Has Died, Jay Leno Appears On First Talk Show Since Burn & Motorcycle Accidents, Sam Elliott Reunites With Big Lebowski Co-Star Jeff Bridges At SAG Awards, Florida Man Faces Legal Consequences For Hammer Attack On Shark, Dukes Of Hazzard Car Driven By Cast Members Has Been Totaled, Tom Sizemores Manager Releases Upsetting Update On His Condition, Austin Butler Called A True Gentleman For Helping Winners Up Steps At SAG Awards. Then the couple moved to a cabin in the Tennessee backwoods. Ullstein Bild/Getty Leonard Cohen, the. John Cale heard Cohen perform the song live in New York, and decided to record a cover version with a few lyrics of his own, moving it closer to the popular version many know today. "I wrote it to make us laugh," she remembers. The lawsuits kept Cohen from accessing any of his remaining money but ultimately led him to kick his music career back into gear. Leonard Cohen - Wikipedia. What should you look for? The movie never happened. Find out exactly what makes it so divine. People who become more sedentary are more likely to develop a host of other problems, including heart and lung disease. what kind of cancer did leonard cohen have. But he spoke with his typical mixture of spiritual wisdom and dark, self-effacing wit. Your spouse may grumble, but its worth it so you dont trip and fall. Even though he was in my generation, I had never heard his music. Beautiful words Andy, I feel the same, we were so lucky to have this wonderful man in our lives and to have seen him in concert. When asked what he looked like then, she replied, "Oh, he was beautiful! Getty Images. He and I were classmates studying with the same zen teacher for many years. I was able to attend 3 of his concerts in Germany and it was peaceful and I have never seen such captivated audiences. "My feeling is that whatever I did was in spite of that, not because of it. 1. Leonard Norman Cohen CC GOQ (September 21, 1934 - November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter poet, singer, and novelist. Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen: Interviews and Encounters. Cohen heard the news and wrote her a final letter, via email: "Dearest Marianne," it read (via The Conversation), "I'm just a little behind you, close enough to take your hand. His reservations, though, were tempered by his age, and the relative vastness of a grownup life already lived and abandoned by the time he hit New York. He put on a performance for some 2 plus hours. The artists' fling only lasted that one night, they only ran into each other a few times thereafter, and Joplin died of an overdose two years later, in 1970. Cohen stopped halfway through the first verse of "Suzanne" and left the stage. They left the world of coffee houses behind and Cohen kicked his amphetamine habit, living for a time in Montreal with his mother. what kind of cancer did soupy sales have. I'd thank him for the comfort he always provided, for the wisdom he dispensed, for the marathon conversations, for his dazzling wit and humor And I'd thank him for music. Home / Uncategorized / what kind of cancer did leonard cohen have. Consequently, a fall could cause an internal hemorrhage that would ordinarily be stopped by normal coagulation before reaching dangerous levels, but in an individual with impaired clotting, bleeding from the same closed wound could continue relentlessly, leading to death, especially in the case of head trauma. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. To encourage thoughtful and respectful conversations, first and last names will appear with each submission to CBC/Radio-Canada's online communities (except in children and youth-oriented communities). what kind of cancer did leonard cohen have Noend Tatical Documentao para posse e porte de arma de fogo. As the songs played, he closed his eyes and recited the words quietly to himself, she said, a ritual she had witnessed many times before. "I can't speak for him of course." May everyone live. Can yourself Allan, or anyone else, please confirm where Leonard was living at the time of his death and with whom? 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars. what kind of cancer did leonard cohen have. "I said to her, 'Are you looking for someone?' In 1967, Collins asked Cohen to perform at an anti-Vietnam War benefit at The Town Hall in New York City. When his debut novel, "Beautiful Losers," was finished, Cohen was hit with the troubling realization that he would never fully be able to provide for himself, let alone Ihlen, as a writer. "There was a very fine group of poets in [Montreal], where I got my training," Cohen told Crawdaddy magazine in 1975. "Probably both, and hopefully those are the same, or somewhat the same." That is my thought as well. "I left my robes hanging on a peg/in the old cabin/where I had sat so long/and slept so little," he wrote in his 2006 poetry collection "Book of Longing," adding, "I finally understood/I had no gift/for Spiritual Matters. But I liked her work so much; she was that good that you feel the body of work she left behind is just too brief.There are certain kinds of artists that blaze in a very bright light for a very brief time: the Rimbauds, the Shelleys, Tim Buckley people like that; and Janis was one of them. You can experience complete at-homeness in this world. Leonard Cohen. I feel blessed. According to Suitcase magazine, Cohen looked out his window one day to find a telephone wire being installed outside, much to his disappointment. ", On his way down south in 1966, Leonard Cohen made a fateful pitstop in New York City, where he met members of the musical renaissance including Bob Dylan and Lou Reed. Haven't you seen pictures of Leonard when he was young? Email: ssmtoffice@gmail.com / ssmtpmu@gmail.com / ssmtjobs@gmail.com He then drove me all the way home to Norway in this car. According to one episode of Malcolm Gladwell's podcast, "Revisionist History," it took Cohen five years to write a version of "Hallelujah" he was satisfied with. After receiving elementary education at the 'Roslyn Elementary School' in 1948, he joined the 'Westmount High School'. Such a unique person , no one with his voice and writing ability will come along in my generation. Leonard Cohen seemed to be at peace with the idea of his own mortality, and he wished only that death not be too uncomfortable. Cohen died in his sleep last week, and we can hope it was painless. An official music video reminds his fans and music lovers worldwide what a truly great artist Cohen was and how lucky we were to have him here for as long as we did. Please be aware that this post reveals no facts about Leonards death that havent been previously published. It was like is it really possible to be so fond of me as he says he is? This happens all the time. The death was sudden, unexpected and peaceful.. Mr. Leonard said that he emailed Mr. Cohen a set of new R&B tracks the morning he died. Cohen was a father figure to her young son Axel, the product of a previous, failed marriage. "I wasn't going to be able to escape after all. ", When Leonard wrote and composed, which was most of the time he was home, Suzanne was writing, too, in her journal ("describing what a bad chap I am," says Leonard). People spring into action. The Hallelujah star . Many people regard Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" as the seminal work of his career, but the poignant ballad was no overnight success. h eshould have lived longer as we were experiencing the wisdom of his words. ", Hang out with me on Twitter:@_AndreaWarner. She was in company of Nikolai Lange-Nielsen and Bjrn Melleby from Stavern. One night shortly before he was due to sign the contract, he allegedly smoked some marijuana and had a change of heart. Mingle Bling. What can predict a persons risk of suffering a fall? Did Leonard Cohen come from a wealthy family? By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses. Home / Uncategorized / what kind of cancer did soupy sales have. ", Cohen was already in his early thirties by the time he entered the New York music scene, but in it, he finally felt somewhat understood. Cohen maintained that he was loyal to Judaism, and that he thought of Zen more as a discipline than a religion. "Well, the tea actually had little pieces of orange peel in it. Cohen's decision to foray into music was due in part to the exciting evolution of the music scene in the 1960s. He said he didn't like it: "I took a puff the other night/Didn't like it/Maybe try again come 90." Of course he's holding a cigarette on the cover of You Want It Darker. He wanted to use the time as productively as he could to finish the work that he was so good at and so devoted to.. This was mostly an economic consideration; I'd published a lot of books but I'd never sold very many. According toSylvie Simmons's Cohen biography, I'm Your Man, Elrod met Cohen at a Scientology class, the same year he met Joshu Sasaki Roshi, who would become his Zen master. She lived near the water in Montreal. A touchstone for troubled times, Leonard Cohen's Anthem took its own sweet time to happen The iconic song was born in the cultural ferment of the early 1990s, but it was conceived much earlier,. Already established as a poet and novelist (his first book of poems, Let Us Compare . '", "I loved Nico," he toldRamin 1990. Collins discovered Leonard Cohen, sort of. His death was announced three days later without a cause of death, although the artist reportedly had cancer, per The Washington Post. "They were me; that's what I was, drifting around the world, speaking from the heart and occupying a certain mythological life. Leonard Cohen died during his sleep following a fall in the middle of the night on Nov. 7, Mr. Kory said in a statement. "That first time I went out with Judy Collins, it wasn't to be the last time I felt this.". ", "I was saddened by her death," Cohen toldSounds in 1976. Everybody Knows, a Leonard Cohen song 1 delivered in his famously deep, raspy voice, the final result, as Cohen himself puts it, of "about 500 tons of whiskey and millions of cigarettes," has been chosen as the music for a major anti-smoking ad. He was a music artist and actor, known for Watchmen (2009), Night Magic (1985) and Natural Born Killers (1994). In reality, however, the explanation of Leonards death may well involve the combined effects of the fall and leukemia. If at any time I should have a terminal condition and my attending physician has determined that there can be no recovery from such condition and my death is imminent, where the application of life-prolonging procedures and heroic measures would serve only to artificially prolong the dying process, I direct that such procedures be withheld or withdrawn, and that I be permitted to die naturally. ", "The song 'Suzanne' is journalism," Cohen says in the bookLeonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen: Interviews and Encounters. His daughter, Lorca, lived on the first floor. It wasn't the depression that was the engine of my work That was just the sea I swam in.". He managed to return following encouragement from Collins and the audience. In 1969, a 35-year-old Cohen met 24-year-old Suzanne Elrod. In fact, it took him five years to write his most famous song, Hallelujah. But, in recent years, the songwriter had picked up his pace. According to his manager, Robert B. Kory, it was the result of a fall he had recently suffered. Cohen was a man of so many appetites erotic, romantic, spiritual but he was also, always, steering into an escape. Leonard Cohen is my favourite. Sure, heart and lung disease and cancer are statistically more likely to kill you. In a certain sense you toughen up. Nov 17, 2016. But I was deeply concerned.". I wasn't going to be able to live this 11th-century life that I thought I had found for myself." As an adult, he paid multiple visits to Israel, including during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when he tried to join the fight but was persuaded to do so through music. He helps me as I hobble along in my life to reap the richness of his words. Neither did he think that he looked like much. It was a commercial flop but a critical darling. In fact, Intracranial hemorrhage is the second leading cause of mortality in patients with one type of leukemia (acute myeloid leukemia).3. This is from an interview that 57-year-old Leonard Cohen did with Q in 1991. He calms me when Im upset and lifts me up when Im down. "The death was sudden, unexpected, and peaceful." 8th January 1980: Solemn Canadian folk pop singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen shares a joke and smokes a cigarette. After listening to that album, I thought it would be a farewell, which was correct. There is a crack in everything but the light is barely coming in. But when he went back to Montreal it didn't take long before I received a telegram: 'Have house, all I need is my woman and her son. "He had moved people in the right direction, toward gentleness. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. Posted on November 8, 2018. Were both killing time or something. + 2012 Performance, Ive always seen the enormous light in charged speech, and thats what Ive tried to get to. Leonard Cohen, I am like my songs; but I dont consider myself sad, so I dont think my songs are sad. Leonard Cohen, She was in despair and convinced I could not survive in the world. Leonard Cohen On His Mothers Reaction To His Career Choice, Yeah, I work hard but compared to what? Leonard Cohen Puts The Labor Of Songwriting In Context, March 3, 2006: Cohencentric/AllanShowalter.com Predecessor 1HeckOfAGuy Launched, My work is like ice cubes in a drink. "You know, God gave me a strong inner core, so I wasn't shattered. Thanks, Jonathan. But then I became very alone the proof of the poetry just wasn't there." But I was deeply concerned." Business In 1993, Leonard Cohen journeyed to a Zen monastery in Mount Baldy in Southern California, where he had previously studied meditation and Zen teachings for months at a time, per The New Yorker. In the fall of 2004, Leonard Cohen discovered that his finances, which he believed totaled over $5 million to fund his retirement, had been reduced to a mere $150,000, as reported by Macleans. We don't really go there." I am reading Erics book for the for the 2nd time right now. But an excerpt from aPeople magazine profilein 1980 offers a different version of their origin story, and follows it all the way through to their breakup. what kind of cancer did leonard cohen have deadly premonition 2 enemies lewis and clark called it the seal river codycross . In 2010 he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. However, I think it has been sort of an opener for the rest of life for us both, for better or worse. And the most powerful prognostic information on fall comes from a careful assessment of the foot. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Leonard Cohen died last week. And yet the singer, angry as he is, "broken and lame . The music world was rocked last week with the new of songwriter Leonard Cohens death. "I wasn't exactly pampered in being used to meeting a man who behaved the way he did. True to his word, he had a cigarette on his 80th birthday. Trade Mark (2) His distinctive singing voice, which became significantly deeper over time I sustained a spiritually intimate relationship with Leonard. He lost his father at the age of nine. I've got some work to do. "Hallelujah" was one of those. Very complicated. At the suggestion of involvement, Greenberg filed a lawsuit accusing Cohen and his lawyer of conspiracy, defamation, and extortion, and Lynch of stealing money from Cohen. 1 Still, we dont think of falls as being that serious. What is important is that he was prepared for it within himself, and that he did not suffer at any great length. His other grandfather founded many important Jewish institutions in Montreal, including the Montreal Anglo-Jewish Times and the city's Sha'ar Hashamayim synagogue. He responds by seeking freedom, recognizing the need to dismantle lovefor only art can truly seduce Leonard Cohen." Leonard Cohen, the women he loved, and the women who loved him | CBC Music Loaded. "This relationship was a gift to me. ", Countless other artists have since thrown their own "Hallelujah" covers into the mix. But, until now, no cause of death had been released for Cohen. I wrote a letter back to Leonard saying in her final moments I hummed "A Bird on a Wire" because that was the song she felt closest to. He felt the window getting narrower, said Patrick Leonard, a producer and songwriter who had worked closely with Mr. Cohen on his last three albums. I think it's always like that. Oh God, how strange we human beings are.". In his poetry, novels and music, he constantly probed the human condition, exploring themes of love, loss, death and his commitment to his art. Were both waiting to leave. Cohen's manager, Robert B. Kory, then gave further information about the songwriter's death. But, until now, no cause of death had been released for Cohen. But for the rest of us who expect to have not just longevity but functional longevity, its one foot in front of the other. Leonard Cohen performs during the Nice Jazz Festival in France, on July 22, 2008. Ihlen eventually moved on with documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield, whose documentary "Marianne and Leonard: Words of Love" was released in 2019. First, treatment for leukemia, as well as for pain or other symptoms of leukemia, may increase the risk of a fall. In other words, he interprets the term as one . The famous singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, as per his manager Robert B. Kory's statement, "died during his sleep following a fall in the middle of the night on November 7th. It is not unusual for patients diagnosed with a terminal illness, especially those suffering physical deterioration, to stipulate in living wills or similar documents that no heroic measures or extraordinary life-sustaining treatment be implemented to avoid the coming of death. His insecurity touches the heart while his genius Most of us effortlessly live with some degree of age-related heart disease and for a great many of us, it poses no unusual risk. I feel really grateful that I have been able to have my email ding, Mr. Leonard said, and theres a new Leonard Cohen lyric.. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Know that I am so close behind you that if you stretch out your hand, I think you can reach mine. According toCohencentric, Cohen, who was nine years older than Mitchell, spent a month living at her Laurel Canyon home when Hollywood wanted him to score a movie based on his song "Suzanne." All the best. That was when I understood this was something more than friendship. A sage, mystic, bohemian and romantic, he built an acclaimed body of literary work and a revered career in pop music. "She was his most dreamy spiritual influence," says Suzanne. Mostly because she was married to a friend of mine and I couldn't touch her with anything else!". But I don't dare attach myself to a spiritual strategy. Leonard Cohen - Did I Ever Love You (Official Audio)Listen on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/lc_spotify Listen on Apple Music: http://smarturl.it/lc_apple Ama. (Well, maybe car accidentsbut statistically, more older people are going to suffer from falls than car accidents. In addition to finishing his last album, You Want It Darker, which was released in October, he was working on two other musical projects and a book of poetry. He was dealing with the ultimate challenge, I suppose, Ms. Robinson said, and wanted to make sure that he got everything out that he wanted to say., For Leonard Cohen, the End Came With a Fall in the Night, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/17/arts/music/leonard-cohen-last-days.html. Through a representative, Adam Cohen declined to comment for this article, but in a Facebook post last week announcing his fathers burial, he wrote: As I write this Im thinking of my fathers unique blend of self-deprecation and dignity, his approachable elegance, his charisma without audacity, his old-world gentlemanliness and the hand-forged tower of his work.. The world it presents is redolent with unrelenting violence, unanswered cries for help, demons inside and out, chilling "lullabies for suffering," and a God who not only offers no light but wants it darker. "When I met Leonard, in 1966, he came to my house and was sent to me by one of our mutual friends who said, 'This guy has just written some songs and he wants you to tell him whether you think they're songs and whether there's any point in sending them around to various singers, and he'd like to start with you.' ", "In Canada we listened to a lot of country and western music, and I used to be in a country and western group when I was quite young," Cohen told Crawdaddy magazine in 1975. ", In 2005, Ihlenagreed to be interviewedabout her relationship with Cohen. Of course, the people who are hospitalized after a fall are much more likely to have a higher mortality rate anyway. I hope it's not too uncomfortable. And it all started with a secret chord. Ehlrod was holding the infant son she shared with Cohen. There are short- and long-term risks. I say to myself I just have to hear Leonard. Cohen showed up at Collins' apartment with a guitar, and began playing "Suzanne." Just on that level it's very valuable. She had last seen Mr. Cohen in August, just before she left for a concert tour. And if your feet are not in pristine health, find a podiatrist. One night as I was returning to my apartment, the voice of Cohen from his last album came on the car radio. Some say cunical but he has captured both sides of love the light and the dark. Mr. Leonard said that when Mr. Cohen died, they were at work on an album of string arrangements of his songs and another of songs that he said were inspired by old rhythm-and-blues grooves. His charm was old-world and European, but it was not pure instinct or birthright. Vale great one. For me, Leonards songs anticipated how I would feel and what life would be like as I followed him, lagging by 20 years, since I was 23. Broken bones have their own risk, including lung embolisms in which tiny fragments of broken bone make their way into our circulation and reach the lung, causing impressive and often life-threatening damage. I will always miss his ongoing presence in my life. Cohen died on November 7, 2016, the month after the New Yorker article was published and "You Want it Darker" was released. Prior to Leonard's death, it was well known that he suffered from cancer (a fact most famously reported by David Remnick in the New Yorker ), and since then, reports have been published that specified the diagnosis as leukemia. bousfield primary school headteacher. Now, "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen is one of the most-covered songs of all time. For his part, Cohen complains about Florida-bred Suzanne's "Miami consumer habits. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter email address for notification of new posts. This hasnt been empirically tested, but in my opinion, the most important thing an elderly person can do to protect themselves from the worst outcomes from a fall is to carpet their home. Eric replied to him but never got an answer. Even now, some four years later, I still miss him greatly. It puts forth what is actually the true meaning of this song, according to Leonard Cohen. Leonard Cohen: One for each of us. Comments are welcome while open. Leonard Cohen was waiting for the miracle to come, and he waited half his life away. Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen: Interviews and Encounters. Which is to say, the acute poignancy of Cohen's writing is a major part of the reason why his songs were and continue to be so impactful. During the recording of his 1978 album Death of a Ladies' Man, infamous record producer Phil Spector and Cohen clashed strongly over the heavy use of instrumentation of Cohen's songs. (Dehydration-related falls and even loss of consciousness are common in emergency departments.) I trusted Leonard completely in very intimate situations and although we never had an intimate exchange of that kind ourselves, he was a constant ally I could take into battle with no fear of betrayal.". Known for his poetic and lyrical music, Cohen wrote a number of popular songs, including the often-covered "Hallelujah." "Depression has often been the general background of my daily life," Cohen once told Rolling Stone. "Anything, Roman Catholicism, Buddhism, LSD, I'm for anything that works," he once said (via The New Yorker). Collins managed to persuade him, but watching him on stage from the wings that night, she saw "his legs shaking inside his trousers," as she recalled in her autobiography "Trust Your Heart." In fact, by the time Cohen began writing it in 1984, he had been out of the spotlight for several years, following a few albums that performed poorly.