The Canadian songwriter and poet died on Thursday night.
Leonard Cohen, the singer and bard who spoke in gravelly, zen-like frankness about sex and God, and who oscillated between folk and funk and who could even do them both at once, is dead. He was 82.
Listen to Betty Who’s Bittersweet New Song About the Start of a Relationship
From the time he released his first record, The Songs of Leonard Cohen, in 1967, he was prolific; You Want It Darker, his 14th studio album, was released just three weeks ago. And so there’s a lot of material to work with when it comes to grieving his loss appropriately — by listening to him, of course — but here’s where you should start:
“Hallelujah” (1984)
Maybe it’s trite to list his best-known track, perhaps, but how could you not? It’s been called one of the most lyrically beautiful songs ever written, and that’s hard to disagree with.
