On the occasion of his 82nd birthday, Leonard Cohen treated us to a new single, You Want It Darker.
A single released not only for his birthday, but also following the legend's announcement of an upcoming 14th album.
The new song explores Cohen's impressions of his childhood. A sound complemented by the Shaar Hashomayim Synagogue Choir and backups by Cantor Gideon Zelermyer. The title track "delves into an unflinching exploration of the religious mind.", and of course death. Themes that the singer had obviously thought on time and time again, to the point of making us question our selves, as a philosopher does.
Listen to the new track here:
The track listing for this new album set to be released on October 21st, is already availbable. As part of the Press Release for the announcement, this listing included descriptions of each songs, which had to be shared:
1. “You Want It Darker”
Hypnotic groove. The surprise of a great synagogue choir. An unflinching exploration of the religious mind.
“Didn’t know I had permission to murder and to maim.”
2. “Treaty”
One of Cohen’s signature melodies. A confession of the selfishness of love and the hope of a correction.
“Only one of us was real—and that was me.”
3. “On the Level”
An old man’s take on desire.
“I was fighting with temptation, but I didn’t want to win”
4. “Leaving the Table”
A slow, relentless, and somehow joyous ballad of letting it all go by. A guitar solo you will remember.
“I'm leaving the table, I'm out of the game.”
5. “If I Didn’t Have Your Love”
A classic Cohen love song: the deep gratitude felt by one heart opening to another.
"That's how broken it would be,
what the world would seem to me,
if I didn't have your love to make it real.”
6. “Traveling Light”
A seeker hits the road and finds the joys of solitude.
“I’m traveling light
It’s au revoir
My once so bright
My fallen star”
7. “It Seemed the Better Way”
The feeling of a prayer that’s been there forever, but the spiritual comforts of the past no longer available.
“Lift this glass of blood, try to say the grace.”
8. “Steer Your Way”
A song of courage as the heart moves into the darkness.
“Steer your heart past the pain that is far more real than you.”
9. String Reprise/Treaty
A brilliant reimagining of “Treaty” as a string quartet; a truly glorious moment ending with a few words from Leonard himself.
“I wish there was a treaty we could sign.”