Leonard Cohen: An Influential Poet

Introduction

Leonard Cohen was an influential singer, writer, poetic songwriter, and guitarist. He was a Canadian musical icon who began his career as a poet and novelist before getting into the singing industry in the 1960’s. His 48-year long career was filled with memorable and moving music which inspired many artists and people/ listeners/ fans/ reached a lot of people. Early on, Cohen started as a writer and guitarist. Later on by the mid-1960’s, he started to compose and release folk-rock and pop songs. He is greatly known for one of his most famous compositions, called/named “Hallelujah”, which was released on his seventh album, Various Positions in December of 1984, which took him about 5 years to complete writing. The band, The Tragically

A young singer names Rufus Wainwright once said, “ I really believe he's the greatest living poet on earth." Cohen's artistry was greatly influential in the 1960’s. He has influenced many of the known artists today. He is known as “the poet of brokenness”. It shows in his music through his poetry and literature. Lyrics from his most famous song “Hallelujah” have touched many people who can relate to the emotional conflicts he sang about/expressed. Even near the end of his life, he still provided hope and expressed himself through his music. With his declining/deteriorating health, he recorded his last album called “ You Want It Darker”. It received the Album of the Year, and Cohen was named Artist of the Year at the 2017 Juno Awards. The lyrics song heavily focus on death and God. In an interview with the New Yorker, Cohen said that he was ready to die and that he hopes it’s not too

Another Canadian singer named Dan Mangan described his style as “ a wordy writer” who always had important pauses in the music that allowed the listener to reflect on the message that was just conveyed. In addition, Bob Dylan once said that when people talk about Cohen, they often don’t mention his compositional characteristics such as his melodies which is what made him the great genius that he was, and says that “no one else comes close to his music in modern music”. Leonard Cohen is/was one of Canada’s most admired poets and musicians, and is considered by many people as one of the greatest songwriters of all time. In the Rolling Stone magazine's list, he was listed No.16 on the list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters. Cohen’s son Adam also stated to a CBC Radio host said, “He’s the last of his kind”. Following his death, tributes from around the world have been highlighting his artistic legacy. Ron Sexsmith also shared that “his life was forever changed by his music and words”, and that he will never be forgotten. One more representing /important figure that was influenced by Cohen and recognized his success/es is the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. He stated “Leonard Cohen is as relevant today as he was in the 1960’s (prime years/popular star time). His ability to the vast array of human emotion made him one of the most