Reminder: Leonard Cohen's New Song "Going Home" Begins Streaming Today onThe New Yorker Website

January 16, 2012 

Audio here

Going Home 

by Leonard Cohen

I love to speak with Leonard
He’s a sportsman and a shepherd
He’s a lazy bastard
Living in a suit

But he does say what I tell him
Even though it isn’t welcome
He will never have the freedom
To refuse

He will speak these words of wisdom
Like a sage, a man of vision
Though he knows he’s really nothing
But the brief elaboration of a tube

Going home
Without my sorrow
Going home
Sometime tomorrow
To where it’s better
Than before

Going home
Without my burden
Going home
Behind the curtain
Going home
Without the costume
That I wore

He wants to write a love song
An anthem of forgiving
A manual for living with defeat

A cry above the suffering
A sacrifice recovering
But that isn’t what I want him to complete

I want to make him certain
That he doesn’t have a burden
That he doesn’t need a vision

That he only has permission
To do my instant bidding
That is to SAY what I have told him
To repeat

Going home
Without my sorrow
Going home
Sometime tomorrow
Going home
To where it’s better
Than before

Going home
Without my burden
Going home
Behind the curtain
Going home
Without the costume
That I wore

I love to speak with Leonard
He’s a sportsman and a shepherd
He’s a lazy bastard
Living in a suit

-------------------

• The New Yorker: January 23, 2012 issue, click here
• For the January 15 SONY press release, see previous post or click here

"The New Yorker" Makes History With New Leonard Cohen Song "Going Home"

January 15, 2012

Here is a press release from SONY with very exciting, ground breaking news about the first track, Going Home from Leonard Cohen's forthcoming new album, Old Ideas. The album contains 10 new songs and is set for release on January 31.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Leonard Cohen Song to Be Streamed by The New Yorker

Cohen's Recognition Reflects the Strength of Popular Songwriting

January 15, 2012, Los Angeles: For the first time in its history, The New Yorker, esteemed for its consistent publication of great poetry, will stream on its website (www.newyorker.com) Leonard Cohen’s new lyric “Going Home,” one of ten songs on his new studio album, Old Ideas. The New Yorker will publish the lyric in its January 23^rd issue (on newsstands January 16^th). The song will also be streamed on The New Yorker website on January 16^th. Cohen and Sony will release the album on January 31st  (www.leonardcohen.com/us/news/new-album-old-ideas-be-released-013112).

New Yorker poetry editor Paul Muldoon, who has been listening to Cohen since 1967, said that he is “thrilled” this will be happening in the magazine, which has recently been acknowledging the great power and achievement of singer-songwriters. Muldoon said, “The New Yorker has been publishing lyrics over the past years by Cohen, Bob Dylan, and Paul Simon…Cohen is in some elite company, including his own!”  Cohen’s rich, complex lyrics have intoxicated listeners for more than a generation; his work bridges the world of lyric poetry and song.  A selection of Cohen’s poems and songs has recently been published by the prestigious Random House “Everyman” series, which includes in its pantheon Rumi, Keats, Byron, Pushkin, Dickinson, Frost, and, now, Cohen (http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/classics/resources_press.html). Already, through a second printing, a new edition will be released later this winter.
    
Recently, Cohen’s work has been receiving literary recognition throughout the world. In late October, Cohen received the Príncipe de Asturias, the highest literary award granted by Spain (www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u_7e3Tv7Uk ).  PEN New England has also awarded Cohen and Chuck Berry its first “Song Lyrics of Literary Excellence.” Judges included Bono, Rosanne Cash, Elvis Costello, Paul Muldoon, Smokey Robinson, Salman Rushdie, and Paul Simon.  

His native Canada, which has honored Cohen before, will bestow the Ninth Glenn Gould Prize upon Cohen for his great artistic achievement in bringing literary richness to popular music and for touching “audiences far outside his main genre.” Cohen’s honors and the recent nomination of Bob Dylan for the Neustadt International Prize (www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jun/03/leonard-cohen-major-spanish-literary-prize) reflect the cultural recognition of folk-rock songwriters as poets of the highest order.

# # # #

The album by Leonard Cohen was produced with Patrick Leonard, Anjani Thomas, Ed Sanders and Dino Soldo and features backing vocalists Dana Glover, Sharon Robinson, The Webb Sisters and Jennifer Warnes.

Track list of  Old Ideas

• Going Home
• Amen
• Show Me The Place
• The Darkness
• Anyhow
• Crazy To Love You
• Come Healing
• Banjo
• Lullaby
• Different Sides

Two other tracks off Old Ideas are currently online.
Show Me The Place (lyric video here)
Darkness  (audio here)

 -------------------------------------- 

• For more information about the album and Leonard Cohen, click here
• "Old Ideas" album photo: Kezban Ozcan
• "The New Yorker" first issue cover: Wikipedia

Leonard Cohen, Las Vegas, Caesars Palace Colosseum, November 12, 2009

From November 26, 2009  leonard cohen forum

The position of the front row seat made for an excellent view of Neil Larsen and Rosoe Beck. I tried to keep both in the frame while I was shooting because I never had this vantage at other concerts. Because I was so close to the stage and my camera lens could not open wide enough to capture the whole stage, these videos are basically close-ups.

Some highlights that I can remember:

• First concert appearance by Roscoe, "The Kid Is Back", Beck's new sexy haircut.

• Being able to watch the talented virtuosity of Neil Larsen at length. What a delight!

• LC's "shining, impossible belt buckle" (Tennessean)

TAKE THIS WALTZ
Lovely duet LC and Hattie at 3.48
Intros at the end, Dino applauds Javier Mas

HALLELUJAH
"I did not come to the Palace of Caesar to fool you" 3.52

CLOSING TIME
Good view of Roscoe with his ooh-la-la forelock

I TRIED TO LEAVE YOU, FINAL WORDS
My apologies, I had a few dry desert coughs towards the end but I did not want to stop filming. All the solos were so incredible! And LC's final words were simple but moving.

It was an awesome concert.

From Post on Nov 13   leonardcohenforum

Las Vegas - Another "new song" - Feels So Good

Poster thanks to Cheesecadet

Leonard Cohen Kansas City Concert, AMC Midland, November 9, 2009

Screen shot:  Kansas City AMC Midland website

From Nov 10, 2009   leonardcohenforum

• Very heavy bass sound tonight
• The building rocked
• The band rocked
• Leonard Cohen rocked
• The KC audience rocked
• Many standing ovations
• Wildly enthusiastic and very appreciative audience.
  -It made Leonard smile a lot. The band too.
• No DARKNESS
• He went back to Blues #2, Feel so good (prisoner/blindfold/coffee)
• FEELS SO GOOD (replaced No way to say Goodbye on the setlist)
• His patter before Chelsea Hotel was priceless
• Recited intro to Anthem from "The Flood"
• He signed off Famous Blue Raincoat, Sincerely, A friend like he did in Nashville

From Nov 10  leonardcohenforum

CHELSEA HOTEL
Leonard Cohen's patter at the beginning is priceless - meeting Janis Joplin in the elevator, writing the song in Miami

ANTHEM
At the start, LC recites lines from "The Flood"

Blues #2 FEELS SO GOOD (one of his new blues songs)

Leonard Cohen Concert Nashville, Tennessee Perfoming Arts Center, Nov 5, 2009

From Nov 6  leonardcohenforum

Incredible concert at the Tennesse Performing Arts Center (TPAC)!!! Thank you Jarkko - first row seat. Fantastic.

Premier of "new" song - The Darkness


Leonard gave a short talk about his years living in Tennessee. The story about himself and a horse is quite charming. I believe he also mentioned owning a rifle and a gun.

Leonard also told the Chelsea hotel story about meeting Janis Joplin on the elevator and pretending to be Kris Kristofferson to the great delight of the Tennessee audience.

I was fortunate to get a Set List after the concert.  Leonard uses two (for both of his sound monitors) and I was given one of his. YeeHaw.

Setlist thanks to Mickey Sullivan

My Long Stem Rose (Everybody Knows...)

I had left a single long stem rose (wrapped with small Canadian, US and Tennessee flags) on the stage apron before "Everybody Knows" which Leonard placed on the drum riser as usual. When Rafael failed to catch the stick later during "I Tried To Leave You", great laughter. Roscoe picked up my rose and handed it to Raphael. More great laughter. A charming moment.

For a wonderful summary of my rose and its fate, please see Dr Allan Showalter's blog at
1heckofaguy.com  Everybody Knows The Fate Of The Long Stem Rose