What is Columbia Records Leonard Cohen "Thanks for the Dance"?
Columbia Records recently released "Thanks for the Dance," a posthumous album from Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen. The album features nine tracks from the late artist, which were previously unreleased and completed after his death in 2016.
The album was produced by Cohen's son, Adam Cohen, who assembled a team of musicians to help complete his father's final work. The team includes musicians such as Javier Mas, who played with Cohen for many years, and Jennifer Warnes, who famously collaborated with Cohen on his 1987 album "Famous Blue Raincoat."
"Thanks for the Dance" is a hauntingly beautiful album, showcasing Cohen's iconic poetic lyricism and powerful vocals. The album features tracks such as "Happens to the Heart" and "The Night of Santiago," with each song offering a unique perspective on life, love, and death.
Despite being completed after Cohen's death, "Thanks for the Dance" feels like a cohesive work, with all nine tracks fitting together seamlessly. As with much of Cohen's work, the album is both deeply personal and universal, touching on themes that are both timeless and timely.
Overall, "Thanks for the Dance" is a fitting tribute to Leonard Cohen, and a testament to the power of his music. The album is a must-listen for fans of the artist, and a great introduction for those new to his work.
Frequently Asked Questions about columbia records leonard cohen "thanks for the dance"
When at age 50 Cohen first recorded the song, he described it as "rather joyous", and said that it came from "a desire to affirm my faith in life, not in some formal religious way, but with enthusiasm, with emotion." He later said "there is a religious hallelujah, but there are many other ones.
Folk rock
Leonard Cohen
| Leonard Cohen CC GOQ |
|---|
| Musical career |
| Genres | Folk rock |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals guitar keyboards |
| Labels | Columbia |
The song, as Cohen wrote it, is rich with references to Jewish Scriptures, including further references to former shepherd and now King David and his stolen love Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11 v 2). David's fall from God's favour to his eventual restoration to God as one of Israel's most famous kings.
So what makes the song so powerful – and why has it reached out to so many people? Its chords are simple, mostly coming from the notes of the major scale of the song's key. Rhythmically it has the type of rolling 12/8 feel you find in much gospel and folk music – again nothing special.
praise the Lord
hallelujah, also spelled alleluia, Hebrew liturgical expression, usually rendered in English as “praise the Lord.” It appears in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) in several psalms, usually at the beginning or end of the psalm or in both places.
The song is steeped in Christian imagery and this is Cohen attempting to come to terms with the third commandment. If we are instructed that “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain,” the instruction comes with an inference that we know what God's name is in the first place.
Over more than 60 years, Cohen managed to transcend folk music, poetry, and rock 'n roll to create a style that was uniquely his own, filled with emotive vocals, impressionistic lyrics, and palpable whisps of darkness.
His deeply poetic songs, almost 50 years' worth, often didn't achieve commercial or critical success until they were covered by other artists but Cohen was in a league of his own as a songwriter, said music journalist Alan Cross. He influenced the likes of Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Lou Reed and Bob Dylan.
The phrase is used in Judaism as part of the Hallel prayers, and in Christian prayer, where since the earliest times it is used in various ways in liturgies, especially those of the Catholic Church, the Lutheran Churches and the Eastern Orthodox Church, the three of which use the Latin form alleluia which is based on ...
hallelujah, also spelled alleluia, Hebrew liturgical expression, usually rendered in English as “praise the Lord.” It appears in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) in several psalms, usually at the beginning or end of the psalm or in both places.
to praise joyously
In the Hebrew Bible, it is a compound word, from hallelu, meaning “to praise joyously,” and yah, a shortened form of the unspoken name of God.
In fact, it really isn't a religious song at all. It is a story of a love gone wrong, with some religious imagery splattered in. It isn't something to be tapping the toes to as we are Rocking Around the Christmas Tree or having a Holly, Jolly Christmas.
