Spiritual themes in LC's songs

General discussion about Leonard Cohen's songs and albums
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jarkko
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Spiritual themes in LC's songs

Post by jarkko »

I have posted an essay by David Peloquin, "The Unified Heart and The Blessing to End Disunity".
He discusses the spiritual themes in LC's songs, including Old Ideas (it's a pdf file).
Use the link on the front page at http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com, or go directly to
http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/peloquin.pdf
1988, 1993: Helsinki||2008: Manchester|Oslo|London O2|Berlin|Helsinki|London RAH|| 2009: New York Beacon|Berlin|Venice|Barcelona|Las Vegas|San José||2010: Salzburg|Helsinki|Gent|Bratislava|Las Vegas|| 2012: Gent|Helsinki|Verona|| 2013: New York|Pula|Oslo|||
oblivion
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Re: Spiritual themes in LC's songs

Post by oblivion »

thank you jarkko, nice studies for the weekend :) ..and thanks to david from the woods of maine
frankfurt+munic 1976; nuremberg 1988; lörrach, berlin, frankfurt+london 2008;
new york, cologne, venice, istanbul, prague + barcelona 2009
sligo, berlin, ghent, wiesbaden, strasbourg, marseille, hannover, dortmund, warsaw, las vegas 2010
ghent, helsinki, berlin, dublin, verona, paris...2012
oberhausen, mannheim, bruxelles, lucca, hamburg, odense, amsterdam...2013
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mutti
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Re: Spiritual themes in LC's songs

Post by mutti »

Thank you Jarkko and David
I am enjoying reading this and look forward to part 2.
Leslie 8)
1988 Vancouver
2009 Victoria/Seattle/Almost Red Rocks/Las Vegas/San Jose.
2010 Sligo x 2/Victoria/Vancouver/Portland/Las Vegas x 2.
2012 Austin x 2/Seattle/Vancouver/Montreal x 2.
2013 Oakland x 2/New York City x 2/Winnipeg...
holydove
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Re: Spiritual themes in LC's songs

Post by holydove »

Wonderful essay! Thank you to Jarkko for posting the link; & to David Peloquin for writing it. Looking forward to part 2.
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leonardmtl
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Re: Spiritual themes in LC's songs

Post by leonardmtl »

Excellent analysis of the personal sanctuary in LC's work.....a much more compelling explanation than simplistically calling it a Rorscharch journey.

Leonard from Montreal
We're all on one road....we're only passing through....

1967 Montreal / 2008 Toronto/ 2009 New York Beacon /Boston 2x /New York MSG / Chelsea Hotel Plaque Celebration /San Jose / 2010 Las Vegas 2x / 2012 Montreal 2x /Boston 2x
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B4real
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Re: Spiritual themes in LC's songs

Post by B4real »

Interesting concept - brings this to mind.

"In every heart there is a room
a sanctuary safe and strong"....
It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to B4real ~ me
Attitude is a self-fulfilling prophecy ~ me ...... The magic of art is the truth of its lies ~ me ...... Only left-handers are in their right mind!
John Etherington
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Re: Spiritual themes in LC's songs

Post by John Etherington »

I resonate with most of this, and particularly like the premises "Cohen’s intention is to provide the opportunity to enter into a “sanctuary” offered by the song
and to gently evoke an experience in the listener"/ "If a song strikes you, draws you in, assume that it has something to do with you personally and
proceed from that insight". How different from the "Old Ideas" promo campaign and the daily bombardment of Leonard material that we see on Facebook!
lac999
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Re: Spiritual themes in LC's songs

Post by lac999 »

Fascinating reading, am considering doing my dissertation for my Theology degree on Leonard's music; so it's nice to get something from a similar angle.
Sincerely, L. Coleman

05.09.2012 Berlin Walbühne
07.09.2013 Leeds Arena

"Ring the bells that still can ring , forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in.
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