The Stranger Song - Leonard Cohen (cover)

[TheVludlow]

excellent! very well done! Great song- wonderful material- good job! Best, V

[lennybruce8]

its difficult to tackle cohen's music. well not so hard i guess but his songs are so his some times. some songs..such as stranger song...really tough i think. i'm not sure if its just my ear or what. but i think avalanche and stranger song and seems so long ago..etc...they belong to cohen so much its hard to hear other versions. but i think you did a really beautiful work on this song. only complaint i have is your gentle voice gets lost behind the guitar too often.

[LiteGauge]

@lennybruce8 Thanks, I'm just recording through a video-camera and I try to show what I'm going on the guitar. My voice isn't as powerful as yours - your covers of Tom Waits are amazing. In terms of Cohen's music - excellent for anyone who needs to work on bar-chords. I've heard very few people who can play Avalanche and Stranger Song as he does. There's a video of him playing Avalanche which shows roughtly what he's doing, but.... I'll have to work at that.

[lennybruce8]

@LiteGauge avalanche is one of the greatest poem/songs. my voice is just a rough bag of beans, my friend. ^^ i think thats something leonard cohen taught me. just sing. your voice will follow and bend to your hearts weight. i appreciate you.

[kngsean]

Great cover, this was really pleasant next to the real thing. If you have anything else I'll be sure to check it out. Take Care.

[LiteGauge]

@kngsean Thanks very much. I've done lots of other songs, including several by the great Mr Cohen :o)

[LiteGauge]

The guitar is in standard tuning, though I may have been tuned down a semi-tone. The chords are basically Em Emsus4, C, Bb, and G and the D (extended C shape) and Em.

The Bb is fingered as a Bb6 (barré across the 3rd fret with Bb in the bass) but I don't think I'm playing the top string. The D is an extended shape which I very rarely use, but it's good exercise for pinky :o)

[nerkster2]

Thank you, Sir John. Your Leonard Cohen songs are very helpful (Sisters of Mercy and The Stranger Song) for getting the finger picking pattern. However -- can you enlighten me on the tuning and chords for The Stranger Song? I am playing it in Em, Emsus, G/C, Bbm, G, D. You are using an open tuning? We wish we could move to France . . . Lance

[entro666]

Great job, i really enjoyed this. Your guitar variations from the original carry a lot of emotion and to me give the song a darker feel.

[LiteGauge]

@entro666 Thanks very much - The Songs Of Leonard Cohen is probably my all-time favourite album. It still has all the magic it had back when I first heard it. I think variations are essential when covering other people's songs and this is particularly true for Cohen, when each person brings their own personal interpretation which can also be different depending on their mood at the time.

[entro666]

@LiteGauge I agree. Being only 30, i first heard Cohen on the natural born killers soundtrack when i was a kid. Later i realized how much i liked it, and much to my surprise, his first album became my favorite.

[perjanan]

can you send me tabs?

[vmartisius]

i really enjoyed your cover, if woudn't know that's Cohen's song,i could say you wrote it ( music and voice balance). Do you have your own songs also?i gues you could have some of your own... Greetings. V.M.

[LiteGauge]

Thanks very much. I don't have much of a way with words myself.

[nyuguy2k]

nicely done at a slower pace, it works, even your voice fits this song well. i love this song, i wish i could pick.

alfredo

[LiteGauge]

Thanks very much, Alfredo

[bpvdd]

Superbe version John.

Bernard.

[LiteGauge]

Thanks very much, Bernard. I wish I could work out the proper Cohen tremolo picking technique. It's a bit fast for me :o)

John

[fingerstyleguitarman]

great cover but a different to the original arrangement. I have the true tab for this from an old cohen book and it has other vintage songs in it too

let me know if you would like a copy

[jeampes]

Une chanson que nous apprécions énormément et que tu interprètes comme à ton habitude avec beaucoup d'émotion !

Jean-Pierre & Lill

[LiteGauge]

Merci beaucoup, Jen-Pierre é Lill

[buniluvr]

Lovely cover John! All stars to YOU!

cheers

julie

[LiteGauge]

Thanks, Julie :o)

[Mariekesone]

Great effort...:-)

Thanks for keeping the songs of Leonard alive with your covers...He is great Poet!

Lovely guitarplaying as always:-)

[LiteGauge]

Thanks very much, Rineke

All the best

John