This is one of my favourite performances of this song. Cohen AND Collins together -- can it get any better than that? (Hint: the correct answer is "No".)
I listened to this song first time in 1976.I was 16 and i was traveling through Spain with my cousin and some friends.We made camp on a hill in front of Toledo and there was this guy playing a guitar and singing this song to a girl.I'll never forget that.I'm 52 now and i remember that moment as though i lived it yeasterday."Suzanne" has been a friend of mine through the years.
I've heard people say Cohen's voice is lame, because he does not show off or belt or keep himself constrained to precise pitch. Music is about more than showmanship and superficiality, it is about soul, and feeling, and love. His voice is so revealing, and has an intimate beauty to it that should never be ignored. He is a poet, his lyrics and his guitar send his message forward.
Cohen and Collins should be declared national Living Treasures! Both have been a part of the growing up, searching, and collective life experiences of so many.
Wonderful. As I read elsewhere, why ever don't the TV companies rebroadcast stuff like this instead of the mindless voyeuristic crap that daily pollutes our screen? I'm lucky to be more or less their contemporary and to have known their music since it was first performed, But I never knew so much was on video. Thanks again Beta Hifi
I think the reason why so many find Leonard Cohen's music depressing is because they don't fully allow themselves to FEEL and investigate the full range of emotion. So many of us are disconnected from everything and this music cuts right through and gets to the core of the soul in the most empathetic and honest way imaginable. Leonard has left us with a tremendous body of work and hope he will continue to add to his legacy before he leaves us.
There is more talent per square inch on that small stage... true... but they didn't sing well together... it is either Leonard Cohen, who sings beautifully, or Judy Collins, who sings beautifully, but I didn't like them singing together!
LOL Gin and Razor Blades.. Love Cohen..he is a true orginial, love seeing the old stuff, thanks for posting! I think he might have been the 1st Beatnik, remember those days? I do.
I love the "gin and razor blades" quote. I get it. But to me it's not a suicidal feeling evoked by L's music. It's surrendering to his images of both the exquisite beauty and horrific darkness within the the experience of "life" to the point where you are left open and raw. Then you realize that there is no difference in the two extremes, just an overlap: no sin, no redemption. No pain, no salvation. No agony, no ecstasy. All is pathos, and pathos is beautiful.
This is brilliant, will always love the haunting guitar and tremendous talent of a wonderful artist. The gin and razor blades may be for people who already have a tendency to feel suicidal so we can only feel sympathetic towards them.
I never was a fan of Leonard Cohen. His songs are great for story telling but his music doesn't sound like singing to me. Judy Collins though....ahhhh, enough said. She's a piece of work.
When I was in Vietnam I first heard Both sides Now, and it made my time there a little less stressful. Eventually, I got to hear the whole album (it was sent to me in cassette form from home). I listened to it day in and day out till it finally broke. By then I was ready to rotate back home. Judy Collins help me keep my sanity in an insane place. I will thank her for that for the rest of my life. Suzanne is just the icing on the cake...
@cunnilicker I have a lot of stress and pain to contend with myself and I agree, though you have to admit, Leonard Cohen does make you realize the good AND the bad. The fortunate and the unfortunate, I feel a mix of great happiness through understanding while listening to him whilst feeling deep sadness at the same time. True emotion brought out by music is something not very many people can write. Long live Leonard Cohen! - Josh Sigurdson
MAN I COULD NOT STAND ALL THE PEOPLE I GREW UP WITH IN HIGH SCHOOL THAT LOVED LEONARD BECAUSE OF PUMP UP THE VOLUME . but now i love him and his music . really great tunes , and i'm a death metal drummer. go figure.
Leonard Cohen is simply out of this world!!!! If anything he makes me smile often, sometime even giggle.. Phenominal lyrics, Amazing Poet! xo Love you Leonard!
@cunnilicker Totally agree. I think people are frightened of stopping to smell the roses. But you can't run through life evading anything more meaningful than a titwank forever.
@cunnilicker: it depends on your disposition at the time that you are listening to Leonard. If you have just broken up with the love of your life i would not recommend Leonard. If you are having a few beers/smokes and are happy and content Leonard is wonderful. Either way he is fantastic!
@cunnilicker It's not a matter of feeling suicidal, it's about the song and specially about the lyrics, that works in so many levels. The song alone is verry peacefull, but the lyrics take you to whole new understanding. I love his songs! : )
I'm convinced that there are people who go around and hit the dislike button on every video they can. Idk how many there are, but we can assume there are at least 9
It's hard to buy the Ronning story, not least because outside of the US in music publishing ghostwriting is illegal, and was even in 1966; you can legally assign copyright, but you cannot assert that you are it's author if you are not. Aside from anything else, that's a breach of warranty under any standard publishing contract. Secondly, Judy Collins says she was there when Cohen wrote "Suzanne". I know Judy, she's an unusual person to say the least, but not a liar.
1969: lying on a blanket about twelve feet from Judy onstage (Phil Ochs had opened for her), with my lover, Joni, by my side, both of us high on mescaline. Bathing in their radiance, I, a week away from an appointed destination before a Draft Board that might send me to Vietnam. That evening, I will never forget.
It`s a brilliant version of a great song.Have I ever mentioned that I wrote "Tambourine Man", "Don`t think twice" and "Idiot Wind" for Bob Dylan? He was very grateful.But hey, comes easily to us geniuses.Can`t think why no-one has ever heard of us before.
Piękna, uduchowiona ballada. Jedna z najpiękniejszych w historii muzyki rozrywkowej. Dziękuję za wstawienie w You Tube. Obecnie nikt już takich nie tworzy. Skaczą przed kamerą wygimnastykowane rozebrane dziewczyny, skoczni faceci, ale to prowokujaca gimnastyka, a nie śpiew duszy.
@norvegicusbass Hello my old "girlfriend" at Idaho State Prison. You were my prison B#T#H at the prison. But you got a few things incorrectly. Check the Marine-Navy Aviators flying F-4 Phantoms off the deck of the USS Constalation in the Vietnam war in 1971. But you also had a head injury and my job was working in the infirmy as a neuropsychologist. You were suffering from dementia and had a paper doll that you named Cohen. O how you Worshiped that paper dolly. Sorry we could not cure you.
It is a well documented fact that Cohen was born into a Jewish family. He explored other religions, but in an interview in the 80' or the 90's he said he still was a Jew, and observed the Sabbath. Yet in Suzanne he supposedly wrote that Jesus was divine by Jesus "walking on the water...". A lot of people have now questioned whether Leonard Cohen actually wrote this song or like many other singer song writers he or his recording company bought this song from a ghost writer; James C. Ronning.
@e61807 You are indeed correct Ronning did write this song. I served a prison sentence in Idaho State Prison beginning in 1971 and he was my cell mate for five years. On our many attempted jail breaks he told me he wrote this song and many others for acts like the Beatles and Dylan. Last time I saw him was when he escaped to Mexico to build boats or something. I miss him.
Dylan is modern, secular (at least at first!) and surreal - his works are kaleidoscopic, fractured - like a Picasso painting. Cohen's lyrics are never arbitrary, his themes and his melodies are rooted in the Abrahamic traditions, and he uses the power of words and song in a desperate and possibly insane bid to challenge the contradictions in the Abrahamic dogma. He is an entirely different beast to Dylan, Cohen is a writer first x
Jesterlick as you get older you will stop having heroes. And for God's sake never get to know one very well. There are exceptions. Cohen is not one of them.
@e61807 You claim to have written Suzanne a year before Leonard Cohen published it in a book of verse - and you are surprised that I am sceptical? Artists are human, this is the twilight of the idols, no more heroes anymore - Cohen, like all men, has his weaknesses, he does not shy away from them - I find it very hard to believe that one of his weaknesses is finding someone else who could write in his style to write the same words he wrote a year previously x jestertick.me.uk
Jesterlick, Go ahead and worship your heroes. I don't really care what you think ! I feel bad about breaking my code as a ghost writer for over 40 years, but this was only a hobby. My real profession was as a professor and practitioner of neuro and clinical psychology. I am not seeking your approval. I still have the contract we both signed. I am "coming out now" for my children and for the real Suzanne. Cohen was very creative He was the only artist that would accept it. Dr James C Ronning
i spent years looking for this song. thought it was sung by Neil young. first heard it many years ago at Chestnut hill College. Me and my roommate, Theresa loved the tune. haven't seen her in over 30 years. Funny, how time moves on yet memories stay still forever.
I believe this song is about Suzanne Verdal, who made more of an impression on Leonard than she realised at the time. Judy Collins saw the potential of the song and recorded it herself. She encouraged Leonard to record this song. He also sold the rights to it....
@sweetgypsywife Please for gods sake and mine explain your prosaic interpretation of suzanne, just a little. When Cohen say's "The sky would open" do you interpret this as the sky in a masculine or feminine role, either to pour fourth(open - Rain) OR open recieve christ. Do you think the sky the limit and death?"O rivers mingling toward the sky" water mans chained freedom? If you think Cohen is a beefcake who uses cool words like fire and christ and razor and snow, ignore.
"You want to travel blind", The bottom of the sea is cruel, which is where the lovers search and rest. Perhaps its better to listen and anyway "We see through the eye not with ". Love makes the flowers grow, it is the only force consistent with vision, although this growth is only reaching. Is wisdom a stone? Knowleage like Suzanne, takes us down. "And so it was I entered the broken world To trace the visionary company of love" Counter - part of the stern above water. salvation - salvage.
@TheBlindPig1 Cohen seamlessly juxtaposes the microcosmic & macrocosmic relationships between the individual & their other - he reveals the man/woman mystery & the I/thou relationship with God as different aspects of one thing. In his poetry he adopts thepractice of omitting the "o" from G-d, reminding the reader that G-d is beyond naming, and also misses the "e" from s-x. The goal of being is to realise we are not two fish swimming in opposite directions - we are the Sea. jester.me.uk
where does this shit come from? I listened to to this when I was a teen (on vinyl) He's like bob dylan and (my drawing) I don't know where my ability to draw comes from? But I love L Cohen.
I'm getting really sick of this Cohen / Dylan comparision. Both are brilliant poets and song-writers. Both are highly successful. Neither one sounds at all like the other and I love 'em both, a lot. Hmph.
My name (though in English), my year, two beautifull voices, catching lyrics, almost lullaby song and then again...so strong and deep...who can ask for more? Pretty proud of being born in such a year that brought so many pearls to this world (not counting me ;-)
I cannot say how much this song meant to me decades ago. It was and is an emotional and spiritual touchstone. “. . . they will lean that way forever….”
one of my all time favorite songs ever ever. it makes me shed happy tears. for me it is about pure love that we have and how that can connect us and that alone. as jesus and his words can do.
so nice to see it with judy. who i dont really know. i think this is the first time me hearing her. and she is lovelee. thanks for posting this
Wonderful to see this..Leonard, with the lady who gave him the confidence to share his songs and begin his long journey. A deep and haunting melody which leaves me quite emotional.
This song was first writen by James C. Ronning (See "Story of a Ghost Writer") and sent to Leonard Cohen to find an artist to record it. Leonard bought the rights which legally means he "wrote it". He added the last few words himself. Diamond sung the song with it ending with ...."and Suzzane looked in her mirror....." thus leaving a completely different slant. My origninal did not have the last words and Diamond sung it that way. I still got the contract. Listen to" Lady Magdalene" by Diamond.
@e61807 Dear e61807 - it is absurd to claim that Suzanne was written in 1967 by James C Ronning, because Cohen published the lyrics as a poem in his 1966 book "Parasites of Heaven". Even if you had the dates wrong I cannot think of any other authors who could have written these words, they fit perfectly into his coded cosmology, only he possessed the cypher. I am afraid you have been duped or you are insane. Take your pick.
@lenahjonsson He thinks hes the voice of one crying alone in the wilderness- but if 'the kingdom of heaven is within' us? Then all men will be sailors. Cohen performed in sackcloth, referencing Revelations- "I will give power unto my 2 witnesses & they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred & threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees & the 2 candlesticks standing before the God of the earth". It is insane not to have a messiah complex, we are One.
@whatsaidfred Leonard sings. He just has a limited voice. If you listen between 2:42 and 3:50 you'll notice that he harmonises quite well. Unfortunately he and Judy don't synch very well as they had little time to rehearse together, I believe.
@whatsaidfred Perhaps you do not know the history. Cohen was a poet. It was Judy Collins who persuaded him that he should turn this poem into a song, and out of that success he became a singer/songwriter. His voice is not that of a great singer, but it is the voice of the man who wrote one of the great songs of that era - which was my era too.
" ... Among the garbage and the flowers There are heroes in the seaweed There are children in the morning They are leaning out for love And they will lean that way forever While Suzanne holds the mirror And you want to travel with her And you want to travel blind And you know that you can trust her For she's touched your perfect body with her mind." Thank you so much Betahifi for sharing this priceless video on Youtube that goes right now to my favorites. ¡Viva Leonard Cohen!
I spent 25 yrs in the Santa Cruz Ca area. In Capitola, where I lived,too, was "Suzanne's"store. It was on the Capitola river, near the ocean and the boats. there were antiques inside. I never once went in. But I would think of the song when I drove by. And I should have gone in.
I love this song so much. Leonard Cohen is like Bob Dylan,Anna Nalick, Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell, Springsteen, and a few others who write songs that have a dreamlike intensity and layers of meaning. Songs that transport you.
@whitetigersLC04 - You don't have to put down your own generation's music to appreciate another generation's. There's probably plenty of good music coming out now, you just don't get the chance to hear it.
@whitetigersLC04 Great comment.But nt all nowadays is dirt.Yeo to much dirt.But very good and pure music is still hanging round.Your age resoect.Let all ages and colours and wahtever sharing good stuff like this.Enjoying it.As you do.So thumb up for ya.
was photographing Pearls Before Swine's studio session in Manhatten of this when my baby's mama was at home in Brooklyn, preggers and listening to Leonard Cohen and we both came up with our daughters name at the same moment. Suzanne.
Oh my goodness, which means Oh My God...Thank you Judy and Leonard..I am 55 yrs. old and I am just now finding this diamond. When I was young, many years ago, a beautiful teacher, who I don't remember what her class was, BUT I she turned me onto Leonard singing Suzanne, and now all these years later, I find this gift, Judy, Leonard and these words ...Oh my, thank you, whoever posted this..Thank you very much...
I think the combination of the two really makes the song. Judy Collins origianlly convinced him to turn it into one, so it's historically complete too! :)
FROM fanchbrezoneg: Pour une très large part c'est Judy Collins qui a fait de Lenny Cohen un artiste de scène, il lui a chanté SUZANNE au téléphone, elle l'a enregistrée et publiée avant lui (sans même le copyright officiel) cela a "débloqué" Cohen avec le succès que l'on sait. Bravo à tous deux.
@betahifi Suzanne means lotus and Cohen means priest. I guess it all fits together with Leonard Cohen's personal and universal views. So much of the best popular music of my generation is from Canada. Cohen is the dean of Canadian music IMHO. He has been an inspiration for me since I was 16.
FROM louiseduvee: I'm already depressed, so 'Suzanne' makes me happy. Thanks for posting this: I had not seen it before. It's great! One of the best live performances ever.
FROM jmccoy1976: Nothing beats the original recording, but if you're interested in a really, really nice cover version, try the Czech singer Vaslav Neksar's 1972 version. It can be found on the album Vaslav Neskar, which was released under the old 'Supraphone' label - serial number 1 13 9856.
@betahifi to jmccoy: Leonard has never thought of himself as a singer. He went to college not for music, his first book of poetry (what he is) published in 1956 & first novel in 1963...listen to him sing " Hallelujah" it's in The Songwriters Hall of Fame...he is no minor talent...just what doesVaslav Nekasar have in there or in any Music Hall of Fame any where? it was his friends who got him to start singing his poetry
@betahifi to jmccoy: Leonard has never thought of himself as a singer. He went to college not for music, his first book of poetry (what he is) published in 1956 & first novel in 1963...listen to him sing " Hallelujah" it's in The Songwriters Hall of Fame...he is no minor talent...just what doesVaslav Nekasar have in there or in any Music Hall of Fame any where? it was his friends who got him to start singing his poetry & bless them for that
I can't thank you enough for uploading this gorgeous performance.
strawberrygirlie76 1 week ago
This is one of my favourite performances of this song. Cohen AND Collins together -- can it get any better than that? (Hint: the correct answer is "No".)
LordGroundhog 3 weeks ago 3
poetry, absolute poetry
JoseO1968 3 weeks ago 3
I listened to this song first time in 1976.I was 16 and i was traveling through Spain with my cousin and some friends.We made camp on a hill in front of Toledo and there was this guy playing a guitar and singing this song to a girl.I'll never forget that.I'm 52 now and i remember that moment as though i lived it yeasterday."Suzanne" has been a friend of mine through the years.
MyAlberto59 4 weeks ago 2
I've heard people say Cohen's voice is lame, because he does not show off or belt or keep himself constrained to precise pitch. Music is about more than showmanship and superficiality, it is about soul, and feeling, and love. His voice is so revealing, and has an intimate beauty to it that should never be ignored. He is a poet, his lyrics and his guitar send his message forward.
orme96 1 month ago
@orme96 Kinda like Bob Dylan and John Lennon, if you ask me--those two would never get into a college of music with those voices!
(I say this as an erstwhile operatic performance major AND John Lennon worshiper, lol...),
<3!
LitLBirdLitLBird 3 weeks ago
Cohen and Collins should be declared national Living Treasures! Both have been a part of the growing up, searching, and collective life experiences of so many.
lichtbroeder 1 month ago 3
nice song
DumboDambic 1 month ago
What a moment in time.....
dynamicangel 1 month ago
fantastic love this
Nick Cave does a great version too
shiningrain1 2 months ago
Wonderful. As I read elsewhere, why ever don't the TV companies rebroadcast stuff like this instead of the mindless voyeuristic crap that daily pollutes our screen? I'm lucky to be more or less their contemporary and to have known their music since it was first performed, But I never knew so much was on video. Thanks again Beta Hifi
ianinfrance 2 months ago
@ianinfrance why? cost. snooki is cheap. Cohen? not so much.
devtrash 1 month ago
@ianinfrance luckily we don't have to worry about that antiquated modicum anymore.
RyanLoveheart 1 month ago
his voice is a very limited instrument IMO
redrudra 2 months ago
@redrudra but his song writing ability is limitless IMO
rainspirit100 1 month ago
gln and razor blades are for um, lggy Pop or Darby Crash.... a beaut'ful marvelous rendltlon...
adampeart1 2 months ago
canadian class
flowerpowerrecordstv 3 months ago
I think the reason why so many find Leonard Cohen's music depressing is because they don't fully allow themselves to FEEL and investigate the full range of emotion. So many of us are disconnected from everything and this music cuts right through and gets to the core of the soul in the most empathetic and honest way imaginable. Leonard has left us with a tremendous body of work and hope he will continue to add to his legacy before he leaves us.
MichaelDominici 3 months ago 12
There is more talent per square inch on that small stage... true... but they didn't sing well together... it is either Leonard Cohen, who sings beautifully, or Judy Collins, who sings beautifully, but I didn't like them singing together!
etoussier 3 months ago
red wine, candles and some, half- forgotten, melancholic love from yesterday...THAT´s cohen..for me!
Readtherich 3 months ago
More Talent-Per-Square-Inch on that small stage than anywhere else on the planet at that point in time!
jgmagoo1 4 months ago
Very haunting melody and such poetic prose . . .
redrocklass 4 months ago
I THINK THE WORD TO DESCRIBE COHEN IS EPHERAL. YOU ARE THERE WHERE YOU'VE NEVER BEEN BUT YET YOU ARE.
GDS4VR 4 months ago
@GDS4VR There's no such word.
Try 'ethereal'.
jimincairns 4 weeks ago
@jimincairns Thanks. I stand corrected.
GDS4VR 3 weeks ago
LOL Gin and Razor Blades.. Love Cohen..he is a true orginial, love seeing the old stuff, thanks for posting! I think he might have been the 1st Beatnik, remember those days? I do.
nthemoment929 4 months ago
I love the "gin and razor blades" quote. I get it. But to me it's not a suicidal feeling evoked by L's music. It's surrendering to his images of both the exquisite beauty and horrific darkness within the the experience of "life" to the point where you are left open and raw. Then you realize that there is no difference in the two extremes, just an overlap: no sin, no redemption. No pain, no salvation. No agony, no ecstasy. All is pathos, and pathos is beautiful.
misspearltaylor 4 months ago 2
This is brilliant, will always love the haunting guitar and tremendous talent of a wonderful artist. The gin and razor blades may be for people who already have a tendency to feel suicidal so we can only feel sympathetic towards them.
Brenda655 5 months ago
sad that your friends think that .. gin and razor blades..
I find his voice soulful.. deeply felt emotions.. for me these emotions are essential to feeling the full glory of living.
zarconegullcottage 5 months ago 17
@cunnilicker Don't worry about that. You're simply more intelligent and sensitive than your friends.
webofrito69 5 months ago 2
he's always made me feel as if life is worth living
nmp290765 5 months ago 2
I never was a fan of Leonard Cohen. His songs are great for story telling but his music doesn't sound like singing to me. Judy Collins though....ahhhh, enough said. She's a piece of work.
Jason99942 5 months ago
BEEN TO HELL, PRISON AND DRUG ADDICTION TO HEROIN. THIS IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND CONSTANT SONG EVER.
GDS4VR 5 months ago
When I was in Vietnam I first heard Both sides Now, and it made my time there a little less stressful. Eventually, I got to hear the whole album (it was sent to me in cassette form from home). I listened to it day in and day out till it finally broke. By then I was ready to rotate back home. Judy Collins help me keep my sanity in an insane place. I will thank her for that for the rest of my life. Suzanne is just the icing on the cake...
elcamman50 5 months ago 2
@cunnilicker I have a lot of stress and pain to contend with myself and I agree, though you have to admit, Leonard Cohen does make you realize the good AND the bad. The fortunate and the unfortunate, I feel a mix of great happiness through understanding while listening to him whilst feeling deep sadness at the same time. True emotion brought out by music is something not very many people can write. Long live Leonard Cohen! - Josh Sigurdson
JoshSigurdsonMusic 5 months ago
MAN I COULD NOT STAND ALL THE PEOPLE I GREW UP WITH IN HIGH SCHOOL THAT LOVED LEONARD BECAUSE OF PUMP UP THE VOLUME . but now i love him and his music . really great tunes , and i'm a death metal drummer. go figure.
dabiz34 5 months ago
Leonard Cohen is simply out of this world!!!! If anything he makes me smile often, sometime even giggle.. Phenominal lyrics, Amazing Poet! xo Love you Leonard!
MrDimebuck 5 months ago
@FaenrisDaeerl.
Right!
TheCoastflyer 6 months ago
Thank you for two great voices. Their voices blend to create a perfect harmony.
coyotestory 6 months ago
@cunnilicker Totally agree. I think people are frightened of stopping to smell the roses. But you can't run through life evading anything more meaningful than a titwank forever.
EllyMcCormack 6 months ago
@cunnilicker: it depends on your disposition at the time that you are listening to Leonard. If you have just broken up with the love of your life i would not recommend Leonard. If you are having a few beers/smokes and are happy and content Leonard is wonderful. Either way he is fantastic!
polmaccaba01 6 months ago
@cunnilicker It's not a matter of feeling suicidal, it's about the song and specially about the lyrics, that works in so many levels. The song alone is verry peacefull, but the lyrics take you to whole new understanding. I love his songs! : )
Salute from Brazil!
daniel749 6 months ago
I'm convinced that there are people who go around and hit the dislike button on every video they can. Idk how many there are, but we can assume there are at least 9
Beatmeup66 6 months ago 2
The Original is Spanky and our Gang withJudy Colins but this version is way better
mrlovable4u 7 months ago
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This is the music that takes me to another time and place....it's the best!
MrNolanknows 7 months ago
This is the music that takes me to another time and place....it's the best!
MrNolanknows 7 months ago
Wow, never heard these two together but like both of them! Thanks!
MTCatman 7 months ago
yes i what to travel with you
jaymz74z 7 months ago
@cunnilicker I think it's because some people confuse quiet passion with depression.
papacarpenter 7 months ago
It's hard to buy the Ronning story, not least because outside of the US in music publishing ghostwriting is illegal, and was even in 1966; you can legally assign copyright, but you cannot assert that you are it's author if you are not. Aside from anything else, that's a breach of warranty under any standard publishing contract. Secondly, Judy Collins says she was there when Cohen wrote "Suzanne". I know Judy, she's an unusual person to say the least, but not a liar.
ElectricLabel 7 months ago
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1969: lying on a blanket about twelve feet from Judy onstage (Phil Ochs had opened for her), with my lover, Joni, by my side, both of us high on mescaline. Bathing in their radiance, I, a week away from an appointed destination before a Draft Board that might send me to Vietnam. That evening, I will never forget.
TheBigDelicious 7 months ago
I really love this version I don't think you will ever find a better combination of voices that would surpass this version :). Brilliant
TheScottypom 7 months ago 2
It`s a brilliant version of a great song.Have I ever mentioned that I wrote "Tambourine Man", "Don`t think twice" and "Idiot Wind" for Bob Dylan? He was very grateful.But hey, comes easily to us geniuses.Can`t think why no-one has ever heard of us before.
rimbaudscat 8 months ago
Piękna, uduchowiona ballada. Jedna z najpiękniejszych w historii muzyki rozrywkowej. Dziękuję za wstawienie w You Tube. Obecnie nikt już takich nie tworzy. Skaczą przed kamerą wygimnastykowane rozebrane dziewczyny, skoczni faceci, ale to prowokujaca gimnastyka, a nie śpiew duszy.
herys11 8 months ago
Yep. No doubt. A hack songwriter like Cohen would definitely need to buy songs from others. No doubt about it. It's just logical.
unclebobunclebob 8 months ago
It don't get any better than this.
calcynic 8 months ago 2
@norvegicusbass Hello my old "girlfriend" at Idaho State Prison. You were my prison B#T#H at the prison. But you got a few things incorrectly. Check the Marine-Navy Aviators flying F-4 Phantoms off the deck of the USS Constalation in the Vietnam war in 1971. But you also had a head injury and my job was working in the infirmy as a neuropsychologist. You were suffering from dementia and had a paper doll that you named Cohen. O how you Worshiped that paper dolly. Sorry we could not cure you.
e61807 9 months ago
Best version. Tom Northcotte.
photoeng1 9 months ago
It is a well documented fact that Cohen was born into a Jewish family. He explored other religions, but in an interview in the 80' or the 90's he said he still was a Jew, and observed the Sabbath. Yet in Suzanne he supposedly wrote that Jesus was divine by Jesus "walking on the water...". A lot of people have now questioned whether Leonard Cohen actually wrote this song or like many other singer song writers he or his recording company bought this song from a ghost writer; James C. Ronning.
e61807 9 months ago
@e61807 You are indeed correct Ronning did write this song. I served a prison sentence in Idaho State Prison beginning in 1971 and he was my cell mate for five years. On our many attempted jail breaks he told me he wrote this song and many others for acts like the Beatles and Dylan. Last time I saw him was when he escaped to Mexico to build boats or something. I miss him.
norvegicusbass 9 months ago
Brilliant - first heard this in Canada in 1971 - Judy adds to the etheral quality.This would have fitted well with "Twin Peaks"
eggman104 9 months ago
Dylan is modern, secular (at least at first!) and surreal - his works are kaleidoscopic, fractured - like a Picasso painting. Cohen's lyrics are never arbitrary, his themes and his melodies are rooted in the Abrahamic traditions, and he uses the power of words and song in a desperate and possibly insane bid to challenge the contradictions in the Abrahamic dogma. He is an entirely different beast to Dylan, Cohen is a writer first x
jestertick 9 months ago 2
Jesterlick as you get older you will stop having heroes. And for God's sake never get to know one very well. There are exceptions. Cohen is not one of them.
e61807 9 months ago
@e61807 You claim to have written Suzanne a year before Leonard Cohen published it in a book of verse - and you are surprised that I am sceptical? Artists are human, this is the twilight of the idols, no more heroes anymore - Cohen, like all men, has his weaknesses, he does not shy away from them - I find it very hard to believe that one of his weaknesses is finding someone else who could write in his style to write the same words he wrote a year previously x jestertick.me.uk
jestertick 9 months ago 2
Jesterlick, Go ahead and worship your heroes. I don't really care what you think ! I feel bad about breaking my code as a ghost writer for over 40 years, but this was only a hobby. My real profession was as a professor and practitioner of neuro and clinical psychology. I am not seeking your approval. I still have the contract we both signed. I am "coming out now" for my children and for the real Suzanne. Cohen was very creative He was the only artist that would accept it. Dr James C Ronning
e61807 9 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@e61807 : forgot to take your pills again ?
JikanPJ 9 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@e61807 : did you forget to take your pills again ?
JikanPJ 9 months ago
Ich liebe es !SCHÖNE GRÜSSE !Suzanna
diamentism 10 months ago
Soporific.
MMAharaja 10 months ago
beautiful
mousy32 11 months ago 2
toll
WalterPerras 11 months ago
peacock!
francalizio 11 months ago
tot,zo,angel
mollysangelique 11 months ago
i spent years looking for this song. thought it was sung by Neil young. first heard it many years ago at Chestnut hill College. Me and my roommate, Theresa loved the tune. haven't seen her in over 30 years. Funny, how time moves on yet memories stay still forever.
rostam101 1 year ago
I believe this song is about Suzanne Verdal, who made more of an impression on Leonard than she realised at the time. Judy Collins saw the potential of the song and recorded it herself. She encouraged Leonard to record this song. He also sold the rights to it....
sweetgypsywife 1 year ago
@sweetgypsywife Please for gods sake and mine explain your prosaic interpretation of suzanne, just a little. When Cohen say's "The sky would open" do you interpret this as the sky in a masculine or feminine role, either to pour fourth(open - Rain) OR open recieve christ. Do you think the sky the limit and death?"O rivers mingling toward the sky" water mans chained freedom? If you think Cohen is a beefcake who uses cool words like fire and christ and razor and snow, ignore.
TheBlindPig1 1 year ago
"You want to travel blind", The bottom of the sea is cruel, which is where the lovers search and rest. Perhaps its better to listen and anyway "We see through the eye not with ". Love makes the flowers grow, it is the only force consistent with vision, although this growth is only reaching. Is wisdom a stone? Knowleage like Suzanne, takes us down. "And so it was I entered the broken world To trace the visionary company of love" Counter - part of the stern above water. salvation - salvage.
TheBlindPig1 1 year ago
@TheBlindPig1 Cohen seamlessly juxtaposes the microcosmic & macrocosmic relationships between the individual & their other - he reveals the man/woman mystery & the I/thou relationship with God as different aspects of one thing. In his poetry he adopts thepractice of omitting the "o" from G-d, reminding the reader that G-d is beyond naming, and also misses the "e" from s-x. The goal of being is to realise we are not two fish swimming in opposite directions - we are the Sea. jester.me.uk
jestertick 9 months ago
Noone should try to duet with this voice of the angels.
mrgbennet 1 year ago
@mrgbennet "I was born like this, I had no choice
I was born with the gift of a golden voice
And twenty-seven angels from the Great Beyond
They tied me to this table right here
In the Tower of Song "
jestertick 9 months ago
I wonder if I'll ever be able to listen to this song, even once, without crying.
ladykws 1 year ago
wonderful to hear every word of the tender poem sung by these two fabulous singers
sweetgypsywife 1 year ago
Fantastic, thanks for posting.
oscaroscarful 1 year ago
I was 27 when I first heard this in 1976...OMG! Shivers up my spine.
eaglephoenix 1 year ago
where does this shit come from? I listened to to this when I was a teen (on vinyl) He's like bob dylan and (my drawing) I don't know where my ability to draw comes from? But I love L Cohen.
ALLscaledUP 1 year ago
Leonard, he is such a masculine
madrereus16 1 year ago
You can feel the sexual tension
madrereus16 1 year ago
she is pure gold, but i have to get used to her style, sorry, pricktrollnoideamanwalking.
dbx42dot1 1 year ago
weed. smoke it.
mimesis6mime 1 year ago
thanks Leonard and Judy
mimesis6mime 1 year ago
Suzanne was the name of my first girlfriend and Leo. Cohens song always remembers me to her. But.... she was much much prettier than this wife here.
academicusprecarius 1 year ago
Spellbinding! Cohen and Judy Blue-eyes. Does it get any better than this?
Zeckellin 1 year ago
I'm getting really sick of this Cohen / Dylan comparision. Both are brilliant poets and song-writers. Both are highly successful. Neither one sounds at all like the other and I love 'em both, a lot. Hmph.
Greggo2 1 year ago 2
@Greggo2 Indeed!
squeakymonkfish 1 year ago
@Greggo2 Right on.
asclarice 1 year ago
@Greggo2 You said it all, my friend
princessunshine 1 year ago
Great.Never comes back.
MrStratcaster 1 year ago
He's not a patch on Bob Dylan, and he admitted as much when he described Dylan as "The Picasso of song."
QED.
TerrySleeper 1 year ago
@TerrySleeper If Dylan is the Picasso of song? Cohen is Michelangelo.
jester.me.uk
jestertick 9 months ago
@jestertick Cohen would disagree, obviously. Otherwise he wouldn't have said what he did. He was John the Baptist to Dylan's Jesus!
TerrySleeper 9 months ago
wow
ctwarch 1 year ago
Me gusta mucho esa interpretación. Merci, gracias, danke!
magmalin 1 year ago
Fuck the like button.... Where's the 'love' button?
FaenrisDaeerl 1 year ago 72
@FaenrisDaeerl I totally understand your plea, my friend
elmerhdga 6 months ago
@FaenrisDaeerl
so very right it is true it goes deep I can't say just how
kimbroadie 6 months ago
@FaenrisDaeerl That was a fantastic comment.
mhattenbach47 5 months ago
@FaenrisDaeerl that was a fantastic comment!!!
mhattenbach47 5 months ago
that is a great comment!!!
mhattenbach47 5 months ago
@FaenrisDaeerl hell yeah!
beckjuly100 4 months ago
plan b much better !
Ybatec 1 year ago
Saw LC live in concert many years ago, it was memorable, but somehow this combination seems to lift them both.
Ricardoprettyboy 1 year ago
My name (though in English), my year, two beautifull voices, catching lyrics, almost lullaby song and then again...so strong and deep...who can ask for more? Pretty proud of being born in such a year that brought so many pearls to this world (not counting me ;-)
Rouxinolazul 1 year ago
I cannot say how much this song meant to me decades ago. It was and is an emotional and spiritual touchstone. “. . . they will lean that way forever….”
TedMichaelMorgan 1 year ago
Just about his one decent song . . . . .
TerrySleeper 1 year ago
@TerrySleeper
Wake up to reality Terry and try and acquire some taste. On second thought, don't bother!
mongoose000 1 year ago
@TerrySleeper You're kiddin right? Hes an amazing musician and songwritter, this is just one of hundreds of fantastic songs
princessunshine 1 year ago
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
animalliberation0961 1 year ago
@animalliberation0961 do us all a favor and don't wake up
robertmorbeck 1 year ago
Judy Collins' version was the first I heard, before I fell in love with Leonard Cohen. The two of them singing this is priceless.
sichamurray57 1 year ago
A lovely video of their soft singing and Leonard's fantastic lyrics. It's great to see this, thank you x
lizziegolden 1 year ago
one of my all time favorite songs ever ever. it makes me shed happy tears. for me it is about pure love that we have and how that can connect us and that alone. as jesus and his words can do.
so nice to see it with judy. who i dont really know. i think this is the first time me hearing her. and she is lovelee. thanks for posting this
toeknee1965 1 year ago
Wonderful to see this..Leonard, with the lady who gave him the confidence to share his songs and begin his long journey. A deep and haunting melody which leaves me quite emotional.
sweetgypsywife 1 year ago
This song was actually written in 1967 as a poem, then aquired by Cohen from a ghost writer. One of the songs that inspired Cohen to start singing.
e61807 1 year ago
This song was first writen by James C. Ronning (See "Story of a Ghost Writer") and sent to Leonard Cohen to find an artist to record it. Leonard bought the rights which legally means he "wrote it". He added the last few words himself. Diamond sung the song with it ending with ...."and Suzzane looked in her mirror....." thus leaving a completely different slant. My origninal did not have the last words and Diamond sung it that way. I still got the contract. Listen to" Lady Magdalene" by Diamond.
e61807 1 year ago
Comment removed
jestertick 9 months ago
@e61807 Dear e61807 - it is absurd to claim that Suzanne was written in 1967 by James C Ronning, because Cohen published the lyrics as a poem in his 1966 book "Parasites of Heaven". Even if you had the dates wrong I cannot think of any other authors who could have written these words, they fit perfectly into his coded cosmology, only he possessed the cypher. I am afraid you have been duped or you are insane. Take your pick.
jester.me.uk
jestertick 9 months ago
I REMEMBER MY DEAR SUZANNE A WOMAN I STILL LOVE. IT IS GREAT MUSIC.
monasote 1 year ago
@Whatsaidfred oh...why do you have to say that??
scamaali 1 year ago
...this song makes me cry...in every version I hear it...yeah...there are some very special memories behind it...:(
scamaali 1 year ago
jeej my name! lol :D
patteet97 1 year ago
God Bless Judy....she was the one who talked Leonard into singing,when Leonard wasen't happy with his own voice....Judy....you go girl....:-)
HippieJimi 1 year ago
I have never been so deep within myself as i am listening to this performance.
Capernahum 1 year ago
ascoltate la versione di de andrè....
bimbojazz1 1 year ago
True artists, not like these days
COMMUNISTPHILOSOPHY 1 year ago
Class.
lagerandwine 1 year ago
Never trust "a stranger".... (It's you my love, it's you who are the stranger....)
lenahjonsson 1 year ago
@lenahjonsson He thinks hes the voice of one crying alone in the wilderness- but if 'the kingdom of heaven is within' us? Then all men will be sailors. Cohen performed in sackcloth, referencing Revelations- "I will give power unto my 2 witnesses & they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred & threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees & the 2 candlesticks standing before the God of the earth". It is insane not to have a messiah complex, we are One.
jester.me.uk
jestertick 9 months ago
..''and you think maybe you ll trust him for he's touched your perfect body with his mind.. ''
christineroller 1 year ago
This presentation is epic tv, was a discovery .. I have the original vinyl suzanne
Navman2009 1 year ago
so truly sublime....being born in 1973, my first memories are of judy, singin cohen through dylan...fantastic
vgoth100 1 year ago
Love it
SewSusie 1 year ago
This is an incredible song, but Cohen is a horrible singer! He talks. Not sings.
whatsaidfred 1 year ago
@whatsaidfred Leonard sings. He just has a limited voice. If you listen between 2:42 and 3:50 you'll notice that he harmonises quite well. Unfortunately he and Judy don't synch very well as they had little time to rehearse together, I believe.
wtw88 1 year ago
@whatsaidfred Perhaps you do not know the history. Cohen was a poet. It was Judy Collins who persuaded him that he should turn this poem into a song, and out of that success he became a singer/songwriter. His voice is not that of a great singer, but it is the voice of the man who wrote one of the great songs of that era - which was my era too.
agonostical 1 year ago
I just love it time and again..
roadranger98 1 year ago
Spainiswonderful 1 year ago 2
todas ellas, te afean......
no te conozco,,,de nada..
todo,,me lo imaginé
ayudada por tus mentiras..
no se quien,,eres,,,ni por q me hiciste,,esto....
nomecogereisvivo 1 year ago
todo lo q te ofrecí....era bonito.
sincero....blanco,,,puro,,,valioso..
y me rechazaste,,,,me has rechazado
un dia tras otro......mi marido,,me adoraba
no existia otra para él,,,,estoy acostumbrada.....
lo k tu rechazaste,,,a otros les vuelve locos....
locos,,,,,como estuvo él siempre,,loco por mi..
y yo por él,,,,porque conformarme,,,si puedo
tener lo mismo,,,,solo siendo yo,,,
natural,,,le puedo volver loco,,,y yo,,,ser feliz.
nomecogereisvivo 1 year ago
Thanks for the info betahifi. Pity there isn't a recorded version of this. Or a Live Album.
mrsphoenix85 1 year ago 5
Is there a recorded version of this? I'm desperately searching for an album or something with the 2 of them singing this song.
mrsphoenix85 1 year ago 2
Isn't this a recording?
stevecitano 1 year ago
fantastic
Leggsy 1 year ago 3
This has been flagged as spam show
Thank you Mr Leonard Cohen for the song from 1979 it is part of my life.......
Darria Film Studio Design Club
STAFF
& Tamaddon Family LEEDS UK (1981)
darriastudio 2 years ago
To staggersu. I think Suzanne is about Montreal. Leonard Cohen is from Montreal
ggauthier100 2 years ago
sono cresciuto con le sue canzoni.. beautiful!
39davide 2 years ago
I spent 25 yrs in the Santa Cruz Ca area. In Capitola, where I lived,too, was "Suzanne's"store. It was on the Capitola river, near the ocean and the boats. there were antiques inside. I never once went in. But I would think of the song when I drove by. And I should have gone in.
IExposeMormonism 2 years ago
I love this song so much. Leonard Cohen is like Bob Dylan,Anna Nalick, Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell, Springsteen, and a few others who write songs that have a dreamlike intensity and layers of meaning. Songs that transport you.
Nilsosmar 2 years ago
this is amazing. in my generation (im 15) music is dirt compared to this pure gold.
whitetigersLC04 2 years ago 56
@whitetigersLC04 congrats for excellent taste at such a young age!
augwest45 2 years ago 2
@whitetigersLC04 - You don't have to put down your own generation's music to appreciate another generation's. There's probably plenty of good music coming out now, you just don't get the chance to hear it.
BayviewFinch 1 year ago
@whitetigersLC04 you begin very well, just 15, and listening to this, hope there are more like you.
bs5750 1 year ago
@whitetigersLC04 I totally agree, I am sixteen now and the music of this time is certainly garbage...
kunos15me 1 year ago
@whitetigersLC04
feelthebest2010 10 months ago
@whitetigersLC04 Great comment.But nt all nowadays is dirt.Yeo to much dirt.But very good and pure music is still hanging round.Your age resoect.Let all ages and colours and wahtever sharing good stuff like this.Enjoying it.As you do.So thumb up for ya.
feelthebest2010 10 months ago
So I was listening to XM radio 2 years ago and hear I'm your man and it brought back great memories. He is amazing..
iluvmyapple 2 years ago
God, I had forgotten how beautiful, how ethereal this song was when I heard it at 16 or 17. It still gives me chills.
Shiverrus 2 years ago 2
WOW
andrewlang100 2 years ago
was photographing Pearls Before Swine's studio session in Manhatten of this when my baby's mama was at home in Brooklyn, preggers and listening to Leonard Cohen and we both came up with our daughters name at the same moment. Suzanne.
But this is the best rendition ever for me.
iskandhar 2 years ago
Oh my goodness, which means Oh My God...Thank you Judy and Leonard..I am 55 yrs. old and I am just now finding this diamond. When I was young, many years ago, a beautiful teacher, who I don't remember what her class was, BUT I she turned me onto Leonard singing Suzanne, and now all these years later, I find this gift, Judy, Leonard and these words ...Oh my, thank you, whoever posted this..Thank you very much...
tokenannie 2 years ago
I think the combination of the two really makes the song. Judy Collins origianlly convinced him to turn it into one, so it's historically complete too! :)
HungryOcean 2 years ago 11
This song haunts and comforts me in some strange way.
zahir13 2 years ago 2
FROM fanchbrezoneg: Pour une très large part c'est Judy Collins qui a fait de Lenny Cohen un artiste de scène, il lui a chanté SUZANNE au téléphone, elle l'a enregistrée et publiée avant lui (sans même le copyright officiel) cela a "débloqué" Cohen avec le succès que l'on sait. Bravo à tous deux.
betahifi 2 years ago 6
@betahifi Suzanne means lotus and Cohen means priest. I guess it all fits together with Leonard Cohen's personal and universal views. So much of the best popular music of my generation is from Canada. Cohen is the dean of Canadian music IMHO. He has been an inspiration for me since I was 16.
sethianbeemer 1 year ago
FROM louiseduvee: I'm already depressed, so 'Suzanne' makes me happy. Thanks for posting this: I had not seen it before. It's great! One of the best live performances ever.
FROM jmccoy1976: Nothing beats the original recording, but if you're interested in a really, really nice cover version, try the Czech singer Vaslav Neksar's 1972 version. It can be found on the album Vaslav Neskar, which was released under the old 'Supraphone' label - serial number 1 13 9856.
betahifi 2 years ago 2
@betahifi to jmccoy: Leonard has never thought of himself as a singer. He went to college not for music, his first book of poetry (what he is) published in 1956 & first novel in 1963...listen to him sing " Hallelujah" it's in The Songwriters Hall of Fame...he is no minor talent...just what doesVaslav Nekasar have in there or in any Music Hall of Fame any where? it was his friends who got him to start singing his poetry
kjsinftw 1 year ago
@betahifi to jmccoy: Leonard has never thought of himself as a singer. He went to college not for music, his first book of poetry (what he is) published in 1956 & first novel in 1963...listen to him sing " Hallelujah" it's in The Songwriters Hall of Fame...he is no minor talent...just what doesVaslav Nekasar have in there or in any Music Hall of Fame any where? it was his friends who got him to start singing his poetry & bless them for that
kjsinftw 1 year ago