Behind the Song: “You Want It Darker” by Leonard Cohen

Eighty-two years from two days ago, Leonard Cohen, a Canadian singer-songwriter and one of the <a href="http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/exhibits/C6037" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">greatest living songwriters</a> today, was born. Perhaps not by coincidence, September 21st also marks the release date of Cohen’s latest single, “You Want It Darker,” from his upcoming album of the same name expected to release on October 21, 2016. The songwriter behind <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttEMYvpoR-k" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">“Hallelujah”</a> is no stranger to heavy topics, exploring themes such as religion, politics, and sexuality, to name a few, throughout his illustrious career. With the release of “You Want It Darker,” however, Cohen takes the listener even deeper, as the name of the single suggests. “You Want It Darker” is solemn and chilling from the moment the song starts, the sound of a choir and organ contrast against a grooving electric bass line, carrying the same gravitas as David Bowie’s posthumous release, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackstar_(album)" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Blackstar</a>. Cohen delivers haunting lyrics in his raspy baritone, talking yet almost singing, singing yet almost talking, in his trademark performance style. The song abounds with Judeo-Christian religious imagery and references, and while the song is certainly centered around issues of faith, it also explores Cohen’s acceptance of his own mortality upon turning 82. <a href="https://medium.com/amplify-entertainment-group/behind-the-song-you-want-it-darker-by-leonard-cohen-4ba27349a13b">Read More</a>