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[CROWD CHEERING, APPLAUDING]
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[BAND PLAYING "HALLELUJAH"]
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♪ Yeah, I've heard that
There was a secret chord ♪
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00:00:46,785 --> 00:00:50,572
♪ That David played
And it pleased the Lord ♪
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00:00:50,746 --> 00:00:55,359
♪ But you don't really
Care for music ♪
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00:00:55,533 --> 00:00:56,534
♪ Do you? ♪
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00:00:59,407 --> 00:01:04,325
♪ Well, it goes like this
The fourth, the fifth ♪
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00:01:04,499 --> 00:01:08,807
♪ The minor fall
The major lift ♪
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00:01:08,981 --> 00:01:14,291
♪ The baffled king composing
Hallelujah ♪
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♪ Hallelujah... ♪
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00:01:20,471 --> 00:01:24,606
COHEN:
The word "Hallelujah,"
of course, is so rich.
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00:01:24,780 --> 00:01:27,087
It's so abundant in resonances.
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00:01:29,089 --> 00:01:31,047
People have been
singing that word
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00:01:31,221 --> 00:01:33,571
for thousands of years,
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00:01:33,745 --> 00:01:37,097
just to affirm
our little journey here.
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00:01:38,968 --> 00:01:41,057
♪ I did my best ♪
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00:01:41,231 --> 00:01:43,190
♪ It wasn't much ♪
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00:01:43,364 --> 00:01:47,107
♪ I couldn't feel
So I tried to touch ♪
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00:01:47,281 --> 00:01:49,152
♪ I've told the truth ♪
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00:01:49,326 --> 00:01:51,546
♪ I didn't come to fool you... ♪
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CLARKSON:
I just love the whole song
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'cause it seems to me to sum up
so much of what Leonard is.
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00:02:00,207 --> 00:02:02,296
ROBINSON:
This relationship with God
26
00:02:02,470 --> 00:02:05,212
that he struggled with
so much...
27
00:02:05,386 --> 00:02:08,040
He's taking one part Biblical,
28
00:02:08,215 --> 00:02:11,653
one part the woman
he slept with last night.
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00:02:11,827 --> 00:02:15,004
♪ Hallelujah... ♪
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00:02:15,178 --> 00:02:17,659
FINLEY:
He expresses that being alone
with the divine
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00:02:17,833 --> 00:02:20,183
is what can redeem us.
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00:02:20,357 --> 00:02:23,360
SLOMAN:
He was always
a spiritual seeker.
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00:02:23,534 --> 00:02:24,883
And that gave him a dimension
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00:02:25,057 --> 00:02:28,452
that most rock stars
couldn't even fathom.
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00:02:28,626 --> 00:02:31,020
♪ Hallelujah ♪
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00:02:32,282 --> 00:02:38,419
CHOIR:
♪ Hallelu...
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00:02:38,593 --> 00:02:41,770
♪ ...jah ♪
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00:02:51,954 --> 00:02:53,912
It's nice of you
to greet my records so warmly.
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00:02:54,086 --> 00:02:55,305
You've been doing this
for a long time.
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00:02:55,479 --> 00:02:57,612
Oh, yeah.
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00:02:57,786 --> 00:02:59,788
COHEN:
They always suggest writers
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00:02:59,962 --> 00:03:01,964
and I always say,
"Get Larry Sloman to do this,
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00:03:02,138 --> 00:03:03,531
he's the only one who gets it."
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00:03:03,705 --> 00:03:04,967
[COHEN CHUCKLES]
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00:03:05,141 --> 00:03:10,581
In some respects,
I was Patient Zero
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00:03:10,755 --> 00:03:14,237
in this virus that became
"Hallelujah."
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So four years ago,
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00:03:18,285 --> 00:03:20,417
I'm sitting in your house
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00:03:20,591 --> 00:03:23,507
and what amazed me was
when you showed me your books.
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00:03:25,640 --> 00:03:27,903
The documentation
of these songs
51
00:03:28,077 --> 00:03:31,559
and how these songs go through
this amazing process.
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00:03:31,733 --> 00:03:33,735
Especially with a song like
"Hallelujah."
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00:03:35,954 --> 00:03:39,654
I mean, book after book
after book with verses.
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00:03:39,828 --> 00:03:43,875
COHEN:
Well, I always thought that
I sweated over this stuff.
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But I had no idea what
sweating over this stuff meant
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until I found myself
in a shabby room
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00:03:50,491 --> 00:03:52,710
at the Royalton Hotel,
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00:03:52,884 --> 00:03:55,539
trying to finish "Hallelujah"
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00:03:57,541 --> 00:04:00,196
and not being able
to finish it.
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00:04:00,370 --> 00:04:05,506
And I remember being in
my underwear, on the carpet,
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00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:08,335
banging my head
against the floor,
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00:04:08,509 --> 00:04:11,120
and saying,
"I can't do it anymore."
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00:04:11,294 --> 00:04:13,949
"It's too lonely,
it's too hard."
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00:04:14,123 --> 00:04:17,257
Do you think everybody takes
this much care with a pop song?
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00:04:23,045 --> 00:04:25,874
SLOMAN:
You know, you can't begin
to understand "Hallelujah"
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without investigating
the long, winding path
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00:04:29,356 --> 00:04:30,879
that got Leonard to a place
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00:04:31,053 --> 00:04:34,448
where he could tackle
a song like that.
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00:04:34,622 --> 00:04:38,278
I-I mean, Leonard didn't really
even start writing songs
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00:04:38,452 --> 00:04:40,323
until he was about 30.
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00:04:45,763 --> 00:04:48,288
SOLES:
This month, a new book
was published in Canada,
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00:04:48,462 --> 00:04:53,293
the titleBeautiful Losers,
the author Leonard Cohen.
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00:04:53,467 --> 00:04:56,121
There are those of the audience
who know Leonard Cohen
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00:04:56,296 --> 00:04:58,210
perhaps primarily as a poet.
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00:04:58,385 --> 00:05:02,780
His eyes through my eyes
Shine brighter than love
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00:05:02,954 --> 00:05:06,306
O send out the raven
Ahead of the dove...
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00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:08,612
CLARKSON:
Leonard, in fact,
wishes not to be a poet
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00:05:08,786 --> 00:05:10,745
but a kind of
modern minstrel.
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00:05:10,919 --> 00:05:13,748
He's become very excited
by the music of the mid '60s.
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00:05:13,922 --> 00:05:16,185
And recently, his joys
and sorrows of living
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have come forth
as simple, beautiful
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and sometimes sad songs.
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Let's listen to one of them.
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[COHEN PLAYING
"THE STRANGER SONG" ON GUITAR]
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♪ It's true
That all the men you knew ♪
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♪ Were dealers who said
They were through ♪
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♪ With stealing every time
You gave them shelter... ♪
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CLARKSON:
That was the very first time
he sang on television.
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The novel was coming out.
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And then they said,
"He's going to sing too."
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And we said,
"Oh, sure. Why not?
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And then we'll talk
about the novel."
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You must admit that, for
other people looking at you,
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00:05:50,872 --> 00:05:52,700
Leonard Cohen,
the poet, the novelist,
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the scion of a Jewish family
from Montreal,
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00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:58,270
pop singer
and writer of pop songs...
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All of these things, um,
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00:06:00,098 --> 00:06:01,491
they may certainly add up
to Leonard Cohen,
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00:06:01,665 --> 00:06:04,842
but they do look
rather complex at first.
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Well, I think, that, uh,
you know, the, um...
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The borders have-- Have faded
between a lot of endeavors,
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like the poet or the singer.
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All those kinds of expression,
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I think are
completely meaningless.
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They don't mean anything to me.
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It's just a matter
of what your hand falls on.
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00:06:25,776 --> 00:06:28,126
And if you can make
what your hand falls on sing,
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00:06:28,300 --> 00:06:30,302
then you can just do it...
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CLARKSON:
I didn't know him
very well then.
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I didn't know whether he would
hang in there with it.
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After all, I knew,
and everybody did know,
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that he came from
a wealthy family in Montreal,
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that he'd grown up
in a lot of privilege,
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and was he a dilettante?
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Was he going to drop this
and say,
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00:06:48,799 --> 00:06:50,671
"Maybe I'll study law"?
Or whatever.
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♪ And leaning
On the window sill ♪
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♪ He'll say one day
You caused his will to weaken ♪
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♪ With your love and warmth
And shelter ♪
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00:07:02,204 --> 00:07:04,728
♪ And then taking
From his wallet ♪
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00:07:04,902 --> 00:07:07,252
♪ An old schedule of trains ♪
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00:07:07,427 --> 00:07:11,300
♪ He'll say, "I told you when I
came I was a stranger" ♪
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♪ "I told you when..." ♪
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COHEN:
I came down to New York
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and I visited some agents,
and they'd say:
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"Turn around, kid, aren't you
too old for this game?"
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00:07:20,962 --> 00:07:23,181
I was 32 at the time.
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And I didn't have
very much success
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00:07:25,619 --> 00:07:27,316
in getting the ear of anyone.
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[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
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COLLINS:
Please welcome with me
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a great songwriter, poet,
novelist and friend,
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00:07:40,372 --> 00:07:41,286
Leonard Cohen.
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[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
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INTERVIEWER:
So, Judy, how did you
and Leonard Cohen
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wind up on this stage together?
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00:07:49,512 --> 00:07:51,862
Oh, my...
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00:07:52,036 --> 00:07:55,692
Well, Leonard came to me
in 1966,
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00:07:55,866 --> 00:07:58,652
and he said, "I can't sing
and I can't play the guitar,
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00:07:58,826 --> 00:08:01,002
and I don't know if this
is a song." And then he...
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00:08:01,176 --> 00:08:03,570
[PLAYING "SUZANNE" ON PIANO]He sang me "Suzanne."
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[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
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00:08:06,703 --> 00:08:08,400
And I said, after he finished:
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00:08:08,575 --> 00:08:11,665
"Well, that is a song
and I'm recording it tomorrow."
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00:08:11,839 --> 00:08:15,233
[PLAYING "SUZANNE" ON GUITAR]
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COHEN:
It's a great thing,
because I had played it
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00:08:18,019 --> 00:08:19,803
for somebody in Montreal,
and they said:
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"No, there's a lot of songs
like that."
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♪ Suzanne takes your hand ♪
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00:08:28,943 --> 00:08:32,076
♪ She leads you to the river ♪
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00:08:32,250 --> 00:08:36,559
♪ She's wearing
Rags and feathers ♪
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00:08:36,733 --> 00:08:41,129
♪ From Salvation Army counters ♪
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00:08:41,303 --> 00:08:45,655
♪ And the sun pours down
Like honey ♪
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♪ On our Lady of the Harbor... ♪
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COLLINS:
It was on an album of mine
calledIn My Life.
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00:08:54,708 --> 00:08:57,798
And "Suzanne" was the one that
kind of drove it over the top.
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00:08:57,972 --> 00:09:00,496
So I said, "Well, you can't
hide in the shadows anymore.
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00:09:00,670 --> 00:09:02,367
You have to come sing
in public."
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00:09:02,542 --> 00:09:04,500
And I had a date here.
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00:09:04,674 --> 00:09:08,199
And, uh, it was a big fundraiser
for WBAI.
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00:09:08,373 --> 00:09:10,767
Everybody was here, I think
Jimi Hendrix was on the show.
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00:09:10,941 --> 00:09:13,727
It was a whole bunch of people.
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00:09:13,901 --> 00:09:16,730
COHEN:
Judy kind of talked me
into doing this.
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00:09:16,904 --> 00:09:19,646
She invited me out on stage,
and I started singing,
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00:09:19,820 --> 00:09:21,604
and the guitar
was completely out of tune,
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00:09:21,778 --> 00:09:23,911
and I was scared anyways.
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00:09:24,085 --> 00:09:27,131
So rather than humiliate
myself, I left.
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COLLINS:
He said, "I just
can't do this."
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00:09:28,959 --> 00:09:30,439
And he walked off the stage.
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00:09:30,613 --> 00:09:33,094
Terror. Ha-ha.
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00:09:33,268 --> 00:09:35,183
Sheer terror,
and everybody loved it.
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00:09:35,357 --> 00:09:37,185
I mean, they all love you
when you fall apart.
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00:09:37,359 --> 00:09:39,013
You know, they have--
They get so excited.
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00:09:39,187 --> 00:09:41,015
[CHUCKLES]
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00:09:41,189 --> 00:09:44,496
BOTH:
♪ You want to travel blind... ♪
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00:09:44,671 --> 00:09:46,107
COLLINS:
So I came back with him,
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00:09:46,281 --> 00:09:48,109
and then we finished
"Suzanne" together.
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00:09:48,283 --> 00:09:51,591
♪ For she's touched
Your perfect body ♪
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00:09:51,765 --> 00:09:53,593
♪ With her mind ♪
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00:09:53,767 --> 00:09:56,596
COHEN:
The audience was generous.
It was just nerves.
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00:09:56,770 --> 00:09:59,207
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
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00:09:59,381 --> 00:10:02,427
So that was the first time,
and after that, you know,
183
00:10:02,602 --> 00:10:06,736
he became known for his voice
and singing his own songs.
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00:10:08,869 --> 00:10:11,045
HAMMOND: Standby. Take 2.MAN: Okay.
185
00:10:11,219 --> 00:10:13,743
[COHEN PLAYING INTRO ON GUITAR]
186
00:10:16,877 --> 00:10:18,269
HAMMOND:
Just a sec.
187
00:10:18,443 --> 00:10:20,707
I think you're starting
a little slow, Leonard.
188
00:10:20,881 --> 00:10:22,491
COHEN: Right.HAMMOND: Standby, please.
189
00:10:27,017 --> 00:10:28,628
There was a friend of mine
that said,
190
00:10:28,802 --> 00:10:31,935
"John, there's this poet
from Canada,
191
00:10:32,109 --> 00:10:34,677
he's a wonderful songwriter,
but he doesn't read music,
192
00:10:34,851 --> 00:10:37,767
and he's sort of very strange.
193
00:10:37,941 --> 00:10:40,814
I don't think Columbia would
be at all interested in him,
194
00:10:40,988 --> 00:10:43,338
but you might be."
195
00:10:43,512 --> 00:10:46,689
So I listened
to this guy and...
196
00:10:46,863 --> 00:10:48,778
Lo and behold,
I thought he was enchanting.
197
00:10:50,737 --> 00:10:54,305
John Hammond brought Leonard
Cohen to see me and...
198
00:10:56,307 --> 00:10:58,832
I do remember that meeting.
199
00:10:59,006 --> 00:11:04,141
Maybe it's our common Jewish
ancestry, but I related to him.
200
00:11:04,315 --> 00:11:08,145
And John said,
"Leonard is an original."
201
00:11:08,319 --> 00:11:10,452
HAMMOND:
Take four.
202
00:11:10,626 --> 00:11:13,934
DAVIS:
That he's a poet and that
he will make his own way
203
00:11:14,108 --> 00:11:17,720
in a special way
that's unique to him.
204
00:11:17,894 --> 00:11:20,592
HAMMOND:
Just a sec. Leonard, excuse me.
That's over 20 seconds.
205
00:11:20,767 --> 00:11:22,682
I don't think the introduction
should be more...
206
00:11:22,856 --> 00:11:24,814
COHEN:
No, I wasn't thinking
of it that long.
207
00:11:24,988 --> 00:11:27,121
I just want to get into it
before I started singing.
208
00:11:27,295 --> 00:11:29,384
I didn't have it,
in terms of an introduction.
209
00:11:29,558 --> 00:11:31,255
HAMMOND:
Take five.
210
00:11:31,429 --> 00:11:34,215
He was Leonard Cohen.
No one walked in his path.
211
00:11:34,389 --> 00:11:36,304
He didn't walk
in anybody else's path.
212
00:11:36,478 --> 00:11:38,698
[♪♪♪]
213
00:11:44,529 --> 00:11:46,706
HAMMOND:
Bravo, Leonard.
Would you like to listen to it?
214
00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:47,968
COHEN:
Yeah.
215
00:11:56,367 --> 00:11:58,152
COHEN:
People are always telling me:
216
00:11:58,326 --> 00:12:02,112
"Why don't you do something
like you did two records ago?"
217
00:12:02,286 --> 00:12:04,158
I just don't want
to repeat myself.
218
00:12:06,377 --> 00:12:08,075
To me, the only really
exciting thing
219
00:12:08,249 --> 00:12:10,120
about the work
is finding new forms.
220
00:12:12,253 --> 00:12:14,864
So I will keep on trying
to find new forms.
221
00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:18,738
[ORIGINAL VERSION
OF "HALLELUJAH" PLAYING]
222
00:12:24,613 --> 00:12:26,746
LISSAUER:
I met Leonard in Montreal...
223
00:12:28,356 --> 00:12:29,400
in 1972.
224
00:12:31,794 --> 00:12:35,842
I was performing in Montreal
at the Hotel Nelson,
225
00:12:36,016 --> 00:12:38,583
and it was like a happening.
226
00:12:38,758 --> 00:12:40,629
Everyone in town was there.
The place was exploding.
227
00:12:40,803 --> 00:12:42,544
We were there for a week,
and it was sold out.
228
00:12:42,718 --> 00:12:44,111
They were lined up
around outside.
229
00:12:44,285 --> 00:12:46,461
And this quiet guy comes over
230
00:12:46,635 --> 00:12:48,506
in a black suit
and stands there,
231
00:12:48,680 --> 00:12:51,466
one hand in his pocket.
232
00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:53,816
We started talking,
he was very complimentary
233
00:12:53,990 --> 00:12:55,600
about how exciting
the music was.
234
00:12:55,775 --> 00:12:57,428
Would I be interested
235
00:12:57,602 --> 00:12:59,604
in talking with him
about recording?
236
00:12:59,779 --> 00:13:01,911
I said, "I'm heading back
to my place in New York."
237
00:13:02,085 --> 00:13:03,652
"Well, I'll come down."
238
00:13:03,826 --> 00:13:05,480
I was 22?
239
00:13:07,699 --> 00:13:09,484
I was unknown.
240
00:13:09,658 --> 00:13:12,879
But we hit it off.
241
00:13:13,053 --> 00:13:15,185
And he played me
some great songs.
242
00:13:15,359 --> 00:13:18,623
And immediately I sensed that
these songs were different.
243
00:13:20,321 --> 00:13:22,802
Leonard's songs
felt cinematic to me.
244
00:13:22,976 --> 00:13:26,457
♪ I remember you well ♪
245
00:13:26,631 --> 00:13:29,591
♪ In the Chelsea Hotel ♪
246
00:13:29,765 --> 00:13:34,814
♪ You were talking so brave
And so sweet ♪
247
00:13:38,295 --> 00:13:40,471
♪ Givin' me head ♪
248
00:13:40,645 --> 00:13:43,387
♪ On an unmade bed ♪
249
00:13:43,561 --> 00:13:46,086
♪ While the limousines ♪
250
00:13:46,260 --> 00:13:48,088
♪ Wait in the street... ♪
251
00:13:50,525 --> 00:13:52,179
LISSAUER:
And right away, I said:
252
00:13:52,353 --> 00:13:55,965
"Boy, we could record these
and sort of drape them
253
00:13:56,139 --> 00:13:59,795
in a dream, like every one
is a vignette of life."
254
00:13:59,969 --> 00:14:03,016
[PLAYING "LOVER, LOVER, LOVER"]
255
00:14:03,190 --> 00:14:06,758
And he sort of liked that idea,
so within a couple of months,
256
00:14:06,933 --> 00:14:09,892
we recorded, I guess it was
eight or nine songs.
257
00:14:10,066 --> 00:14:13,591
♪ I asked my father ♪
258
00:14:13,765 --> 00:14:17,378
♪ I said
"Father, change my name..." ♪
259
00:14:17,552 --> 00:14:19,641
LISSAUER:
This wasNew Skin
for the Old Ceremony.
260
00:14:19,815 --> 00:14:22,905
It was the first thing
that I did with Leonard.
261
00:14:23,079 --> 00:14:28,389
♪ Covered up with fear and filth
And cowardice and shame... ♪
262
00:14:28,563 --> 00:14:31,392
COHEN:
In terms of the actual
musical style of the record,
263
00:14:31,566 --> 00:14:34,003
a great deal of it
is due to John Lissauer.
264
00:14:35,613 --> 00:14:37,398
He's a very young man
265
00:14:37,572 --> 00:14:40,967
and certainly the most
interesting musical mind
266
00:14:41,141 --> 00:14:43,012
that I've come across
in many years.
267
00:14:43,186 --> 00:14:46,886
♪ Lover, lover, lover
Lover, lover, lover ♪
268
00:14:47,060 --> 00:14:48,670
♪ Come back to me... ♪
269
00:14:48,844 --> 00:14:50,498
LISSAUER:
We finished the record
270
00:14:50,672 --> 00:14:53,022
and put together a band
and went on tour.
271
00:14:53,196 --> 00:14:55,111
It was a small band,
just the five of us.
272
00:14:57,070 --> 00:14:58,941
And we did a lot of cities.
273
00:14:59,115 --> 00:15:01,161
We did all of Europe.
274
00:15:01,335 --> 00:15:05,121
And then, after we toured
for about nine months or so,
275
00:15:05,295 --> 00:15:07,863
Leonard asked me
if maybe I'd like to co-write
276
00:15:08,037 --> 00:15:10,083
an album with him.
277
00:15:10,257 --> 00:15:12,041
I said, "How do you
want to do it?
278
00:15:12,215 --> 00:15:13,477
You want to sit around
together,
279
00:15:13,651 --> 00:15:15,262
or do you want me
to take your poetry
280
00:15:15,436 --> 00:15:17,177
and essentially set them
to music?"
281
00:15:17,351 --> 00:15:19,309
And he said,
"Well, let's do that."
282
00:15:19,483 --> 00:15:21,616
[COHEN'S "CAME SO FAR
FOR BEAUTY" PLAYING]
283
00:15:24,967 --> 00:15:27,274
And he said, "I'm gonna be
in L.A. for a couple of weeks.
284
00:15:27,448 --> 00:15:28,797
Why don't you come join me?
285
00:15:28,971 --> 00:15:30,538
We'll go
to the Chateau Marmont,
286
00:15:30,712 --> 00:15:32,148
get a couple of rooms
and write."
287
00:15:34,194 --> 00:15:38,981
♪ I came so far for beauty ♪
288
00:15:41,288 --> 00:15:45,640
♪ I left so much behind... ♪
289
00:15:50,253 --> 00:15:53,474
LISSAUER:
So I flew out there,
and he had a piano in the room.
290
00:15:53,648 --> 00:15:56,085
We came up with six songs.
291
00:15:56,259 --> 00:15:58,696
It was gonna be an album
calledSongs for Rebecca.
292
00:15:58,870 --> 00:16:01,134
It was thrilling.
293
00:16:01,308 --> 00:16:02,787
We had rough vocals
on everything
294
00:16:02,962 --> 00:16:04,224
and arrangements
on everything.
295
00:16:04,398 --> 00:16:06,530
It was in pretty good shape.
296
00:16:06,704 --> 00:16:08,968
And he said, "All right,
I'm going to go to Hydra
297
00:16:09,142 --> 00:16:10,534
for a couple of weeks.
298
00:16:10,708 --> 00:16:13,581
I'm working on a book of poetry,
this and that...
299
00:16:13,755 --> 00:16:15,931
I'll call you when I get back,
and we'll finish up."
300
00:16:17,715 --> 00:16:19,152
And I didn't hear from him...
301
00:16:20,631 --> 00:16:22,459
for eight years.
302
00:16:28,117 --> 00:16:30,641
[PHONE LINE RINGS, THEN CLICKS]
303
00:16:30,815 --> 00:16:32,339
COHEN: Hello?SLOMAN: Leonard?
304
00:16:32,513 --> 00:16:34,341
COHEN: Yeah. Hi, this is Larry Sloman.
305
00:16:34,515 --> 00:16:38,780
I was a young reporter for
Rolling Stone Magazine in '74,
306
00:16:38,954 --> 00:16:42,871
and I got the plum assignment
of doing a piece on Leonard.
307
00:16:44,916 --> 00:16:46,440
Leonard? Yeah.
308
00:16:46,614 --> 00:16:48,137
What's your schedule
gonna be like?
309
00:16:48,311 --> 00:16:49,486
COHEN:
Let's make
a definite appointment
310
00:16:49,660 --> 00:16:51,053
for tomorrow morning.
311
00:16:51,227 --> 00:16:52,750
Do you get up early,
or do you...?
312
00:16:52,924 --> 00:16:55,014
SLOMAN:
No, I usually
sleep pretty late.
313
00:16:55,188 --> 00:16:57,668
I'll tell you what, I'll
probably stay in Queens today
314
00:16:57,842 --> 00:17:00,149
'cause I have my stereo
out at my parents' house.
315
00:17:00,323 --> 00:17:01,977
COHEN:
Shall I call you or...?
316
00:17:02,151 --> 00:17:03,544
SLOMAN:
I don't have a phone.
317
00:17:03,718 --> 00:17:05,285
COHEN:
Tell me what time you get up.
318
00:17:05,459 --> 00:17:07,591
SLOMAN:
I usually get up around 11.
319
00:17:07,765 --> 00:17:09,419
So I'll probably
get into the city around,
320
00:17:09,593 --> 00:17:11,073
let's say, 1:00 tomorrow.
321
00:17:11,247 --> 00:17:12,857
COHEN: Okay, I'll see you then. Good.
322
00:17:13,032 --> 00:17:15,034
[LINE CLICKS]
323
00:17:15,208 --> 00:17:18,907
SLOMAN:
I became almost
like an obsessive.
324
00:17:19,081 --> 00:17:21,040
I mean, I literally stalked
him for three days.
325
00:17:21,214 --> 00:17:23,477
And after the first night
of the first show,
326
00:17:23,651 --> 00:17:25,479
went back to his hotel room,
327
00:17:25,653 --> 00:17:28,003
just kept peppering him
with questions for two hours,
328
00:17:28,177 --> 00:17:30,005
and he was so gracious.
329
00:17:30,179 --> 00:17:32,225
He was, I think,
40 at the time.
330
00:17:32,399 --> 00:17:33,530
He said,
"Wouldn't it be wonderful
331
00:17:33,704 --> 00:17:35,054
if I could just keep
doing this?"
332
00:17:35,228 --> 00:17:36,838
'Cause, you know, we never see
333
00:17:37,012 --> 00:17:41,277
the mature man
chronicling his life.
334
00:17:41,451 --> 00:17:45,194
He says, "It'd be great to hear
that experience on the stage,
335
00:17:45,368 --> 00:17:47,762
and really, you know,
my goal is to become an elder."
336
00:17:47,936 --> 00:17:51,070
[COHEN'S "WHO BY FIRE" PLAYING]
337
00:17:51,244 --> 00:17:54,334
Leonard was thinking about
those issues when he was 40
338
00:17:54,508 --> 00:17:57,989
because he was exploring
his Jewish roots.
339
00:17:58,164 --> 00:18:00,427
And in Jewish tradition,
I think
340
00:18:00,601 --> 00:18:03,952
you could start studying
Kabbalah when you're 40.
341
00:18:04,126 --> 00:18:07,086
You have to wait till you're 40
to have that life experience
342
00:18:07,260 --> 00:18:10,741
to be able to understand
Kabbalistic thought.
343
00:18:10,915 --> 00:18:15,006
♪ Who by fire ♪
344
00:18:15,181 --> 00:18:18,227
♪ Who by water ♪
345
00:18:18,401 --> 00:18:22,101
♪ Who in the sunshine ♪
346
00:18:22,275 --> 00:18:25,539
♪ Who in the nighttime ♪
347
00:18:25,713 --> 00:18:29,108
♪ Who by high ordeal ♪
348
00:18:29,282 --> 00:18:31,153
♪ Who by common trial... ♪
349
00:18:33,373 --> 00:18:34,896
COHEN:
I was so touched as a child
350
00:18:35,070 --> 00:18:38,378
by that kind of charged speech
351
00:18:38,552 --> 00:18:41,120
that I heard in the synagogue,
352
00:18:41,294 --> 00:18:43,383
where everything
was important.
353
00:18:45,646 --> 00:18:47,300
The world was created
through words,
354
00:18:47,474 --> 00:18:49,867
through speech
in our tradition.
355
00:18:50,041 --> 00:18:54,176
♪ Who in these realms
Of love... ♪
356
00:18:54,350 --> 00:18:59,312
BACAL:
When we were young,
Leonard would say very proudly
357
00:18:59,486 --> 00:19:03,316
that his grandfather
could take a pin
358
00:19:03,490 --> 00:19:06,406
and put it through the Torah
359
00:19:06,580 --> 00:19:11,237
and know every word
it touched on every page.
360
00:19:13,369 --> 00:19:15,197
♪ Who shall I say ♪
361
00:19:17,504 --> 00:19:19,549
♪ Is calling... ♪
362
00:19:19,723 --> 00:19:21,638
Leonard Cohen
once told an interviewer
363
00:19:21,812 --> 00:19:24,772
that he was thinking
of changing his name.
364
00:19:24,946 --> 00:19:27,601
When you're a famous Jew,
you change your name.
365
00:19:29,864 --> 00:19:32,040
So that's the deal is,
you don't want to be too Jewish
366
00:19:32,214 --> 00:19:34,216
'cause you'll get in the way
of your fame.
367
00:19:34,390 --> 00:19:37,176
INTERVIEWER:
Have you ever thought
of changing your name?
368
00:19:37,350 --> 00:19:39,221
Yeah, I was gonna change
my name to September.
369
00:19:41,005 --> 00:19:42,616
I beg your pardon?
370
00:19:42,790 --> 00:19:44,531
I was gonna change my name
to September
371
00:19:44,705 --> 00:19:46,576
when I started writing songs
and singing them.
372
00:19:50,363 --> 00:19:52,408
Leonard September?No, September Cohen.
373
00:19:52,582 --> 00:19:53,540
Oh.
374
00:19:53,714 --> 00:19:55,411
[CHUCKLES]
375
00:19:55,585 --> 00:19:59,546
But Cohen
is such a standard name.
376
00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:01,939
Yeah, well, September
is pretty standard too.
377
00:20:02,113 --> 00:20:04,203
Not for a first name.
378
00:20:04,377 --> 00:20:06,205
No. Well, I thought that, uh...
379
00:20:06,379 --> 00:20:07,989
You know,
I always had this feeling
380
00:20:08,163 --> 00:20:11,471
that new things are beginning.
381
00:20:11,645 --> 00:20:13,473
And I thought
that I would change my name
382
00:20:13,647 --> 00:20:15,823
and get a tattoo.
383
00:20:15,997 --> 00:20:19,392
September is how you say Elul
to a non-Jew...
384
00:20:21,350 --> 00:20:23,744
'cause Elul is the month
of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur.
385
00:20:23,918 --> 00:20:26,050
This is--
This is the deepest time
386
00:20:26,225 --> 00:20:28,314
when God's on the throne
and we're down here,
387
00:20:28,488 --> 00:20:30,098
and we come to God
with broken hearts
388
00:20:30,272 --> 00:20:31,665
and God's mercies heal us.
389
00:20:31,839 --> 00:20:33,928
So I think he wanted to say...
390
00:20:34,102 --> 00:20:36,409
Leonard Elul.
391
00:20:36,583 --> 00:20:39,499
You know, Leonard,
the man who's immersed
392
00:20:39,673 --> 00:20:42,241
in the world
of the month of Elul.
393
00:20:43,459 --> 00:20:46,984
♪ Who by brave assent... ♪
394
00:20:47,158 --> 00:20:50,336
COHEN:
When I was standing beside my
tall uncles in the synagogue,
395
00:20:50,510 --> 00:20:53,774
and the cantor would catalog
all the various ways
396
00:20:53,948 --> 00:20:57,386
that we've sinned and died,
that moved me very much.
397
00:20:57,560 --> 00:21:00,084
♪ Who by his lady's command ♪
398
00:21:00,259 --> 00:21:02,870
♪ Who by his own hand... ♪
399
00:21:03,044 --> 00:21:06,656
When my father died,
after his funeral,
400
00:21:06,830 --> 00:21:09,920
I found myself
writing some words to him.
401
00:21:12,053 --> 00:21:15,056
Then I took
one of his formal ties
402
00:21:15,230 --> 00:21:18,102
and I slit it open
with a razor blade,
403
00:21:18,277 --> 00:21:21,802
and I put this little note,
this little poem into the tie,
404
00:21:21,976 --> 00:21:24,457
and I buried it in the garden.
405
00:21:24,631 --> 00:21:26,197
♪ Who by high ordeal... ♪
406
00:21:26,372 --> 00:21:28,025
I think that was the first time
407
00:21:28,199 --> 00:21:31,464
I ever used language
in a sacramental way.
408
00:21:31,638 --> 00:21:35,163
♪ Who in your merry, merry
Month of May ♪
409
00:21:35,337 --> 00:21:39,602
♪ Who by very slow decay... ♪
410
00:21:39,776 --> 00:21:44,607
Unlocking the mysteries of life
was his primary preoccupation.
411
00:21:44,781 --> 00:21:45,347
[CHUCKLES]
412
00:21:48,176 --> 00:21:51,440
So if you had any questions
along those lines,
413
00:21:51,614 --> 00:21:53,921
he was-- He was the guy
to talk to.
414
00:22:02,408 --> 00:22:04,323
ROBINSON:
I had been working
in Los Angeles
415
00:22:04,497 --> 00:22:06,150
as a session singer,
416
00:22:06,325 --> 00:22:09,676
and then Leonard invited me
to go on the road with them
417
00:22:09,850 --> 00:22:11,765
for the Field Commander
Cohen tour.
418
00:22:13,897 --> 00:22:16,683
I was the other singer
with Jennifer Warnes.
419
00:22:16,857 --> 00:22:23,472
♪ Like a baby stillborn ♪
420
00:22:23,646 --> 00:22:29,435
♪ Like a beast with his horn ♪
421
00:22:29,609 --> 00:22:32,829
♪ I have torn... ♪
422
00:22:33,003 --> 00:22:35,005
I was, you know,
very, very young.
423
00:22:35,179 --> 00:22:37,312
[ROBINSON LAUGHS]
424
00:22:37,486 --> 00:22:41,534
But I came in and felt an
immediate warmth from Leonard.
425
00:22:41,708 --> 00:22:43,144
So we spent a lot of time
426
00:22:43,318 --> 00:22:45,712
talking about his overall
philosophy of life.
427
00:22:45,886 --> 00:22:49,933
♪ I swear by this song ♪
428
00:22:50,107 --> 00:22:55,112
♪ I swear by all
That I have done wrong... ♪
429
00:22:55,286 --> 00:22:59,029
He was very attuned to human
suffering around the world,
430
00:22:59,203 --> 00:23:03,338
even though he was
relatively comfortable in life.
431
00:23:03,512 --> 00:23:06,080
And he was constantly aware
432
00:23:06,254 --> 00:23:09,388
of everyone in the world
who isn't comfortable.
433
00:23:09,562 --> 00:23:13,783
♪ I saw a beggar
He was standing there... ♪
434
00:23:13,957 --> 00:23:16,960
COHEN:
When you see the world
and you see the laws
435
00:23:17,134 --> 00:23:19,398
of brute necessity
which govern it,
436
00:23:19,572 --> 00:23:22,313
you realize that the only way
437
00:23:22,488 --> 00:23:26,361
that you can reconcile
this veil of suffering,
438
00:23:26,535 --> 00:23:29,886
the only way you can
reconcile it to sanity
439
00:23:30,060 --> 00:23:32,628
is to glue your soul to prayer.
440
00:23:32,802 --> 00:23:37,720
♪ A pretty woman leaning
In her darkened door... ♪
441
00:23:37,894 --> 00:23:42,072
He was really on a quest
to find his path,
442
00:23:42,246 --> 00:23:47,643
his spiritual path,
and he tried a million things.
443
00:23:47,817 --> 00:23:49,340
COHEN:
Well, I've been studying
444
00:23:49,515 --> 00:23:53,344
with an old Japanese gentleman
for many years.
445
00:23:53,519 --> 00:23:56,304
ROBINSON:
Roshi had a Zen center
over in Europe,
446
00:23:56,478 --> 00:23:58,567
so he came out and he rode
with us on the bus.
447
00:24:01,048 --> 00:24:03,006
COHEN:
There were
a lot of wonderful things
448
00:24:03,180 --> 00:24:04,747
in my own culture,
my own training,
449
00:24:04,921 --> 00:24:07,054
but always
in the back of my mind
450
00:24:07,228 --> 00:24:10,579
was some kind of resonating
presence in my heart.
451
00:24:10,753 --> 00:24:13,495
♪ I have tried... ♪
452
00:24:13,669 --> 00:24:17,151
Some sense that there was
something that could be healed.
453
00:24:17,325 --> 00:24:24,201
♪ To be free ♪
454
00:24:29,685 --> 00:24:32,558
[♪♪♪]
455
00:24:40,348 --> 00:24:45,788
I remember once
I was musing on purgatory,
456
00:24:45,962 --> 00:24:50,271
and I was fearful of it.
457
00:24:50,445 --> 00:24:52,186
And he said:
458
00:24:52,360 --> 00:24:54,318
"This is purgatory."
459
00:24:56,320 --> 00:24:58,192
And he meant the whole scene,
460
00:24:58,366 --> 00:24:59,933
what we're living.
461
00:25:00,107 --> 00:25:02,979
And at the same time,
he would say
462
00:25:03,153 --> 00:25:06,200
what an amazing experiment
this is.
463
00:25:14,687 --> 00:25:15,688
We were very young then.
464
00:25:18,691 --> 00:25:22,738
Even then,
it was about the brokenness
465
00:25:22,912 --> 00:25:27,787
of the community
that we both had come out of.
466
00:25:29,832 --> 00:25:32,792
They had a lot of rules.
467
00:25:32,966 --> 00:25:36,665
You went to school,
you got married.
468
00:25:36,839 --> 00:25:42,192
You had children, you lived
in a nice house in Westmount.
469
00:25:42,366 --> 00:25:45,021
That was written for us.
470
00:25:51,593 --> 00:25:54,074
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
471
00:25:54,248 --> 00:25:58,078
This is a song based on
my extremely boring
472
00:25:58,252 --> 00:26:02,517
and pathetic life at Westmount
High School in Montreal,
473
00:26:02,691 --> 00:26:05,607
and it's a song that I wrote
a couple of years ago
474
00:26:05,781 --> 00:26:07,261
with Phil Spector.
475
00:26:09,089 --> 00:26:11,526
♪ Ooh-wah-ooh ♪
476
00:26:11,700 --> 00:26:14,398
♪ Oh-oh, oh-oh ♪
477
00:26:14,573 --> 00:26:17,314
♪ Ooh-wah-ooh ♪
478
00:26:17,488 --> 00:26:20,970
♪ Oh-oh, oh-oh ♪
479
00:26:21,144 --> 00:26:24,060
♪ Frankie Laine
He was singing "Jezebel" ♪
480
00:26:26,541 --> 00:26:30,371
♪ I pinned an iron cross
To my lapel... ♪
481
00:26:30,545 --> 00:26:33,069
LISSAUER:
I'd been hearing that Leonard
482
00:26:33,243 --> 00:26:35,550
was going to record
with Phil Spector.
483
00:26:37,770 --> 00:26:39,598
SLOMAN:
Leonard's experience
with Phil Spector...
484
00:26:39,772 --> 00:26:41,861
That whole thing, I think,
was Marty Machat,
485
00:26:42,035 --> 00:26:44,690
who was Leonard's manager
at the time, also managed Phil.
486
00:26:45,821 --> 00:26:48,607
So he put them together.
487
00:26:48,781 --> 00:26:51,131
LISSAUER:
I always got the sense
that Marty didn't like me,
488
00:26:51,305 --> 00:26:53,568
I was too young,
it was something I just sensed.
489
00:26:53,742 --> 00:26:54,787
Maybe Marty didn't
like my hair.
490
00:26:57,224 --> 00:27:00,314
And so when Spector came along,
he was a legendary producer,
491
00:27:00,488 --> 00:27:02,621
he might have been the most
famous producer in the world.
492
00:27:04,927 --> 00:27:06,537
It was record producer
as star.
493
00:27:08,235 --> 00:27:12,631
So I said, "Boy, I guess
they got the real guy."
494
00:27:12,805 --> 00:27:14,328
"Enough work with this kid,
495
00:27:14,502 --> 00:27:17,070
we're gonna get
the real pop ringer."
496
00:27:18,941 --> 00:27:20,682
♪ I know you're hungry ♪
497
00:27:20,856 --> 00:27:23,772
♪ I can hear it in your voice ♪
498
00:27:23,946 --> 00:27:27,254
♪ And there are
Many parts of me to touch ♪
499
00:27:27,428 --> 00:27:29,430
♪ You have your choice ♪
500
00:27:29,604 --> 00:27:32,433
CLARKSON:
How did you feel
about the album?
501
00:27:32,607 --> 00:27:35,218
Oh, the album is a disaster.
502
00:27:35,392 --> 00:27:38,787
The songs are good, but
Tina Turner should have sung it.
503
00:27:38,961 --> 00:27:41,094
Or-or Bill Medley.[CHUCKLES]
504
00:27:41,268 --> 00:27:43,966
And working with Phil Spector
was a little tricky.
505
00:27:44,140 --> 00:27:48,231
Spector imposed
his "Wall of Sound" on Leonard.
506
00:27:48,405 --> 00:27:53,106
♪ But don't go home
With your hard-on ♪
507
00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:56,152
♪ It will only
Drive you insane... ♪
508
00:27:56,326 --> 00:27:59,025
SLOMAN:
It had bombastic
orchestration,
509
00:27:59,199 --> 00:28:01,897
and a lot of people
thought that the music
510
00:28:02,071 --> 00:28:04,073
was competing
with the lyrics.
511
00:28:04,247 --> 00:28:07,033
And, you know, with Leonard,
you gotta hear the lyrics.
512
00:28:14,693 --> 00:28:17,043
COHEN:
That happened, uh,
at a curious time in my life
513
00:28:17,217 --> 00:28:19,219
because I-I was
at a very low point.
514
00:28:19,393 --> 00:28:21,395
My family was breaking up,
515
00:28:21,569 --> 00:28:24,920
I was living in Los Angeles,
which was a foreign city to me,
516
00:28:25,094 --> 00:28:29,925
and I'd lost control
of my work and my life.
517
00:28:30,099 --> 00:28:31,231
SLOMAN:
I think the breakup
518
00:28:31,405 --> 00:28:33,189
of his relationship
with Suzanne
519
00:28:33,363 --> 00:28:35,670
was a very painful process.
520
00:28:35,844 --> 00:28:38,673
[COHEN'S "GYPSY'S WIFE" PLAYING]
521
00:28:38,847 --> 00:28:40,414
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
522
00:28:46,725 --> 00:28:49,162
INTERVIEWER:
Leonard, talk a little
about "Gypsy's Wife."
523
00:28:52,426 --> 00:28:55,298
COHEN:
In a sense, the song was
written for my gypsy wife.
524
00:28:55,472 --> 00:29:00,260
♪ And where
Where is my gypsy wife? ♪
525
00:29:00,434 --> 00:29:02,044
But, uh, in another way,
526
00:29:02,218 --> 00:29:04,090
it's just a song about, uh,
527
00:29:04,264 --> 00:29:07,615
the way men and women
have lost one another.
528
00:29:07,789 --> 00:29:11,532
That, uh, men and women have
wandered away from each other
529
00:29:11,706 --> 00:29:14,970
and have become gypsies
to each other.
530
00:29:15,144 --> 00:29:17,756
♪ I said where... ♪
531
00:29:17,930 --> 00:29:19,366
INTERVIEWER 1:
"Suzanne,"
I've got to ask you about
532
00:29:19,540 --> 00:29:21,368
because there was
a Suzanne in your life,
533
00:29:21,542 --> 00:29:23,457
and she's the mother
of two children.
534
00:29:23,631 --> 00:29:25,328
But you wrote a song called
"Suzanne,"
535
00:29:25,502 --> 00:29:28,375
and someone told me today that
that was not about her.
536
00:29:28,549 --> 00:29:30,246
No, I had written the song
537
00:29:30,420 --> 00:29:32,727
before I met
this particular lady.
538
00:29:32,901 --> 00:29:34,381
I guess I summoned her.
539
00:29:34,555 --> 00:29:36,818
So it was another Suzanne?It was another Suzanne, yeah.
540
00:29:39,690 --> 00:29:43,825
♪ She says your body
Is the light ♪
541
00:29:43,999 --> 00:29:46,436
♪ Your body... ♪
542
00:29:46,610 --> 00:29:49,613
INTERVIEWER 2:
You have a great reputation
that goes before you,
543
00:29:49,788 --> 00:29:52,051
and perhaps in your wake as
well, for being a ladies' man.
544
00:29:52,225 --> 00:29:53,922
Is it well-earned?
545
00:29:54,096 --> 00:29:55,968
COHEN:
You know,
I'm the last one to ask.
546
00:29:56,142 --> 00:29:58,666
INTERVIEWER 2:
No, you're the only one
I can ask.
547
00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:01,669
♪ So where... ♪
548
00:30:01,843 --> 00:30:03,758
COLLINS:
I would have jumped off
a bridge for Leonard.
549
00:30:03,932 --> 00:30:05,760
I would have done anything
because I adored him.
550
00:30:05,934 --> 00:30:07,240
I didn't have
a love affair with him.
551
00:30:07,414 --> 00:30:08,807
I mean, he was wonderful.
552
00:30:08,981 --> 00:30:11,026
Handsome...
553
00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:14,595
intelligent, mysterious,
dangerous...
554
00:30:14,769 --> 00:30:15,857
[CHUCKLES]
555
00:30:17,772 --> 00:30:19,730
I mean, once you're past 25,
556
00:30:19,905 --> 00:30:22,342
you sort of know.
557
00:30:22,516 --> 00:30:24,344
So I knew that.
558
00:30:24,518 --> 00:30:26,737
I knew dangerous when I saw it.
559
00:30:32,352 --> 00:30:37,966
♪ It's too early
For the rainbow ♪
560
00:30:38,140 --> 00:30:42,014
♪ It's too early
For the dove... ♪
561
00:30:42,188 --> 00:30:44,886
ROBINSON:
Leonard had a way
of putting women on a pedestal.
562
00:30:45,060 --> 00:30:50,587
He, I think, saw women
as part of the path
563
00:30:50,761 --> 00:30:53,329
to some kind of righteousness
or enlightenment.
564
00:30:53,503 --> 00:30:56,115
♪ And there is no man ♪
565
00:30:56,289 --> 00:30:59,161
♪ There is no woman ♪
566
00:30:59,335 --> 00:31:01,207
♪ That you can't touch... ♪
567
00:31:03,905 --> 00:31:06,603
COHEN:
We are irresistibly attracted
to one another.
568
00:31:06,777 --> 00:31:09,519
We are irresistibly lonely
for each other.
569
00:31:09,693 --> 00:31:11,957
And we have to deal with this.
570
00:31:12,131 --> 00:31:14,655
And the other side of that is
571
00:31:14,829 --> 00:31:18,180
the same appetite
for significance in the cosmos,
572
00:31:18,354 --> 00:31:21,836
where each of us understands
his solitude in the cosmos
573
00:31:22,010 --> 00:31:26,232
and longs for some affirmation
by the maker of the cosmos,
574
00:31:26,406 --> 00:31:28,277
by the creator.
575
00:31:28,451 --> 00:31:32,716
♪ Where is my gypsy wife
Tonight? ♪
576
00:31:32,891 --> 00:31:35,241
[RATSO]
One of the reviews
I was reading said that...
577
00:31:35,415 --> 00:31:37,025
Leonard's whole career
has been pulled
578
00:31:37,199 --> 00:31:38,853
between holiness and horniness.
579
00:31:39,027 --> 00:31:40,594
So let's talk about women.
580
00:31:40,768 --> 00:31:43,771
What was your first love?
581
00:31:43,945 --> 00:31:46,513
[COHEN] My first love? [RATSO] Childhood sweetheart?
582
00:31:46,687 --> 00:31:49,908
Sixth grade? An older aunt?
583
00:31:50,082 --> 00:31:51,170
[SLOMAN CHUCKLES]
584
00:31:51,344 --> 00:31:54,521
[COHEN]
You never change, do you?
585
00:31:54,695 --> 00:31:56,740
I was 50 years old
when I'd first fallen in love.
586
00:31:56,915 --> 00:31:58,655
[RATSO]
Fifty?
587
00:31:58,829 --> 00:32:01,789
[COHEN]
I never knew
what it meant before.
588
00:32:01,963 --> 00:32:04,531
[COHEN'S "I'M YOUR MAN" PLAYING]
589
00:32:09,101 --> 00:32:11,494
I'm going to be 70 next year.
590
00:32:11,668 --> 00:32:14,019
INTERVIEWER: No way.Yeah.
591
00:32:14,193 --> 00:32:16,064
It's not funny. Don't laugh.
592
00:32:26,031 --> 00:32:28,859
♪ If you want a lover ♪
593
00:32:29,034 --> 00:32:35,605
♪ I'll do anything
You ask me to ♪
594
00:32:35,779 --> 00:32:41,655
♪ And if you want
Another kind of love ♪
595
00:32:41,829 --> 00:32:44,223
♪ I'll wear a mask for you ♪
596
00:32:46,747 --> 00:32:50,794
♪ If you want a partner
Take my hand ♪
597
00:32:50,969 --> 00:32:56,061
♪ Or if you wanna
Strike me down in anger ♪
598
00:32:58,237 --> 00:33:00,021
♪ Here I stand ♪
599
00:33:01,675 --> 00:33:03,764
♪ I'm your man ♪
600
00:33:05,809 --> 00:33:08,508
COHEN:
I feel that
when there is an emotion
601
00:33:08,682 --> 00:33:11,119
strong enough
to gather a song about it,
602
00:33:11,293 --> 00:33:12,816
there's something
about that emotion
603
00:33:12,991 --> 00:33:14,340
that is indestructible.
604
00:33:21,042 --> 00:33:23,436
ISSERMANN:
When I asked him,
he said that he'd been working
605
00:33:23,610 --> 00:33:26,091
two years already
on "Hallelujah."
606
00:33:26,265 --> 00:33:29,529
Then he wrote a part in Paris,
you know?
607
00:33:29,703 --> 00:33:32,271
When he was staying in Paris.
608
00:33:32,445 --> 00:33:35,187
And a part in my house.
609
00:33:35,361 --> 00:33:38,059
You know, he was often starting
with this song.
610
00:33:39,930 --> 00:33:41,323
In the morning, first thing,
611
00:33:41,497 --> 00:33:44,109
coffee, then working on
"Hallelujah."
612
00:33:46,111 --> 00:33:48,983
[♪♪♪]
613
00:33:52,900 --> 00:33:57,687
I really love when Leonard's
doing a work that is really...
614
00:33:57,861 --> 00:33:59,515
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
615
00:33:59,689 --> 00:34:01,343
...bringing you
all sort of emotions
616
00:34:01,517 --> 00:34:03,476
and breaking your heart,
617
00:34:03,650 --> 00:34:06,522
and filling your heart
after it's broken.
618
00:34:06,696 --> 00:34:10,135
You know, I don't know,
it's just beautiful to...
619
00:34:10,309 --> 00:34:15,009
To be able to hear such poetry
620
00:34:15,183 --> 00:34:17,272
with such beautiful music,
you know?
621
00:34:19,100 --> 00:34:20,884
INTERVIEWER:
Would he try verses out on you?
622
00:34:22,364 --> 00:34:24,192
Asking me?
No, he was never asking,
623
00:34:24,366 --> 00:34:25,846
but he was playing
in front of me.
624
00:34:27,935 --> 00:34:31,808
But I was not really
like somebody at a concert.
625
00:34:31,982 --> 00:34:33,854
He was working.
I was working a lot.
626
00:34:34,028 --> 00:34:35,899
We were both working a lot.
627
00:34:36,074 --> 00:34:37,901
So I'm part of that landscape.
628
00:34:38,076 --> 00:34:40,382
I feel it like that.
629
00:34:40,556 --> 00:34:43,037
You are just a person,
630
00:34:43,211 --> 00:34:46,301
or you could be the dog
or the cat at the moment
631
00:34:46,475 --> 00:34:48,782
where there was inspiration.
632
00:34:51,654 --> 00:34:53,917
It's so mysterious.
633
00:34:54,092 --> 00:34:56,572
"Hallelujah" is like
a symbolist poem, you know?
634
00:34:58,313 --> 00:35:00,315
It's obscure.
It's very obscure.
635
00:35:02,404 --> 00:35:03,623
I always see "Hallelujah"
636
00:35:03,797 --> 00:35:06,756
like a bird
that is flying in a room,
637
00:35:06,930 --> 00:35:11,457
and sometimes touching
the walls of the culture.
638
00:35:11,631 --> 00:35:12,806
It's like a-- a riddle.
639
00:35:16,940 --> 00:35:18,551
Ratso knows more than me.
640
00:35:18,725 --> 00:35:20,161
Oh, yeah, yeah. Of course.
641
00:35:24,731 --> 00:35:29,605
The last time we talked, we were
talking about "Hallelujah."
642
00:35:29,779 --> 00:35:31,651
And this is something...
643
00:35:31,825 --> 00:35:34,828
You've been working on this
for as long as I've known you.
644
00:35:35,002 --> 00:35:37,570
COHEN:
Yeah, yeah,
I've been working on that song.
645
00:35:37,744 --> 00:35:39,833
And I think I-I have notes
in my present collection
646
00:35:40,007 --> 00:35:41,965
of-of notebooks.
647
00:35:51,149 --> 00:35:53,063
COHEN:
Oh, okay, here, here.
648
00:35:53,238 --> 00:35:55,675
"When David played
His fingers bled
649
00:35:55,849 --> 00:35:58,199
He wept for every word he said
650
00:35:58,373 --> 00:35:59,722
You hear him still
651
00:35:59,896 --> 00:36:01,463
You hear him singing to you"
652
00:36:03,378 --> 00:36:05,728
Endless variations.
653
00:36:05,902 --> 00:36:06,860
Even here, it says:
654
00:36:07,034 --> 00:36:08,470
"Baby, I've been here before
655
00:36:08,644 --> 00:36:12,344
I know what rooms like this
Are for"
656
00:36:12,518 --> 00:36:13,736
"Baby, I've been here before
657
00:36:13,910 --> 00:36:15,825
I know this room
This crooked floor"
658
00:36:15,999 --> 00:36:17,914
And "Baby
I've been here before
659
00:36:18,088 --> 00:36:19,742
I know this room
I've walked this floor"
660
00:36:19,916 --> 00:36:21,527
I mean...
661
00:36:21,701 --> 00:36:24,573
These are all
the "Hallelujah" songs.
662
00:36:32,538 --> 00:36:35,671
INTERVIEWER:
Did he ever mention how many
verses he might've written?
663
00:36:39,501 --> 00:36:42,591
For some reason,
the number 180 comes to mind.
664
00:36:42,765 --> 00:36:44,680
[LAUGHS]
665
00:36:44,854 --> 00:36:47,683
It might've been 150,
but it was a lot of verses.
666
00:36:49,729 --> 00:36:51,731
Sometimes I think
that I would go along
667
00:36:51,905 --> 00:36:53,515
with the old Beat philosophy:
668
00:36:53,689 --> 00:36:56,039
"First thought, best thought."
669
00:36:56,214 --> 00:36:58,781
But it never worked for me.
670
00:36:58,955 --> 00:37:01,654
There hardly is a first thought.
It's all sweat.
671
00:37:03,612 --> 00:37:05,179
No, but, I mean,
you are kind of...
672
00:37:05,353 --> 00:37:08,182
transmitting the experience...
673
00:37:08,356 --> 00:37:10,315
or passing it along
to another generation.
674
00:37:12,795 --> 00:37:16,146
What is the experience?
It's the experience of, uh...
675
00:37:16,321 --> 00:37:18,323
of work...
676
00:37:18,497 --> 00:37:20,977
and of failure.
677
00:37:21,151 --> 00:37:22,370
And, uh...
678
00:37:26,244 --> 00:37:29,377
You just try to lay it out
as accurately as you can.
679
00:37:34,382 --> 00:37:36,428
[PLAYING AND HUMMING SOFTLY]
680
00:37:39,387 --> 00:37:42,085
LISSAUER:
I hadn't seen him
in eight years,
681
00:37:42,260 --> 00:37:43,696
'76 to '84.
682
00:37:45,698 --> 00:37:47,613
And so my Leonard days
were done.
683
00:37:47,787 --> 00:37:51,530
Except in 1984,
I get a phone call.
684
00:37:53,923 --> 00:37:56,665
[IMITATES COHEN]
"Hey, John. How are you?"
685
00:37:56,839 --> 00:37:59,842
He said, "Do you want
to make a record?"
686
00:38:00,016 --> 00:38:03,498
SLOMAN:
Going back to Lissauer
to produceVarious Positions,
687
00:38:03,672 --> 00:38:06,327
that may have been
occasioned by
688
00:38:06,501 --> 00:38:08,851
the excesses of working
with Phil Spector.
689
00:38:10,375 --> 00:38:12,377
Lissauer, the arrangements
690
00:38:12,551 --> 00:38:14,292
were much more subtle
and much more elegant,
691
00:38:14,466 --> 00:38:16,468
and it really, I thought,
692
00:38:16,642 --> 00:38:19,209
brought out the nuances
of the lyrics much better.
693
00:38:20,907 --> 00:38:24,606
It was very surprising
but oddly...
694
00:38:24,780 --> 00:38:27,870
uh, comforting
at the same point.
695
00:38:28,044 --> 00:38:29,959
I must have always known
that we weren't done.
696
00:38:30,133 --> 00:38:31,178
[PHONE RINGING]
697
00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:36,618
Hello?
698
00:38:36,792 --> 00:38:38,316
LISSAUER:
Now, at this point,
699
00:38:38,490 --> 00:38:41,057
he was in New York
on a semi-regular basis,
700
00:38:41,231 --> 00:38:42,798
and he was staying
at the Royalton.
701
00:38:42,972 --> 00:38:45,061
So he said,
"Come on up to my room.
702
00:38:45,235 --> 00:38:47,020
I'll play you some songs."
703
00:38:47,194 --> 00:38:50,589
So I'm in the Royalton,
and he's got his guitar out,
704
00:38:50,763 --> 00:38:56,246
but he also has a little device
on his table in front of him.
705
00:38:56,421 --> 00:38:57,944
[CLICKS]
706
00:38:58,118 --> 00:38:59,728
[PERCUSSIVE BEAT PLAYING]
707
00:39:02,557 --> 00:39:04,167
Not quite as many cymbals,
but he goes...
708
00:39:09,782 --> 00:39:10,826
I'm saying, "What is this?"
709
00:39:13,307 --> 00:39:14,700
[LISSAUER HUMMING]
710
00:39:19,444 --> 00:39:21,924
So I'm saying, "Jeez.
711
00:39:22,098 --> 00:39:25,319
That's kind of like
Kurt Weill meets, um...
712
00:39:25,493 --> 00:39:28,757
You know, it's Berlin
in the '30s or something."
713
00:39:28,931 --> 00:39:32,326
And at first I thought that
he was sort of putting me on.
714
00:39:32,500 --> 00:39:36,156
I mean, it's a Leonard Cohen
album, it's-- It's, uh...
715
00:39:36,330 --> 00:39:41,248
tactile and acoustic and serious
and deep and historic.
716
00:39:41,422 --> 00:39:43,206
I said, "This electronic stuff,
717
00:39:43,381 --> 00:39:45,557
that's just like
a post-disco thing."
718
00:39:45,731 --> 00:39:48,124
[SINGERS HUMMING
"DANCE ME TO THE END OF LOVE"]
719
00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:53,303
ISSERMANN:
I remember studio sessions
with Leonard...
720
00:39:54,653 --> 00:39:55,784
and John.
721
00:39:57,743 --> 00:39:59,222
I remember their relationship,
722
00:39:59,397 --> 00:40:00,485
they were laughing a lot.
723
00:40:03,618 --> 00:40:05,359
Leonard is very intense
724
00:40:05,533 --> 00:40:08,797
but with no show-off
of the intensity, you know?
725
00:40:08,971 --> 00:40:13,193
He's, like, producing
this incredible performance
726
00:40:13,367 --> 00:40:16,239
without intending to say,
"Oh, look at me.
727
00:40:16,414 --> 00:40:18,285
I'm going to do something
great and difficult.
728
00:40:18,459 --> 00:40:20,200
Please, I want concentration."
729
00:40:20,374 --> 00:40:22,768
It's a real creativity.
730
00:40:22,942 --> 00:40:25,161
♪ Dance me
Through the curtains ♪
731
00:40:25,335 --> 00:40:27,860
♪ That our kisses
Have outworn... ♪
732
00:40:28,034 --> 00:40:30,602
LISSAUER:
Columbia had asked
that we do a record
733
00:40:30,776 --> 00:40:33,779
that would put Leonard
on the American map.
734
00:40:33,953 --> 00:40:35,737
And we had this song,
"Hallelujah,"
735
00:40:35,911 --> 00:40:41,177
which was pop song-like,
and it reached out more.
736
00:40:41,351 --> 00:40:43,963
It just had...
737
00:40:44,137 --> 00:40:46,269
a more contemporary
possibility to it
738
00:40:46,444 --> 00:40:47,619
than a lot of his stuff.
739
00:40:49,185 --> 00:40:51,536
♪ Hallelujah... ♪
740
00:40:51,710 --> 00:40:53,712
I could see how great it was.
741
00:40:53,886 --> 00:40:57,585
And as soon as I sat at the
piano and we started to do...
742
00:40:57,759 --> 00:41:00,588
[PLAYING "HALLELUJAH" INTRO,
HUMMING]
743
00:41:04,766 --> 00:41:08,117
Again, kind of a gospel 6/8
feel, which eventually is...
744
00:41:15,124 --> 00:41:17,605
And my favorite spot
is the big hole in the end
745
00:41:17,779 --> 00:41:18,867
where it goes...
746
00:41:23,785 --> 00:41:25,613
[IMITATES QUICK DRUMMING,
THEN HUMMING]
747
00:41:27,528 --> 00:41:29,487
The last time through it,
really just,
748
00:41:29,661 --> 00:41:31,184
you think,
"Oh, please do something."
749
00:41:31,358 --> 00:41:32,968
[SIGHS]
750
00:41:33,142 --> 00:41:36,494
[COHEN'S "HALLELUJAH" PLAYING]
751
00:41:36,668 --> 00:41:41,368
♪ Now, I've heard there was
A secret chord ♪
752
00:41:41,542 --> 00:41:45,590
♪ That David played
And it pleased the Lord ♪
753
00:41:45,764 --> 00:41:49,550
♪ But you don't really
Care for music ♪
754
00:41:49,724 --> 00:41:50,986
♪ Do you? ♪
755
00:41:51,160 --> 00:41:52,727
LISSAUER:
When I first heard it,
756
00:41:52,901 --> 00:41:54,555
it had the verses
that are on the record.
757
00:41:54,729 --> 00:41:56,296
And that was it.
758
00:41:56,470 --> 00:41:58,907
And I never, ever asked him
about his lyrics.
759
00:41:59,081 --> 00:42:01,127
I didn't ever say,
"Explain this to me,"
760
00:42:01,301 --> 00:42:03,085
or, "Does this have
two meanings?"
761
00:42:03,259 --> 00:42:04,565
All the things
that people wanna know.
762
00:42:04,739 --> 00:42:05,827
"Jeez, what did he...?"
763
00:42:06,001 --> 00:42:08,656
♪ ...composing Hallelujah ♪
764
00:42:08,830 --> 00:42:10,876
I wanted to be the audience.
765
00:42:11,050 --> 00:42:14,793
I wanted to make of the lyrics
what they were to the listener.
766
00:42:14,967 --> 00:42:17,709
I didn't want to know too much.
And I didn't want to...
767
00:42:17,883 --> 00:42:19,667
I think it's insulting in a way
768
00:42:19,841 --> 00:42:22,365
to ask someone
to explain his art.
769
00:42:22,540 --> 00:42:23,889
It has to explain itself.
770
00:42:24,063 --> 00:42:30,678
♪ Hallelujah ♪
771
00:42:34,029 --> 00:42:35,509
We're all thrilled
with this record.
772
00:42:35,683 --> 00:42:36,815
And there's so much to it.
773
00:42:36,989 --> 00:42:38,947
There's three
unbelievably great songs
774
00:42:39,121 --> 00:42:40,427
on this album,
and I said, "We've done it.
775
00:42:40,601 --> 00:42:41,820
This is really good."
776
00:42:41,994 --> 00:42:43,212
[ALL EXCLAIM]
777
00:42:45,388 --> 00:42:46,868
And I think Columbia
is gonna like this.
778
00:42:47,042 --> 00:42:48,348
They're gonna be happy.
779
00:42:48,522 --> 00:42:49,958
They had their anthem
780
00:42:50,132 --> 00:42:52,352
and they had a pop tune
in "Dance Me."
781
00:42:52,526 --> 00:42:55,181
And it had stuff that could
catch on all over the place.
782
00:42:55,355 --> 00:42:58,576
And I said, you know,
"This is it."
783
00:42:58,750 --> 00:42:59,751
And, boy, was I wrong.
784
00:43:02,014 --> 00:43:03,972
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING, CHEERING]
785
00:43:09,151 --> 00:43:10,022
Sit down, my friend.
786
00:43:13,721 --> 00:43:16,289
Now, your album
is called Various Positions.
787
00:43:16,463 --> 00:43:18,596
I know it's available
in England, I found out.
788
00:43:18,770 --> 00:43:20,728
But why can't we get it
in America?
789
00:43:20,902 --> 00:43:23,905
Columbia Records
didn't want to bring it out.
790
00:43:24,079 --> 00:43:25,385
Why? What happened?
791
00:43:25,559 --> 00:43:28,040
They have a transorbital
frontal lobotomy?
792
00:43:28,214 --> 00:43:30,042
[AUDIENCE LAUGHS]
793
00:43:30,216 --> 00:43:31,957
It was time to present
the record.
794
00:43:32,131 --> 00:43:34,046
Uh...
795
00:43:34,220 --> 00:43:37,571
And they brought it
into the new head of Columbia,
796
00:43:37,745 --> 00:43:39,791
Walter Yetnikoff.
797
00:43:39,965 --> 00:43:42,271
Yetnikoff was not
a Leonard guy.
798
00:43:42,445 --> 00:43:44,796
And he pretty much
hated it, heh.
799
00:43:44,970 --> 00:43:49,931
I visited the chief executive
of Columbia Records.
800
00:43:50,105 --> 00:43:51,193
And?
801
00:43:51,367 --> 00:43:53,543
First of all,
he reviewed my suit.
802
00:43:53,718 --> 00:43:56,111
[AUDIENCE LAUGHS]
803
00:43:56,285 --> 00:43:58,157
Then he said:
804
00:43:58,331 --> 00:44:00,855
"Leonard, we know you're great,
805
00:44:01,029 --> 00:44:02,814
but we don't know
if you're any good."
806
00:44:02,988 --> 00:44:05,817
[AUDIENCE LAUGHS]
807
00:44:05,991 --> 00:44:06,948
Really?
808
00:44:07,122 --> 00:44:08,689
[♪♪♪]
809
00:44:14,695 --> 00:44:17,437
CLARKSON:
That record album never came
out in the States, did it?
810
00:44:17,611 --> 00:44:21,833
No, Columbia Records
refused to put it out.
811
00:44:22,007 --> 00:44:25,532
Why?He said, "I don't like the mix."
812
00:44:25,706 --> 00:44:28,448
I said, "You mix it,
Mr. Yetnikoff.
813
00:44:28,622 --> 00:44:31,233
If that's what's going to stop
you putting out the record,
814
00:44:31,407 --> 00:44:32,757
you just mix it
and put it out."
815
00:44:36,151 --> 00:44:40,242
To me, that was so disgusting
and terrible and heartbreaking.
816
00:44:40,416 --> 00:44:41,853
Yeah. Yeah.
817
00:44:48,381 --> 00:44:51,079
COHEN:
TheVarious Positions is the
positions of the little will.
818
00:44:53,038 --> 00:44:54,648
We sense that there is a will
819
00:44:54,822 --> 00:44:58,130
that is behind all things.
820
00:44:58,304 --> 00:45:02,438
And we're also aware
of our own little will...
821
00:45:02,612 --> 00:45:04,658
to succeed, to dominate,
822
00:45:04,832 --> 00:45:07,139
to influence, to be king.
823
00:45:08,793 --> 00:45:10,490
And from time to time,
824
00:45:10,664 --> 00:45:12,884
things arrange themselves
in such a way that
825
00:45:13,058 --> 00:45:14,712
that tiny will is annihilated.
826
00:45:17,758 --> 00:45:20,326
ISSERMANN:
I remember that he was
crushed after that.
827
00:45:20,500 --> 00:45:22,720
All his work
that had been so intense
828
00:45:22,894 --> 00:45:26,288
and doing something so precise
and so beautiful,
829
00:45:26,462 --> 00:45:29,161
and then they say, "Oh, no, no.
We're not interested in this."
830
00:45:29,335 --> 00:45:31,250
It's horrible. It's horrible.
831
00:45:31,424 --> 00:45:33,295
It was like The Twilight Zone
for me.
832
00:45:33,469 --> 00:45:35,820
You do something you're
absolutely sure is one thing,
833
00:45:35,994 --> 00:45:37,952
and someone else sees it...
834
00:45:38,126 --> 00:45:41,739
as reversed as possible.
835
00:45:41,913 --> 00:45:44,480
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]
836
00:45:44,654 --> 00:45:48,223
I said, "Boy, I must have
no sense of the music world...
837
00:45:49,921 --> 00:45:50,748
to be this wrong."
838
00:45:52,837 --> 00:45:54,882
And suddenly,
everyone thought it was wrong.
839
00:45:57,711 --> 00:46:01,280
And Marty made me feel
that I had somehow
840
00:46:01,454 --> 00:46:04,457
ruined Leonard's record career.
841
00:46:04,631 --> 00:46:06,894
He walked in, thinking it was
the greatest thing ever,
842
00:46:07,068 --> 00:46:08,722
and he came out
and it was my fault.
843
00:46:12,857 --> 00:46:17,905
My record career with Columbia
was pretty much done.
844
00:46:18,079 --> 00:46:20,821
So I basically stopped making
records with this album.
845
00:46:22,997 --> 00:46:24,390
At some point, someone said:
846
00:46:24,564 --> 00:46:26,827
"Yeah, you're not working
in this town again, kid."
847
00:46:28,960 --> 00:46:32,137
SLOMAN:
To me, that was such
a Philistine move.
848
00:46:32,311 --> 00:46:36,315
I mean, it-it just symbolized
everything that's wrong
849
00:46:36,489 --> 00:46:38,970
with those assholes
who run music labels.
850
00:46:41,407 --> 00:46:45,063
I don't think
that the rejection of an album
851
00:46:45,237 --> 00:46:47,674
after it's paid for...
852
00:46:49,241 --> 00:46:50,851
happens that often.
853
00:46:53,985 --> 00:46:55,464
That's pretty extreme, yeah.
854
00:46:57,075 --> 00:47:01,993
I have no idea
why Walter rejected it.
855
00:47:02,167 --> 00:47:05,561
Obviously,
the album included one classic.
856
00:47:08,086 --> 00:47:09,696
COHEN:
The work is done.
857
00:47:11,524 --> 00:47:12,786
And it's really good, man.
858
00:47:14,353 --> 00:47:16,311
It is impeccable.
859
00:47:16,485 --> 00:47:18,357
The stuff's down
in black and white.
860
00:47:18,531 --> 00:47:20,750
Whether it comes out
or whether it's seen.
861
00:47:20,925 --> 00:47:24,711
I'm telling you,
this is all for the books.
862
00:47:24,885 --> 00:47:29,324
I feel I have a huge posthumous
career ahead of me, you know?
863
00:47:29,498 --> 00:47:32,458
My estate will swell. [SLOMAN & COHEN LAUGH]
864
00:47:32,632 --> 00:47:34,329
My name will flourish...
I mean, you know.
865
00:47:40,988 --> 00:47:46,602
Look, "Courage
is what others can't see,
866
00:47:46,776 --> 00:47:48,343
what is never affirmed.
867
00:47:50,563 --> 00:47:52,739
It is made
of what you have thrown away
868
00:47:52,913 --> 00:47:54,045
and then come back for."
869
00:47:57,570 --> 00:47:59,702
I don't think
that Leonard ever believed
870
00:47:59,877 --> 00:48:02,270
that he was not any good.
871
00:48:02,444 --> 00:48:04,011
I don't think
he ever believed that.
872
00:48:04,185 --> 00:48:06,057
I don't think,
no matter who told him,
873
00:48:06,231 --> 00:48:09,016
what titan of the record
industry told him,
874
00:48:09,190 --> 00:48:11,105
or what sales figures
they could show him,
875
00:48:11,279 --> 00:48:13,064
he would ever believe
that he wasn't any good.
876
00:48:14,543 --> 00:48:17,068
♪ Now I look for her always ♪
877
00:48:17,242 --> 00:48:19,940
♪ I'm lost in this calling ♪
878
00:48:20,114 --> 00:48:24,771
♪ And I'm tied to the roots
Of some prayer ♪
879
00:48:24,945 --> 00:48:26,642
CLARKSON:
I don't think
he would let anybody
880
00:48:26,816 --> 00:48:27,992
destroy him in that way.
881
00:48:29,776 --> 00:48:34,259
I think he always knew
that he was very strong.
882
00:48:34,433 --> 00:48:39,481
♪ And the night comes on
And it's very calm ♪
883
00:48:39,655 --> 00:48:44,051
♪ I want to cross over
I want to go home ♪
884
00:48:44,225 --> 00:48:46,924
♪ But she says, "Go back ♪
885
00:48:48,403 --> 00:48:50,753
♪ Go back to the world" ♪
886
00:48:53,713 --> 00:48:55,193
SLOMAN:
The album
eventually came out...
887
00:48:57,064 --> 00:49:00,546
on some dipshit label
out of New Jersey.
888
00:49:03,766 --> 00:49:05,855
COHEN:
It came out
in a very tiny company.
889
00:49:06,030 --> 00:49:08,206
We had to scurry around
to find somebody
890
00:49:08,380 --> 00:49:09,816
just to print the records.
891
00:49:13,254 --> 00:49:16,214
LISSAUER:
SoVarious Positions
and "Hallelujah"
892
00:49:16,388 --> 00:49:20,696
had gone completely unheralded
and unrecognized.
893
00:49:20,870 --> 00:49:23,351
[SOFT STATIC CRACKLING
OVER SPEAKER]
894
00:49:26,746 --> 00:49:28,661
There's a lot of stuff
that's really good,
895
00:49:28,835 --> 00:49:31,446
nobody really is
turned up to, you know?
896
00:49:31,620 --> 00:49:33,448
Most of the things
that you're exposed to
897
00:49:33,622 --> 00:49:35,885
are just the things
you hear on the radio.
898
00:49:36,060 --> 00:49:39,193
[GUITAR PLAYING "HALLELUJAH"]
899
00:49:39,367 --> 00:49:42,109
COHEN:
Nobody heard of "Hallelujah"
at that time.
900
00:49:42,283 --> 00:49:44,329
Except Dylan.
901
00:49:44,503 --> 00:49:49,595
And Dylan was singing the song
in some of his concerts,
902
00:49:49,769 --> 00:49:52,728
which was
a wonderful affirmation.
903
00:49:52,902 --> 00:49:56,950
DYLAN:
♪ You say there was
A secret chord ♪
904
00:49:57,124 --> 00:50:01,128
♪ That David played
And it pleased the Lord ♪
905
00:50:01,302 --> 00:50:05,437
♪ But you don't really care
For music, do you? ♪
906
00:50:09,528 --> 00:50:13,401
♪ It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth ♪
907
00:50:13,575 --> 00:50:18,276
♪ The minor fall
And the major lift ♪
908
00:50:18,450 --> 00:50:21,714
SLOMAN:
I've had many conversations
with Bob about Leonard's work.
909
00:50:21,888 --> 00:50:26,197
So "Hallelujah" is a song
right up Bob's alley.
910
00:50:26,371 --> 00:50:28,503
INTERVIEWER:
Why?
911
00:50:28,677 --> 00:50:31,245
Because it's, um...
912
00:50:31,419 --> 00:50:34,161
Bob is another
spiritual seeker. Bob--
913
00:50:34,335 --> 00:50:38,209
Heh, I mean, you know,
Bob is a spiritual chameleon.
914
00:50:38,383 --> 00:50:44,302
DYLAN:
♪ Hallelujah ♪
915
00:50:48,393 --> 00:50:51,918
FEMALE REPORTER:
What impact did Bob Dylan
have on you personally?
916
00:50:52,092 --> 00:50:57,619
The last time Mr. Dylan and I
met was at a café
917
00:50:57,793 --> 00:51:02,059
in the 14th Arrondissement
in Paris, France,
918
00:51:02,233 --> 00:51:06,976
a day after Mr. Dylan's
triumphant concert there.
919
00:51:07,151 --> 00:51:09,892
It was a pleasant conversation,
920
00:51:10,067 --> 00:51:14,114
a conversation that could be
described as "shop talk,"
921
00:51:14,288 --> 00:51:17,552
in which we traded lyrics,
922
00:51:17,726 --> 00:51:20,729
both of us astounded
at the other's genius.
923
00:51:20,903 --> 00:51:23,297
[AUDIENCE LAUGHS]
924
00:51:23,471 --> 00:51:27,258
SLOMAN:
I've heard a lot of different
versions of the Paris café.
925
00:51:27,432 --> 00:51:30,261
One version of it goes that Bob
926
00:51:30,435 --> 00:51:32,785
said how much he liked
"Hallelujah."
927
00:51:32,959 --> 00:51:36,136
And Leonard said, "Yeah,
928
00:51:36,310 --> 00:51:39,661
it took me seven years
to write that song."
929
00:51:39,835 --> 00:51:42,360
I said it was a couple of years.
Actually, it was more than that.
930
00:51:42,534 --> 00:51:44,101
But I was ashamed to tell him
931
00:51:44,275 --> 00:51:46,451
exactly how long it took,
and then,
932
00:51:46,625 --> 00:51:48,235
the conversation went on,
933
00:51:48,409 --> 00:51:50,890
and I praised
one of the songs he wrote.
934
00:51:51,064 --> 00:51:54,589
It was called "I and I"
from an album called Infidels.
935
00:51:54,763 --> 00:51:56,635
I asked him how long
he took to write it.
936
00:51:56,809 --> 00:51:57,592
He said, "15 minutes."
937
00:51:59,812 --> 00:52:00,900
Bob was kidding.
938
00:52:04,512 --> 00:52:06,819
He also once said that
he wrote the Lenny Bruce song
939
00:52:06,993 --> 00:52:08,473
in the back of a taxicab.
940
00:52:10,866 --> 00:52:12,955
COHEN:
There are people
that write great songs
941
00:52:13,130 --> 00:52:16,698
in the back of taxicabs,
but my songs take a long time
942
00:52:16,872 --> 00:52:19,832
to bring to completion, and I
don't know what the process is.
943
00:52:20,006 --> 00:52:23,575
But I know that perseverance
is the essential element.
944
00:52:25,490 --> 00:52:26,839
HANSARD:
I love that.
945
00:52:27,013 --> 00:52:29,407
I love the fact that he worked
hard for those words...
946
00:52:29,581 --> 00:52:31,191
It-it, uh...
947
00:52:31,365 --> 00:52:33,193
It makes us feel better
about ourselves.
948
00:52:33,367 --> 00:52:35,848
Dylan was like, "Yeah, I wrote
it in the back of the cab."
949
00:52:36,022 --> 00:52:39,417
It's like, yeah, okay, okay,
you probably did, but come on.
950
00:52:39,591 --> 00:52:41,201
[CHUCKLING]
You know.
951
00:52:41,375 --> 00:52:43,464
Come down to earth, you know.
952
00:52:43,638 --> 00:52:47,164
Come down, stand among us
for a moment, you know.
953
00:52:47,338 --> 00:52:49,078
It is a gift.
954
00:52:49,253 --> 00:52:51,342
Of course, you have to keep
your tools sharp,
955
00:52:51,516 --> 00:52:54,954
and you have to keep your skill
in a condition of operation.
956
00:52:55,128 --> 00:52:58,697
But the real song,
where that comes from,
957
00:52:58,871 --> 00:53:00,960
no one knows.
That is grace. That is a gift.
958
00:53:01,134 --> 00:53:02,744
And, uh...
959
00:53:02,918 --> 00:53:04,093
That is...
960
00:53:04,268 --> 00:53:05,660
That is not yours.
961
00:53:10,099 --> 00:53:12,406
If I knew
where songs came from,
962
00:53:12,580 --> 00:53:14,930
I would go there more often.
963
00:53:15,104 --> 00:53:18,151
♪ If it be your will ♪
964
00:53:20,675 --> 00:53:25,027
♪ That I speak no more... ♪
965
00:53:25,202 --> 00:53:27,943
FINLEY:
One time when we really talked
about creative process,
966
00:53:28,117 --> 00:53:30,598
Leonard acknowledged there's
something called the Bat Kol,
967
00:53:30,772 --> 00:53:32,687
which in the Talmud is
the, uh...
968
00:53:32,861 --> 00:53:35,908
The feminine voice of God
that extends into people.
969
00:53:39,433 --> 00:53:41,261
The Bat Kol arrives,
970
00:53:41,435 --> 00:53:44,786
and if you're in her service,
you write down what she says.
971
00:53:44,960 --> 00:53:46,005
And then she goes away.
972
00:53:47,659 --> 00:53:49,443
So the baffled king is:
973
00:53:49,617 --> 00:53:51,097
"I just wrote the secret chord
974
00:53:51,271 --> 00:53:54,448
and I don't even know
how I got it.
975
00:53:54,622 --> 00:53:58,235
But what I think I did is I made
myself open to the Bat Kol."
976
00:53:58,409 --> 00:54:01,107
♪ If a voice be true... ♪
977
00:54:03,283 --> 00:54:04,850
Refine yourself enough
978
00:54:05,024 --> 00:54:07,026
that the Bat Kol
recognizes that you're open.
979
00:54:08,636 --> 00:54:09,724
She arrives.
980
00:54:09,898 --> 00:54:12,074
♪ I will sing to you... ♪
981
00:54:12,249 --> 00:54:14,338
You speak.
982
00:54:14,512 --> 00:54:17,428
She departs. And you polish it.
983
00:54:19,168 --> 00:54:23,216
♪ All your praises
They shall ring ♪
984
00:54:23,390 --> 00:54:25,740
INTERVIEWER:
Various Positions
is the name of the album.
985
00:54:25,914 --> 00:54:29,831
And at the same time, same
year, we haveBook of Mercy.
986
00:54:30,005 --> 00:54:32,573
How didBook of Mercy
come about?
987
00:54:32,747 --> 00:54:35,184
COHEN:
It's a book of prayer.
988
00:54:35,359 --> 00:54:37,926
♪ If it be your will ♪
989
00:54:40,625 --> 00:54:43,758
♪ If there is a choice ♪
990
00:54:43,932 --> 00:54:46,021
The songs are related,
of course.
991
00:54:46,195 --> 00:54:49,198
I think everybody's work
is all of one piece.
992
00:54:51,549 --> 00:54:55,422
♪ Let your mercies
Spill on all ♪
993
00:54:55,596 --> 00:54:59,426
♪ These burning hearts in hell ♪
994
00:55:02,386 --> 00:55:04,344
♪ If it be your will ♪
995
00:55:06,477 --> 00:55:07,956
♪ To make us well... ♪
996
00:55:10,916 --> 00:55:14,093
INTERVIEWER:
At one point, I think you say,
perhaps at more than one point,
997
00:55:14,267 --> 00:55:16,965
you say,
"Though I don't believe."
998
00:55:17,139 --> 00:55:18,880
COHEN:
I say that a couple of times:
999
00:55:19,054 --> 00:55:21,709
"Though I don't believe,
I come to you now
1000
00:55:21,883 --> 00:55:23,798
and I lift my doubt
to your mercy."
1001
00:55:23,972 --> 00:55:26,845
♪ In our rags of light... ♪
1002
00:55:27,019 --> 00:55:30,152
That kind of conversation
with eternity,
1003
00:55:30,327 --> 00:55:32,894
oh, it certainly is deep
in the Jewish tradition
1004
00:55:33,068 --> 00:55:35,941
of questioning God.
1005
00:55:36,115 --> 00:55:39,205
And I think
it's a legitimate concern.
1006
00:55:39,379 --> 00:55:41,033
♪ If it be your will ♪
1007
00:55:43,601 --> 00:55:47,431
♪ If it be your will ♪
1008
00:55:55,874 --> 00:55:58,833
SLOMAN:
I guess it was 1988,
1009
00:55:59,007 --> 00:56:01,445
Leonard goes on tour and...
1010
00:56:01,619 --> 00:56:05,274
he starts singing "Hallelujah,"
and all of a sudden...
1011
00:56:07,320 --> 00:56:08,669
new lyrics.
1012
00:56:08,843 --> 00:56:10,584
INTERVIEWER:
Is there any verse
1013
00:56:10,758 --> 00:56:12,151
that actually
no one has ever heard of
1014
00:56:12,325 --> 00:56:13,587
that you could tell us?
1015
00:56:16,198 --> 00:56:18,462
There are. I don't know
how distinguished they are.
1016
00:56:18,636 --> 00:56:21,203
But there are a lot of verses
to the song "Hallelujah."
1017
00:56:21,378 --> 00:56:23,336
They go like this:
1018
00:56:23,510 --> 00:56:25,773
"Baby, I've been here before
1019
00:56:25,947 --> 00:56:28,254
I know this room
I've walked this floor"
1020
00:56:30,125 --> 00:56:32,780
♪ You see
I used to live alone ♪
1021
00:56:35,130 --> 00:56:36,480
♪ Before I knew you ♪
1022
00:56:38,395 --> 00:56:40,440
I said, "Wait a minute.
1023
00:56:40,614 --> 00:56:42,399
We're not
in the Old Testament anymore."
1024
00:56:42,573 --> 00:56:45,314
♪ I've seen your flag
On the marble arch ♪
1025
00:56:45,489 --> 00:56:46,577
♪ But love... ♪
1026
00:56:46,751 --> 00:56:48,100
It's more secular.
1027
00:56:48,274 --> 00:56:50,842
It's like
a completely different song.
1028
00:56:51,016 --> 00:56:53,105
And I'm saying to myself,
"What the fuck?"
1029
00:56:53,279 --> 00:56:59,067
♪ It's a broken Hallelujah... ♪
1030
00:57:01,548 --> 00:57:03,028
SLOMAN:
You said some interesting
things about
1031
00:57:03,202 --> 00:57:04,856
the reason you rewrote
some of these songs
1032
00:57:05,030 --> 00:57:06,945
because you felt
that it was inauthentic
1033
00:57:07,119 --> 00:57:09,338
to write religious songs
anymore.
1034
00:57:09,513 --> 00:57:11,906
COHEN:
In and of itself,
there's nothing wrong with it.
1035
00:57:12,080 --> 00:57:14,561
It's whether
you can get behind it.
1036
00:57:14,735 --> 00:57:17,259
I had the King David song.
1037
00:57:17,434 --> 00:57:21,307
It was easy for me
to use that Biblical metaphor
1038
00:57:21,481 --> 00:57:24,179
until the time came
when I choked on the words
1039
00:57:24,353 --> 00:57:26,704
because it simply
wasn't direct enough.
1040
00:57:29,228 --> 00:57:31,709
♪ There was a time
You let me know ♪
1041
00:57:34,233 --> 00:57:38,455
♪ What's really
Going on below ♪
1042
00:57:38,629 --> 00:57:44,591
♪ But now you never
Even show it to me, do you? ♪
1043
00:57:48,247 --> 00:57:53,339
♪ But I remember
When I moved in you ♪
1044
00:57:53,513 --> 00:57:57,822
♪ Yes, and the Holy Dove
She was moving too ♪
1045
00:57:57,996 --> 00:58:01,347
♪ Yes, and every single breath ♪
1046
00:58:01,521 --> 00:58:06,570
♪ That we drew was Hallelujah ♪
1047
00:58:08,180 --> 00:58:10,704
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1048
00:58:13,185 --> 00:58:16,101
♪ Hallelujah... ♪
1049
00:58:16,275 --> 00:58:19,234
COHEN:
I wanted to push the song deep
into the secular world,
1050
00:58:19,408 --> 00:58:20,758
into the ordinary world.
1051
00:58:20,932 --> 00:58:25,545
♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah ♪
1052
00:58:25,719 --> 00:58:28,896
♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah ♪
1053
00:58:33,379 --> 00:58:36,556
HANSARD:
"Hallelujah" was a word that
you don't really get to use
1054
00:58:36,730 --> 00:58:38,776
without sounding
too religious.
1055
00:58:40,255 --> 00:58:41,996
Leonard pulled that word
out of the sky
1056
00:58:42,170 --> 00:58:43,432
and pulled it
down to the earth,
1057
00:58:43,607 --> 00:58:45,783
and made the word okay again.
1058
00:58:45,957 --> 00:58:48,786
And hip again and usable again,
you know?
1059
00:58:50,962 --> 00:58:52,267
Thank you so much, friends.
1060
00:58:52,441 --> 00:58:54,356
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
1061
00:58:58,970 --> 00:59:01,059
SLOMAN:
Fast-forward a couple of years
1062
00:59:01,233 --> 00:59:04,323
and I was hanging out
at Leonard's office,
1063
00:59:04,497 --> 00:59:06,630
and his then-manager
1064
00:59:06,804 --> 00:59:11,025
told me that, uh, they were
doing a tribute album.
1065
00:59:11,199 --> 00:59:13,027
It was going to be
a tribute album
1066
00:59:13,201 --> 00:59:15,856
to Leonard
calledI'm Your Fan.
1067
00:59:16,030 --> 00:59:18,511
Could I suggest people
to be on it?
1068
00:59:18,685 --> 00:59:20,905
And I had worked for years
with John Cale,
1069
00:59:21,079 --> 00:59:21,993
writing lyrics with John.
1070
00:59:23,864 --> 00:59:27,389
And John loves Leonard's work.
1071
00:59:27,564 --> 00:59:30,175
So I said, "Yeah,
Cale would be perfect."
1072
00:59:30,349 --> 00:59:32,090
[THE VELVET UNDERGROUND'S
"SUNDAY MORNING" PLAYING]
1073
00:59:32,264 --> 00:59:36,529
♪ Sunday morning... ♪
1074
00:59:36,703 --> 00:59:38,575
INTERVIEWER:
We welcome John Cale
to the studio today.
1075
00:59:38,749 --> 00:59:40,402
One of the founders
of the Velvet Underground,
1076
00:59:40,577 --> 00:59:42,187
worked with Nico and Lou Reed,
1077
00:59:42,361 --> 00:59:44,189
and pretty much everybody else
you'd care to think of
1078
00:59:44,363 --> 00:59:47,018
during an extraordinary
50-year career,
1079
00:59:47,192 --> 00:59:49,411
at the forefront of innovation
in rock and pop music.
1080
00:59:49,586 --> 00:59:51,370
John Cale joins us.
1081
00:59:51,544 --> 00:59:53,372
One of the things I thought
we'd have to discuss
1082
00:59:53,546 --> 00:59:55,374
is the role that you played
1083
00:59:55,548 --> 00:59:57,768
in reviving
Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."
1084
00:59:57,942 --> 00:59:59,813
How did you cotton on
to the potential,
1085
00:59:59,987 --> 01:00:01,510
the power of
Leonard Cohen's song
1086
01:00:01,685 --> 01:00:04,339
long before other solo artists
recorded it?
1087
01:00:04,513 --> 01:00:06,298
CALE:
Well, I remember
seeing Leonard doing it
1088
01:00:06,472 --> 01:00:08,866
at the Beacon in New York.
1089
01:00:09,040 --> 01:00:10,389
I hadn't heard it before,
1090
01:00:10,563 --> 01:00:12,521
and it just
knocked me sideways.
1091
01:00:12,696 --> 01:00:15,612
So I thought, I could do this
as a solo piano thing.
1092
01:00:15,786 --> 01:00:18,527
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING, CHEERING]
1093
01:00:18,702 --> 01:00:20,529
This is an experiment.
1094
01:00:20,704 --> 01:00:22,619
This song was written
by Leonard Cohen.
1095
01:00:22,793 --> 01:00:24,751
[PLAYING "HALLELUJAH"][AUDIENCE CHEERS LOUDLY]
1096
01:00:31,279 --> 01:00:34,848
♪ I heard there was
A secret chord ♪
1097
01:00:35,022 --> 01:00:39,070
♪ That David played
And it pleased the Lord ♪
1098
01:00:39,244 --> 01:00:43,988
♪ But you don't really care
For music, do you? ♪
1099
01:00:44,162 --> 01:00:46,425
HANSARD:
I remember John Cale
covering that song.
1100
01:00:46,599 --> 01:00:48,383
I remember going,
"Wow, what a deep cut.
1101
01:00:48,557 --> 01:00:51,038
You've just picked a song
of Leonard's that I know,
1102
01:00:51,212 --> 01:00:54,041
but not a lot of people
know that tune."
1103
01:00:54,215 --> 01:00:55,913
SLOMAN:
Then I called up John and said:
1104
01:00:56,087 --> 01:00:58,045
"John,
there's different verses.
1105
01:00:58,219 --> 01:01:00,352
There's the song
that's on the album,
1106
01:01:00,526 --> 01:01:02,746
and then there's the song
he's doing live.
1107
01:01:02,920 --> 01:01:04,878
See if you can get
all the verses."
1108
01:01:05,052 --> 01:01:07,751
♪ Hallelujah... ♪
1109
01:01:07,925 --> 01:01:12,016
CALE:
Well, I got a ton of verses
that are really gorgeous.
1110
01:01:12,190 --> 01:01:14,061
But some of them
I couldn't sing myself.
1111
01:01:14,235 --> 01:01:15,889
Some of them
were about religion
1112
01:01:16,063 --> 01:01:19,023
and reflecting
Leonard's background.
1113
01:01:19,197 --> 01:01:21,765
So I took the cheeky verses.
1114
01:01:21,939 --> 01:01:25,116
♪ There was a time
You let me know ♪
1115
01:01:25,290 --> 01:01:28,641
♪ What's really
Going on below ♪
1116
01:01:28,815 --> 01:01:32,906
♪ But now you never show it
To me, do you? ♪
1117
01:01:35,692 --> 01:01:39,173
♪ I remember
When I moved in you ♪
1118
01:01:39,347 --> 01:01:42,742
♪ And the Holy Dove
Was moving too ♪
1119
01:01:42,916 --> 01:01:49,009
♪ And every breath
We drew was Hallelujah ♪
1120
01:01:49,183 --> 01:01:51,272
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1121
01:01:51,446 --> 01:01:54,754
The spareness of that version
was beautiful to me.
1122
01:01:56,408 --> 01:01:59,716
♪ Hallelujah... ♪
1123
01:01:59,890 --> 01:02:01,282
John has a real talent
1124
01:02:01,456 --> 01:02:04,938
for pulling away
all of the unnecessary stuff.
1125
01:02:05,112 --> 01:02:08,899
♪ Maybe there's a God above ♪
1126
01:02:09,073 --> 01:02:11,902
♪ But all I ever learned
From love... ♪
1127
01:02:12,076 --> 01:02:14,818
SLOMAN:
And it was great that he was
combining the spiritual
1128
01:02:14,992 --> 01:02:18,386
and the secular versions
of that song.
1129
01:02:18,560 --> 01:02:20,737
Cale really owned that song.
1130
01:02:20,911 --> 01:02:23,391
He really made it personal.
1131
01:02:23,565 --> 01:02:26,177
♪ It's not somebody
Who's seen the light... ♪
1132
01:02:26,351 --> 01:02:29,267
But again,
that's because, you know,
1133
01:02:29,441 --> 01:02:32,444
Cale's a guy like Leonard
who's been through the wars.
1134
01:02:32,618 --> 01:02:33,445
So, you know.
1135
01:02:33,619 --> 01:02:36,622
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1136
01:02:36,796 --> 01:02:43,237
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1137
01:02:45,979 --> 01:02:47,851
[AUDIENCE CHEERING, APPLAUDING]
1138
01:02:52,203 --> 01:02:54,858
CLARKSON:
I do not remember the first
time I heard "Hallelujah."
1139
01:02:56,337 --> 01:02:57,774
But I'm pretty sure
1140
01:02:57,948 --> 01:02:59,601
that the first time
I heard "Hallelujah,"
1141
01:02:59,776 --> 01:03:02,256
Leonard wasn't singing it.
1142
01:03:02,430 --> 01:03:05,433
I think I must have heard
Jeff Buckley?
1143
01:03:07,131 --> 01:03:08,523
The first version
of "Hallelujah"
1144
01:03:08,697 --> 01:03:10,395
I heard was Jeff Buckley.
1145
01:03:10,569 --> 01:03:11,657
Jeff Buckley.
1146
01:03:15,095 --> 01:03:19,012
I don't know, the Jeff Buckley
seems to be theversion
1147
01:03:19,186 --> 01:03:21,710
because I'm even shocked
sometimes,
1148
01:03:21,885 --> 01:03:23,538
even when you go
on the Internet,
1149
01:03:23,712 --> 01:03:25,758
and sometimes you see
people on television, they say:
1150
01:03:25,932 --> 01:03:28,717
"Now I'm going to sing a song
by Jeff Buckley."
1151
01:03:28,892 --> 01:03:30,415
And it's "Hallelujah."
1152
01:03:32,460 --> 01:03:34,506
Hi, I'm Mick Grondahl.And I'm Jeff Buckley.
1153
01:03:34,680 --> 01:03:36,856
And you're watching
120 Minuteson MTV.
1154
01:03:41,556 --> 01:03:43,167
INTERVIEWER:
Jeff Buckley and "Hallelujah"
1155
01:03:43,341 --> 01:03:44,777
probably wouldn't have
come together
1156
01:03:44,951 --> 01:03:45,822
were it not for St. Ann's.
1157
01:03:47,171 --> 01:03:47,867
How did that happen?
1158
01:03:49,390 --> 01:03:50,957
Oh, heh.
1159
01:03:51,131 --> 01:03:52,437
By accident.
1160
01:03:54,395 --> 01:03:56,180
You know, "Arts at St. Ann's"
1161
01:03:56,354 --> 01:03:58,269
was a music theater series
1162
01:03:58,443 --> 01:04:01,402
in this important
landmark church.
1163
01:04:01,576 --> 01:04:04,623
And we were just starting
to do these multi-artist shows
1164
01:04:04,797 --> 01:04:07,452
that investigated somebody's
body of work.
1165
01:04:08,932 --> 01:04:10,368
And Hal Willner and I
1166
01:04:10,542 --> 01:04:12,849
were doing this homage
to Tim Buckley.
1167
01:04:16,026 --> 01:04:18,550
♪ You turn and run away ♪
1168
01:04:18,724 --> 01:04:20,552
WILLNER:
Janine and I got in touch
1169
01:04:20,726 --> 01:04:23,511
with Tim Buckley's manager,
Herb Cohen.
1170
01:04:23,685 --> 01:04:26,427
He said,
"You know he has a son."
1171
01:04:26,601 --> 01:04:28,995
Or someone said, "He has a son."
I went, "Is he good?"
1172
01:04:29,169 --> 01:04:30,779
He went,
"He's better than his father."
1173
01:04:30,954 --> 01:04:33,043
♪ Let me sing a song ♪
1174
01:04:33,217 --> 01:04:34,653
I've always played music,
1175
01:04:34,827 --> 01:04:36,829
I just have never pursued
the music business.
1176
01:04:37,003 --> 01:04:41,007
I never sent a tape to anyone
or shopped myself.
1177
01:04:41,181 --> 01:04:43,880
And then the beautiful people
at St. Ann's,
1178
01:04:44,054 --> 01:04:45,272
they asked me to come.
1179
01:04:50,103 --> 01:04:53,106
WILLNER:
And when he walked
into the church that day,
1180
01:04:53,280 --> 01:04:55,674
he was obviously the type
that you could put
1181
01:04:55,848 --> 01:04:58,111
in any situation
to do anything.
1182
01:04:58,285 --> 01:05:00,679
You could just tell.
It's just an instinctual thing,
1183
01:05:00,853 --> 01:05:02,942
hearing him sing three notes,
watching him play guitar,
1184
01:05:03,116 --> 01:05:05,814
talking to him about
the different music he liked.
1185
01:05:05,989 --> 01:05:08,687
He was a magic man.
1186
01:05:08,861 --> 01:05:12,952
♪ Once I was a soldier ♪
1187
01:05:15,650 --> 01:05:19,393
♪ And I fought
On foreign sands for you... ♪
1188
01:05:21,221 --> 01:05:22,657
FELDMAN:
And then at the very end,
1189
01:05:22,831 --> 01:05:24,790
Jeff's guitar string broke.
1190
01:05:24,964 --> 01:05:27,271
So he sang it a cappella.
1191
01:05:27,445 --> 01:05:31,101
♪ Do you ever... ♪
1192
01:05:31,275 --> 01:05:32,929
And you could see
the full range of his voice.
1193
01:05:33,103 --> 01:05:39,979
♪ ...remember me ♪
1194
01:05:44,070 --> 01:05:46,855
NICHOLS:
Something had been unleashed,
you know.
1195
01:05:47,030 --> 01:05:48,683
So he stuck around.
1196
01:05:51,512 --> 01:05:54,951
INTERVIEWER:
You can be heard performing
live at the Sin-é.
1197
01:05:55,125 --> 01:05:57,127
BUCKLEY:
Oh, yeah.
1198
01:05:57,301 --> 01:05:59,520
DOYLE:
He came in looking for a gig.
1199
01:05:59,694 --> 01:06:01,348
And things developed
very quickly.
1200
01:06:02,828 --> 01:06:03,916
I believe it was Hal Willner,
1201
01:06:04,090 --> 01:06:05,483
actually, told him to come in.
1202
01:06:07,746 --> 01:06:09,356
WILLNER:
He started playing
once a week.
1203
01:06:10,749 --> 01:06:11,880
That was his workshop.
1204
01:06:14,057 --> 01:06:17,060
And he would just play
whatever songs he was learning.
1205
01:06:17,234 --> 01:06:19,714
He wasn't playing
any originals.
1206
01:06:19,888 --> 01:06:22,065
BUCKLEY:
I figured to pick
my favorite artists
1207
01:06:22,239 --> 01:06:24,981
and artists that move a lot
of people, or just move me.
1208
01:06:27,809 --> 01:06:30,073
FELDMAN:
Jeff would play music
for me a lot,
1209
01:06:30,247 --> 01:06:31,900
and it was a very natural thing
1210
01:06:32,075 --> 01:06:34,164
for me to share "Hallelujah"
with him
1211
01:06:34,338 --> 01:06:36,122
because we'd been doing
projects
1212
01:06:36,296 --> 01:06:37,994
at St. Ann's with John Cale.
1213
01:06:38,168 --> 01:06:40,648
And I had heard John's version
of "Hallelujah,"
1214
01:06:40,822 --> 01:06:42,389
which I loved.
1215
01:06:42,563 --> 01:06:44,391
CALE:
♪ Hallelujah... ♪
1216
01:06:44,565 --> 01:06:48,830
And somewhere in there,
I played John's song for him.
1217
01:06:49,005 --> 01:06:52,312
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1218
01:06:52,486 --> 01:06:58,144
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1219
01:06:59,928 --> 01:07:04,020
"Hallelujah"
is a Leonard Cohen song.
1220
01:07:04,194 --> 01:07:07,936
♪ Yeah, but, baby
I've been here before... ♪
1221
01:07:08,111 --> 01:07:09,547
I do the John Cale version.
1222
01:07:09,721 --> 01:07:11,592
♪ And I've walked
This floor... ♪
1223
01:07:11,766 --> 01:07:14,291
I just learned it one night
before a gig at Sin-é.
1224
01:07:14,465 --> 01:07:17,076
♪ Before I knew you... ♪
1225
01:07:17,250 --> 01:07:18,295
It's a great song.
1226
01:07:20,123 --> 01:07:21,167
I wish I wrote it.
1227
01:07:22,864 --> 01:07:24,475
DOYLE:
I didn't know the song.
1228
01:07:24,649 --> 01:07:26,042
I knew it when he sang it.
1229
01:07:26,216 --> 01:07:27,695
That was my introduction
to it.
1230
01:07:27,869 --> 01:07:31,917
It was amazing, and everybody
knew it was amazing.
1231
01:07:32,091 --> 01:07:34,615
Everybody knew he was amazing.
1232
01:07:34,789 --> 01:07:36,617
So he's on his way.
1233
01:07:36,791 --> 01:07:37,923
[CHUCKLES]
1234
01:07:38,097 --> 01:07:40,404
So I brought the A&R guy,
1235
01:07:40,578 --> 01:07:42,667
Steve Berkowitz,
down there to see him.
1236
01:07:42,841 --> 01:07:46,192
The first time
that I heard about Jeff was...
1237
01:07:46,366 --> 01:07:49,674
Hal and I are walking
across St. Mark's Place.
1238
01:07:49,848 --> 01:07:51,893
He said, "Buckley's kid plays
in here sometimes."
1239
01:07:52,068 --> 01:07:55,767
And he points at this
little dusty club called Sin-é.
1240
01:07:55,941 --> 01:07:58,335
And, um, we looked in the window
and there he was.
1241
01:08:02,948 --> 01:08:06,517
After, like, one or two songs,
I just grabbed Hal by the arm.
1242
01:08:06,691 --> 01:08:08,562
"Am I hearing everything
I think I'm hearing?"
1243
01:08:08,736 --> 01:08:10,086
And he goes, "Yeah, you are."
1244
01:08:17,963 --> 01:08:19,399
[CLAP ECHOES]
1245
01:08:19,573 --> 01:08:21,184
[BUCKLEY EXHALES SHARPLY]
1246
01:08:21,358 --> 01:08:23,229
[PLAYING INTRO
TO "HALLELUJAH"]
1247
01:08:32,064 --> 01:08:35,720
BERKOWITZ:
"Hallelujah," which is
so emotional and spiritual
1248
01:08:35,894 --> 01:08:39,724
and so open to feeling
and interpretation...
1249
01:08:41,421 --> 01:08:42,988
Good choice for Jeff Buckley.
1250
01:08:46,209 --> 01:08:49,255
Jeff was an instrument
of Leonard's and that song
1251
01:08:49,429 --> 01:08:50,604
to turn it
into something else.
1252
01:08:55,131 --> 01:08:58,612
His guitar playing on that
is astounding.
1253
01:08:58,786 --> 01:09:01,267
People always talk about
his voice, which obviously...
1254
01:09:01,441 --> 01:09:06,316
But his guitar playing is,
like, crazy good.
1255
01:09:06,490 --> 01:09:09,275
FELDMAN:
I think, musically,
he made it his own.
1256
01:09:09,449 --> 01:09:10,972
Leonard wrote a beautiful song,
1257
01:09:11,147 --> 01:09:14,628
and then Jeff made it sound
like an angel was singing it.
1258
01:09:14,802 --> 01:09:18,545
♪ Your faith was strong
But you needed proof ♪
1259
01:09:18,719 --> 01:09:21,592
♪ You saw her bathing
On the roof ♪
1260
01:09:21,766 --> 01:09:25,726
♪ Her beauty in the moonlight
Overthrew you ♪
1261
01:09:28,207 --> 01:09:31,776
♪ She tied you
To a kitchen chair ♪
1262
01:09:31,950 --> 01:09:34,866
♪ She broke your throne
And she cut your hair ♪
1263
01:09:35,040 --> 01:09:40,045
♪ And from your lips
She drew the Hallelujah ♪
1264
01:09:41,481 --> 01:09:45,703
♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah ♪
1265
01:09:45,877 --> 01:09:47,966
BERKOWITZ:
Jeff didn't make it
a better song.
1266
01:09:48,140 --> 01:09:49,707
It was already a great song.
1267
01:09:49,881 --> 01:09:52,231
You know, Leonard wrote it.
1268
01:09:52,405 --> 01:09:55,930
But he did elevate the plateau
of visibility for that song
1269
01:09:56,104 --> 01:09:59,673
to the rest of the world
in a more popular vein
1270
01:09:59,847 --> 01:10:03,547
and maybe a less forbidding way
than those dark, grumbly voices
1271
01:10:03,721 --> 01:10:05,549
of those older guys
who had done it,
1272
01:10:05,723 --> 01:10:07,551
whether it was Cale
or Leonard or Dylan.
1273
01:10:07,725 --> 01:10:10,989
BUCKLEY:
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1274
01:10:11,163 --> 01:10:14,035
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1275
01:10:14,210 --> 01:10:18,301
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1276
01:10:18,475 --> 01:10:22,740
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1277
01:10:22,914 --> 01:10:25,830
WASSER:
I did see him end the show
often with that song.
1278
01:10:27,962 --> 01:10:29,442
It was so effective.
1279
01:10:30,878 --> 01:10:32,315
It's just him.
1280
01:10:32,489 --> 01:10:36,232
♪ Hall... ♪
1281
01:10:38,321 --> 01:10:39,844
And it's very exposed.
1282
01:10:41,062 --> 01:10:43,151
♪ Hall... ♪
1283
01:10:43,326 --> 01:10:48,809
And he did make it
sort of overtly sexual, um,
1284
01:10:48,983 --> 01:10:51,247
which, I think,
was really fun for him to do.
1285
01:10:51,421 --> 01:10:54,075
♪ --lujah ♪
1286
01:10:54,250 --> 01:11:01,126
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1287
01:11:05,696 --> 01:11:07,698
[AUDIENCE CHEERING,
APPLAUDING]
1288
01:11:11,267 --> 01:11:12,616
What was the question?
1289
01:11:12,790 --> 01:11:14,444
[REPORTER]
It was about Leonard Cohen.
1290
01:11:14,618 --> 01:11:16,097
Do you know
whether he's heard... ?
1291
01:11:16,272 --> 01:11:17,751
I hope he never hears it.
1292
01:11:17,925 --> 01:11:18,883
Why?
1293
01:11:20,276 --> 01:11:21,538
[SIGHS]
'Cause...
1294
01:11:23,366 --> 01:11:24,541
Uh...
1295
01:11:24,715 --> 01:11:26,194
I don't know.
1296
01:11:26,369 --> 01:11:29,241
To me, it sounds more
like a boy singing it.
1297
01:11:29,415 --> 01:11:32,070
[BUCKLEY VOCALIZING]
1298
01:11:42,559 --> 01:11:44,169
Jeff didn't live
to see "Hallelujah"
1299
01:11:44,343 --> 01:11:45,997
becoming the song it did.
1300
01:11:50,915 --> 01:11:54,048
But after he died, of course,
1301
01:11:54,222 --> 01:11:56,921
a lot of people came
to his version of that song.
1302
01:12:00,664 --> 01:12:02,666
KENNEDY:
This song was played
by a gentleman that
1303
01:12:02,840 --> 01:12:04,929
is probably one
of my biggest influences
1304
01:12:05,103 --> 01:12:06,844
and a number of other people's
as well.
1305
01:12:07,018 --> 01:12:09,629
We owe a great debt
to Mr. Jeff Buckley.
1306
01:12:12,763 --> 01:12:15,635
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1307
01:12:17,550 --> 01:12:20,292
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1308
01:12:21,685 --> 01:12:24,209
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1309
01:12:24,383 --> 01:12:25,993
[CROWD CHEERING]
1310
01:12:26,167 --> 01:12:29,606
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1311
01:12:29,780 --> 01:12:31,651
The question is,
if he hadn't died,
1312
01:12:31,825 --> 01:12:34,262
would that song have
taken the place it did?
1313
01:12:36,308 --> 01:12:37,222
To Jeff Buckley.
1314
01:12:44,360 --> 01:12:45,186
"Hallelujah"?
1315
01:12:45,361 --> 01:12:47,363
[CROWD CHEERS]
1316
01:12:47,537 --> 01:12:49,147
Is that what you're saying?
1317
01:12:51,410 --> 01:12:52,368
All right, what the hell.
1318
01:12:54,718 --> 01:12:56,807
CARLILE:
For me, Jeff Buckley's
"Hallelujah"
1319
01:12:56,981 --> 01:13:00,158
is paramount
to why I sing and how I sing.
1320
01:13:00,332 --> 01:13:02,726
Hearing those lyrics
come out of his mouth
1321
01:13:02,900 --> 01:13:04,989
was the first time
it really got me.
1322
01:13:06,991 --> 01:13:08,601
I became immediately obsessed
with it.
1323
01:13:10,255 --> 01:13:11,822
I would put it on repeat
1324
01:13:11,996 --> 01:13:13,432
next to my head
when I'd go to sleep.
1325
01:13:13,606 --> 01:13:14,781
I had a little
boom-box CD player.
1326
01:13:14,955 --> 01:13:16,566
And just listen to it
all night long.
1327
01:13:16,740 --> 01:13:20,787
And it kind of informed
a lot of my dreams and visions.
1328
01:13:20,961 --> 01:13:23,137
It was what was causing me
1329
01:13:23,311 --> 01:13:26,227
to reconcile my faith
and my sexuality at the time.
1330
01:13:26,402 --> 01:13:28,229
It was what was helping me...
1331
01:13:30,057 --> 01:13:32,886
feel a part of that narrative.
1332
01:13:33,060 --> 01:13:36,847
♪ Well, darling
I've been here before ♪
1333
01:13:37,021 --> 01:13:40,067
♪ I've seen this room
I've walked these floors ♪
1334
01:13:40,241 --> 01:13:45,856
♪ You know I used to live alone
Before I knew you... ♪
1335
01:13:46,030 --> 01:13:49,468
It evokes some of the most
primitive human desires.
1336
01:13:49,642 --> 01:13:51,209
And it marries it
with a concept
1337
01:13:51,383 --> 01:13:52,732
that so many of us
struggle with,
1338
01:13:52,906 --> 01:13:54,430
which is spirituality.
1339
01:13:54,604 --> 01:13:57,694
♪ It's a cold
And it's a broken ♪
1340
01:13:57,868 --> 01:14:01,654
♪ Hallelujah... ♪
1341
01:14:01,828 --> 01:14:03,221
Leonard Cohen
somehow understood
1342
01:14:03,395 --> 01:14:06,093
that "Hallelujah"
wasn't a church song,
1343
01:14:06,267 --> 01:14:10,489
but that it was actually
a moment of realization that...
1344
01:14:10,663 --> 01:14:12,230
life can be desperately hard.
1345
01:14:12,404 --> 01:14:15,146
And for me, that was just
something I really wanted to say
1346
01:14:15,320 --> 01:14:16,974
every day to myself,
1347
01:14:17,148 --> 01:14:20,412
as I was going through
that phase of coming-of-age
1348
01:14:20,586 --> 01:14:24,024
and trying to understand, um...
1349
01:14:24,198 --> 01:14:27,288
what it meant to be young,
faithful and gay.
1350
01:14:27,463 --> 01:14:34,078
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1351
01:14:38,735 --> 01:14:41,128
♪ Hey, Hallelujah ♪
1352
01:14:43,653 --> 01:14:46,482
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING,
CHEERING]
1353
01:14:46,656 --> 01:14:47,831
Thank you very much!
1354
01:14:49,659 --> 01:14:52,531
[♪♪♪]
1355
01:15:06,371 --> 01:15:09,330
COHEN:
You're watching
an in-concert profile of me.
1356
01:15:09,505 --> 01:15:11,811
I don't want to say
too much about myself
1357
01:15:11,985 --> 01:15:14,074
because most of you
don't know who I am,
1358
01:15:14,248 --> 01:15:16,294
and those of you who do
already know something
1359
01:15:16,468 --> 01:15:19,732
about my curious career
and my marginal presence
1360
01:15:19,906 --> 01:15:22,692
on the edge of the music scene
for the past 30 years.
1361
01:15:22,866 --> 01:15:25,433
One reason
I've hung around so long
1362
01:15:25,608 --> 01:15:27,827
is it takes me four or five
years to do an album.
1363
01:15:31,875 --> 01:15:35,182
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1364
01:15:37,576 --> 01:15:40,448
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1365
01:15:40,623 --> 01:15:41,667
[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]
1366
01:15:51,677 --> 01:15:54,898
♪ Maybe there's a God above ♪
1367
01:15:55,072 --> 01:16:00,730
♪ As for me
All I ever learned from love ♪
1368
01:16:00,904 --> 01:16:02,993
♪ Is how to shoot at someone ♪
1369
01:16:03,167 --> 01:16:05,691
[LAUGHS]
1370
01:16:05,865 --> 01:16:09,390
♪ Who outdrew you... ♪
1371
01:16:09,565 --> 01:16:13,003
COHEN:
I had a great sense
of disorder in my life,
1372
01:16:13,177 --> 01:16:16,702
of chaos, of depression,
of distress.
1373
01:16:16,876 --> 01:16:19,270
I had no idea
where this came from,
1374
01:16:19,444 --> 01:16:23,579
and the prevailing
psychoanalytic explanations
1375
01:16:23,753 --> 01:16:27,191
didn't seem to address
the things I felt.
1376
01:16:27,365 --> 01:16:34,241
♪ A broken Hallelujah ♪
1377
01:16:34,415 --> 01:16:38,332
ALL:
♪ Hallelujah... ♪
1378
01:16:38,506 --> 01:16:42,162
At a certain point,
I'd finished the tour,
1379
01:16:42,336 --> 01:16:44,948
and I'd been drinking a lot,
1380
01:16:45,122 --> 01:16:47,603
which became progressively
more distressing.
1381
01:16:49,779 --> 01:16:55,611
And I didn't see much more
future in show business.
1382
01:16:55,785 --> 01:17:00,050
♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah ♪
1383
01:17:05,969 --> 01:17:09,581
♪ I did my best
I know it wasn't much ♪
1384
01:17:09,755 --> 01:17:15,674
♪ I could not feel that is why
I learned to touch ♪
1385
01:17:15,848 --> 01:17:18,808
INTERVIEWER:
You've been spending a lot
of time outside of Los Angeles.
1386
01:17:18,982 --> 01:17:20,984
COHEN:
That's right.
There's a Zen monastery
1387
01:17:21,158 --> 01:17:22,594
that I've been living at
on Mount Baldy,
1388
01:17:22,768 --> 01:17:25,423
about 6500 feet up.
1389
01:17:25,597 --> 01:17:27,164
[GONG SOUNDING]
1390
01:17:33,170 --> 01:17:35,694
BACAL:
I visited him
up at Mount Baldy.
1391
01:17:37,522 --> 01:17:40,133
It was a primordial rock pile.
1392
01:17:40,307 --> 01:17:41,874
[♪♪♪]
1393
01:17:44,790 --> 01:17:47,271
It was not a comforting place.
1394
01:17:47,445 --> 01:17:49,012
[CHUCKLES]
1395
01:17:49,186 --> 01:17:52,711
Well, Zen practice
isn't comforting either.
1396
01:17:52,885 --> 01:17:55,801
It's, uh...
It's not for the meek.
1397
01:18:00,023 --> 01:18:01,851
COHEN:
It's a rigorous life.
1398
01:18:04,114 --> 01:18:05,942
It's designed
to overthrow you.
1399
01:18:10,163 --> 01:18:11,817
If it isn't a matter
of survival,
1400
01:18:11,991 --> 01:18:14,211
of life and death,
of healing or sickness,
1401
01:18:14,385 --> 01:18:16,561
then I don't think anyone
in their right mind
1402
01:18:16,735 --> 01:18:18,824
would undertake
this kind of training.
1403
01:18:22,828 --> 01:18:24,830
INTERVIEWER:
So it's almost
like medicine for you, then?
1404
01:18:27,703 --> 01:18:31,010
COHEN:
Well, it's a very careful
and precise investigation
1405
01:18:31,184 --> 01:18:34,274
into the self
that was urgent for me.
1406
01:18:34,448 --> 01:18:36,494
If you're sitting
in a meditation hall
1407
01:18:36,668 --> 01:18:38,626
for four or five hours a day,
1408
01:18:38,801 --> 01:18:42,021
you kind of get straight
with yourself.
1409
01:18:42,195 --> 01:18:45,459
So this is not on the level
of a religious conversion.
1410
01:18:45,633 --> 01:18:47,984
It's closer to science
than religion.
1411
01:18:51,248 --> 01:18:54,860
INTERVIEWER:
Do you find it inspiring
as a writer?
1412
01:18:55,034 --> 01:18:58,298
COHEN:
I think it's like peeling away
the layers of the onion,
1413
01:18:58,472 --> 01:19:00,257
which is the process
I've always used
1414
01:19:00,431 --> 01:19:02,520
in writing anyways.
1415
01:19:02,694 --> 01:19:04,348
You keep discarding the stuff
1416
01:19:04,522 --> 01:19:08,178
that is too easy
or too much of a slogan.
1417
01:19:08,352 --> 01:19:10,615
Yeah, this kind of practice
is valuable,
1418
01:19:10,789 --> 01:19:14,140
but there's no guarantee
that any kind of training
1419
01:19:14,314 --> 01:19:17,709
or environment or situation
results in a good song.
1420
01:19:20,973 --> 01:19:23,933
BACAL:
He told me
that when he sat in Zazen,
1421
01:19:24,107 --> 01:19:25,804
he was writing songs.
1422
01:19:27,632 --> 01:19:29,808
That's not exactly
what one would think
1423
01:19:29,982 --> 01:19:32,376
you're doing in Zazen.
1424
01:19:32,550 --> 01:19:36,075
In Zazen,
you would clear your mind.
1425
01:19:36,249 --> 01:19:38,817
[COHEN'S "ANTHEM" PLAYING]
1426
01:19:46,346 --> 01:19:49,610
♪ The birds
They sang ♪
1427
01:19:49,785 --> 01:19:51,961
♪ At the break of day ♪
1428
01:19:53,963 --> 01:19:55,834
♪ Start again ♪
1429
01:19:57,314 --> 01:19:59,882
♪ I heard them say ♪
1430
01:20:01,535 --> 01:20:04,800
♪ Don't dwell ♪
1431
01:20:04,974 --> 01:20:08,542
♪ On what has passed away ♪
1432
01:20:08,716 --> 01:20:12,285
♪ Or what is yet to be ♪
1433
01:20:12,459 --> 01:20:14,766
INTERVIEWER:
Why did you leave Mount Baldy?
1434
01:20:14,940 --> 01:20:16,724
COHEN:
I felt I'd been there
long enough,
1435
01:20:16,899 --> 01:20:18,944
and I found myself
saying to Roshi
1436
01:20:19,118 --> 01:20:21,381
that I think it's time to go
down the hill for a while.
1437
01:20:23,688 --> 01:20:27,039
♪ The Holy Dove ♪
1438
01:20:27,213 --> 01:20:29,955
♪ She will be caught again ♪
1439
01:20:32,262 --> 01:20:35,569
♪ Bought and sold ♪
1440
01:20:35,743 --> 01:20:38,268
♪ Then bought again ♪
1441
01:20:38,442 --> 01:20:42,011
♪ The Dove is never free... ♪
1442
01:21:12,563 --> 01:21:14,913
♪ There is a crack ♪
1443
01:21:15,087 --> 01:21:19,831
♪ A crack in everything ♪
1444
01:21:20,005 --> 01:21:23,400
♪ That's how the light
Gets in ♪
1445
01:21:23,574 --> 01:21:26,359
♪ That's how
The light gets in ♪
1446
01:21:31,756 --> 01:21:34,150
SLOMAN:
"Hallelujah," you know,
obviously had wings,
1447
01:21:34,324 --> 01:21:36,195
but what was the thing
that really broke it?
1448
01:21:36,369 --> 01:21:38,415
When was
the first movie version?
1449
01:21:38,589 --> 01:21:43,072
It was just Cale,
then Buckley...
1450
01:21:43,246 --> 01:21:44,682
And then...
1451
01:21:44,856 --> 01:21:46,553
INTERVIEWER: And then Shrek. Shrek.
1452
01:21:48,555 --> 01:21:50,470
So Shrekreally broke it.
1453
01:21:50,644 --> 01:21:53,343
I have not seen Shrek.
1454
01:21:53,517 --> 01:21:56,824
And I actually just need
to check, is that a cartoon?
1455
01:21:56,999 --> 01:21:59,349
♪ The years start comin'
And they don't stop comin' ♪
1456
01:21:59,523 --> 01:22:01,612
♪ Fed to the rules
And I hit the ground runnin' ♪
1457
01:22:01,786 --> 01:22:03,875
♪ Didn't make sense
Not to live for fun... ♪
1458
01:22:04,049 --> 01:22:06,617
JENSON:
This was the first
of its kind.
1459
01:22:06,791 --> 01:22:09,881
They weren't traditional
fairytale characters.
1460
01:22:10,055 --> 01:22:12,492
And the music was different.
1461
01:22:12,666 --> 01:22:17,715
It just reflected
our comedic aesthetics and...
1462
01:22:17,889 --> 01:22:19,282
what would keep us,
1463
01:22:19,456 --> 01:22:21,458
keep our butts in a seat
watching a movie.
1464
01:22:21,632 --> 01:22:23,155
["HALLELUJAH" PLAYING]
1465
01:22:23,329 --> 01:22:25,941
And I'd been a fan
of Leonard Cohen
1466
01:22:26,115 --> 01:22:28,247
since the early '90s.
1467
01:22:28,421 --> 01:22:31,598
♪ I heard there was
A secret chord... ♪
1468
01:22:31,772 --> 01:22:33,861
I came across him
throughI'm Your Fan,
1469
01:22:34,036 --> 01:22:37,778
and John Cale's version
of "Hallelujah."
1470
01:22:37,953 --> 01:22:40,303
I just played that
over and over and over again.
1471
01:22:40,477 --> 01:22:42,827
And one of the first jobs
I was given,
1472
01:22:43,001 --> 01:22:46,265
as a newer director
on the movie,
1473
01:22:46,439 --> 01:22:48,267
was "figure this moment out."
1474
01:22:48,441 --> 01:22:52,576
♪ Baby, I've been here before ♪
1475
01:22:52,750 --> 01:22:55,579
♪ I know this room
I've walked this floor... ♪
1476
01:22:55,753 --> 01:22:59,104
It's just this interesting,
complex mix of feelings
1477
01:22:59,278 --> 01:23:02,978
that you don't often see
in a family movie.
1478
01:23:03,152 --> 01:23:05,154
But we all agreed we loved it.
1479
01:23:05,328 --> 01:23:07,330
And Aron Warner,
our producer, said:
1480
01:23:07,504 --> 01:23:10,246
"Okay, that's great.
Go figure it out."
1481
01:23:10,420 --> 01:23:12,291
So I worked with the lyrics,
1482
01:23:12,465 --> 01:23:16,208
trimming down the song
to edit out the naughty bits
1483
01:23:16,382 --> 01:23:20,212
and get the song down to,
you know, a couple of minutes.
1484
01:23:22,649 --> 01:23:24,695
INTERVIEWER:
What are the naughty bits?
1485
01:23:24,869 --> 01:23:27,480
JENSON:
Oh, "Tied you
to a kitchen chair,"
1486
01:23:27,654 --> 01:23:30,135
and all of the very
personal lyrics
1487
01:23:30,309 --> 01:23:32,224
that had to do
with the specific
1488
01:23:32,398 --> 01:23:33,965
sexual aspect
of the relationship.
1489
01:23:34,139 --> 01:23:36,576
And we trimmed down choruses
1490
01:23:36,750 --> 01:23:40,189
and then re-storyboarded
to that version.
1491
01:23:40,363 --> 01:23:43,583
COHEN:
John Cale asked me
for a bunch of lyrics.
1492
01:23:43,757 --> 01:23:46,282
Is his in Shrek
or is that Rufus Wainwright's?
1493
01:23:46,456 --> 01:23:47,979
INTERVIEWER:
That's a good question.
1494
01:23:48,153 --> 01:23:49,459
I think it's Rufus's.
1495
01:23:49,633 --> 01:23:52,201
[WAINWRIGHT PLAYING "HALLELUJAH"
ON PIANO]
1496
01:23:55,073 --> 01:23:57,597
WAINWRIGHT:
What's interesting about my
relationship to "Hallelujah"
1497
01:23:57,771 --> 01:23:59,425
is that I didn't know
the song at all.
1498
01:23:59,599 --> 01:24:01,645
I didn't know
Jeff Buckley's version.
1499
01:24:01,819 --> 01:24:04,300
I didn't know
Leonard Cohen's version.
1500
01:24:04,474 --> 01:24:07,607
♪ I heard there was
A secret chord... ♪
1501
01:24:07,781 --> 01:24:10,741
But what occurred was that
I was on DreamWorks Records,
1502
01:24:10,915 --> 01:24:14,049
and DreamWorks was also making
the movieShrek.
1503
01:24:14,223 --> 01:24:16,747
And there was some kind
of backroom deal...
1504
01:24:16,921 --> 01:24:18,618
[CHUCKLES]
1505
01:24:18,792 --> 01:24:21,404
...that was struck
between the powers that be
1506
01:24:21,578 --> 01:24:23,623
at the animation studio
and the record company.
1507
01:24:28,933 --> 01:24:32,719
So I recut John Cale's version
in the studio,
1508
01:24:32,893 --> 01:24:35,853
assuming that it would be
in the movie.
1509
01:24:36,027 --> 01:24:39,074
But then they came back to us
and they said:
1510
01:24:39,248 --> 01:24:42,164
"Unfortunately, the filmmakers
1511
01:24:42,338 --> 01:24:44,862
have decided to keep
John Cale's version in."
1512
01:24:45,036 --> 01:24:49,040
'Cause they thought his voice
matched Shrek more, heh-heh!
1513
01:24:49,214 --> 01:24:51,260
Yes, it was rejected
for the movie.
1514
01:24:51,434 --> 01:24:53,175
[INTERVIEWER LAUGHS]And that was just me.
1515
01:24:53,349 --> 01:24:54,785
[BOTH LAUGH]
1516
01:24:54,959 --> 01:24:56,787
Sorry, I'm really sorry.
1517
01:24:56,961 --> 01:24:58,528
I love John Cale's version.
1518
01:24:58,702 --> 01:25:01,705
John Cale is one of my
all-time favorite artists,
1519
01:25:01,879 --> 01:25:06,753
but I can see how there's more
of a kind of Welsh,
1520
01:25:06,927 --> 01:25:11,018
sour quality, which I could see
would work better with Shrek
1521
01:25:11,193 --> 01:25:15,458
than my gorgeous,
you know, 22-year-old tenor.
1522
01:25:15,632 --> 01:25:19,592
WAINWRIGHT:
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1523
01:25:19,766 --> 01:25:23,466
♪ Hallelujah... ♪
1524
01:25:23,640 --> 01:25:26,251
JENSON:
Look, I love Rufus Wainwright.
He's fantastic.
1525
01:25:26,425 --> 01:25:29,080
And it's a beautiful,
beautiful version.
1526
01:25:29,254 --> 01:25:31,300
But it always felt
too young to me.
1527
01:25:32,866 --> 01:25:35,086
It felt like someone's
first heartbreak.
1528
01:25:35,260 --> 01:25:38,611
♪ Baby, I've been here before ♪
1529
01:25:38,785 --> 01:25:42,398
♪ I know this room
And I've walked this floor ♪
1530
01:25:42,572 --> 01:25:47,403
♪ I used to live alone
Before I knew you ♪
1531
01:25:47,577 --> 01:25:50,319
So I just put my foot down.
1532
01:25:50,493 --> 01:25:55,802
But the caveat
that was arranged
1533
01:25:55,976 --> 01:26:00,503
was that my version
would be on the soundtrack.
1534
01:26:00,677 --> 01:26:03,070
ANNOUNCER:
Shrek. Music from
the original motion picture.
1535
01:26:03,245 --> 01:26:04,681
Wow!
1536
01:26:04,855 --> 01:26:11,166
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1537
01:26:11,340 --> 01:26:13,342
JENSON:
And as the years went by,
1538
01:26:13,516 --> 01:26:16,997
watching any of the talent
shows on TV,
1539
01:26:17,172 --> 01:26:18,695
somebody would sing it
1540
01:26:18,869 --> 01:26:20,784
and somebody would play it
with a ukulele.
1541
01:26:20,958 --> 01:26:23,874
And it was always
the, you know, Shrekversion,
1542
01:26:24,048 --> 01:26:28,705
the shortened version that has
all the naughty bits taken out.
1543
01:26:28,879 --> 01:26:30,620
[LAUGHS]
1544
01:26:30,794 --> 01:26:34,450
["AMERICAN IDOL" THEME PLAYING]
1545
01:26:34,624 --> 01:26:36,408
So just give us
a little background,
1546
01:26:36,582 --> 01:26:37,888
why this song for Lee?
1547
01:26:38,062 --> 01:26:39,672
I like him as a person.
1548
01:26:39,846 --> 01:26:42,327
And I wanted him
to do something
1549
01:26:42,501 --> 01:26:45,504
which shows that he's got the
potential to be a great artist.
1550
01:26:45,678 --> 01:26:48,159
That's why I chose this song,
I love this song.
1551
01:26:48,333 --> 01:26:51,075
Singing live for your votes,
here's "Hallelujah."
1552
01:26:51,249 --> 01:26:53,120
[AUDIENCE CHEERING]
1553
01:26:53,295 --> 01:26:56,341
♪ Baby, I've been here
Before... ♪
1554
01:26:56,515 --> 01:27:00,650
♪ I've seen this room
And I've walked this floor... ♪
1555
01:27:00,824 --> 01:27:05,481
♪ I used to live alone
Before I knew you... ♪
1556
01:27:07,831 --> 01:27:12,923
♪ Now I've heard there was
A secret chord that... ♪
1557
01:27:13,097 --> 01:27:14,098
[WHISPERS]
1558
01:27:15,752 --> 01:27:17,493
♪ And it pleased the Lord... ♪
1559
01:27:17,667 --> 01:27:21,148
♪ Maybe there's a God above... ♪
1560
01:27:21,323 --> 01:27:24,848
♪ All I've ever learned
From love... ♪
1561
01:27:25,022 --> 01:27:31,681
♪ Is how to shoot somebody
Who outdrew you... ♪
1562
01:27:31,855 --> 01:27:35,641
CHOIR: ♪ Hallelujah ♪♪ Hallelujah ♪
1563
01:27:35,815 --> 01:27:39,689
CHOIR: ♪ Hallelujah ♪♪ Oh, Hallelujah ♪
1564
01:27:39,863 --> 01:27:44,346
CHOIR: ♪ Hallelujah ♪♪ Hallelujah ♪
1565
01:27:44,520 --> 01:27:51,396
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1566
01:27:53,529 --> 01:27:56,009
[AUDIENCE CHEERING, APPLAUDING]
1567
01:27:56,183 --> 01:27:57,315
COWELL:
That was just...
1568
01:27:58,838 --> 01:28:01,754
I mean, seriously, incredible.
1569
01:28:01,928 --> 01:28:04,888
Thank you, Simon.COWELL: You've gotta win.
1570
01:28:05,062 --> 01:28:07,543
If you want the winner's single
to be released by Alexandra,
1571
01:28:07,717 --> 01:28:09,588
you have to vote for her.
1572
01:28:18,380 --> 01:28:21,644
INTERVIEWER:
Leonard Cohen, let me ask you
about "Hallelujah."
1573
01:28:21,818 --> 01:28:24,647
It took on a whole new energy
this past Christmas.
1574
01:28:24,821 --> 01:28:26,779
It appeared Number 1
and Number 2
1575
01:28:26,953 --> 01:28:28,738
on the UK bestseller charts.
1576
01:28:28,912 --> 01:28:33,003
And your version from 1984
was also in the top 40.
1577
01:28:33,177 --> 01:28:34,613
What did you make of that?
1578
01:28:34,787 --> 01:28:36,398
Well, of course,
1579
01:28:36,572 --> 01:28:40,445
there were certain ironic
and amusing sidebars,
1580
01:28:40,619 --> 01:28:43,622
you know, because the record
that it came from
1581
01:28:43,796 --> 01:28:47,234
wasn't considered good enough
for the American market.
1582
01:28:47,409 --> 01:28:49,976
It wasn't put out,
so there was a certain sense of
1583
01:28:50,150 --> 01:28:51,935
a mild sense of revenge...
1584
01:28:53,545 --> 01:28:55,417
that arose in my heart.
1585
01:28:55,591 --> 01:28:58,115
INTERVIEWER:
What is the magic
of "Hallelujah"?
1586
01:28:58,289 --> 01:29:00,117
I don't know.
1587
01:29:00,291 --> 01:29:04,121
You know, one is always trying
to write a good song and...
1588
01:29:04,295 --> 01:29:05,818
like everything else,
1589
01:29:05,992 --> 01:29:08,473
you put in your best effort,
but you can't...
1590
01:29:08,647 --> 01:29:11,302
command the consequences, so...
1591
01:29:11,476 --> 01:29:15,175
Of course, I was happy
that the song was being used,
1592
01:29:15,350 --> 01:29:18,527
but I think people ought to stop
singing it for a little while.
1593
01:29:21,051 --> 01:29:23,314
Leonard was kidding.INTERVIEWER: You think?
1594
01:29:23,488 --> 01:29:25,664
Yes, yes. You know...
1595
01:29:25,838 --> 01:29:27,927
I mean, I think
he was tickled pink
1596
01:29:28,101 --> 01:29:31,148
that everybody and their sister
were singing this song.
1597
01:29:36,806 --> 01:29:39,896
[BRAKES SQUEAL,
THEN DOOR WARNING BELL DINGS]
1598
01:29:40,070 --> 01:29:45,292
♪ You don't really care
For music, do you? ♪
1599
01:29:47,164 --> 01:29:50,907
♪ It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth ♪
1600
01:29:51,081 --> 01:29:52,909
♪ The minor fall... ♪
1601
01:29:53,083 --> 01:29:55,477
[PLAYING "HALLELUJAH"]
1602
01:30:03,049 --> 01:30:05,791
CARLILE:
What a song can do when it
gets out into the world,
1603
01:30:05,965 --> 01:30:08,751
despite its challenges,
is really, really fascinating.
1604
01:30:08,925 --> 01:30:12,232
ALL:
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1605
01:30:12,407 --> 01:30:15,235
♪ Hallelujah... ♪
1606
01:30:15,410 --> 01:30:17,803
"Hallelujah"
really beat the odds
1607
01:30:17,977 --> 01:30:19,457
in that it's
its own thing now.
1608
01:30:21,590 --> 01:30:24,506
It's its own person,
and it has its own life.
1609
01:30:24,680 --> 01:30:27,465
♪ Hallelujah... ♪
1610
01:30:29,859 --> 01:30:32,949
People love it for their
weddings and their engagements.
1611
01:30:35,299 --> 01:30:37,780
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1612
01:30:39,259 --> 01:30:40,478
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1613
01:30:40,652 --> 01:30:42,437
And their dark times.
1614
01:30:46,397 --> 01:30:50,096
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1615
01:30:50,270 --> 01:30:53,404
♪ Hallelujah... ♪
1616
01:30:53,578 --> 01:30:55,450
CHURCH:
It always feels like every
time you hear the song
1617
01:30:55,624 --> 01:30:57,234
that something big
has just happened.
1618
01:30:59,323 --> 01:31:01,456
You don't just hear the song
and pass by the song
1619
01:31:01,630 --> 01:31:04,154
and move to the next song.
1620
01:31:04,328 --> 01:31:07,853
I love that it doesn't matter
if you're agnostic
1621
01:31:08,027 --> 01:31:09,638
or Christian or Jewish
or whatever...
1622
01:31:09,812 --> 01:31:13,685
There's parts of the song
that apply to you.
1623
01:31:14,860 --> 01:31:15,818
And they're all right,
1624
01:31:15,992 --> 01:31:17,559
none of them are wrong.
1625
01:31:21,345 --> 01:31:22,912
I'm going
to try something here.
1626
01:31:23,086 --> 01:31:25,131
This could go bad.
1627
01:31:25,305 --> 01:31:27,264
I was at Red Rocks,
and earlier in the day,
1628
01:31:27,438 --> 01:31:29,266
I was listening to a mix.
1629
01:31:29,440 --> 01:31:35,490
And by chance, Jeff Buckley's
"Hallelujah" came on my iPod.
1630
01:31:35,664 --> 01:31:38,580
I had never played the song,
but I had a little slot
1631
01:31:38,754 --> 01:31:42,018
that was kind of a question-mark
slot on the set list.
1632
01:31:42,192 --> 01:31:44,542
I didn't say anything
to the band beforehand.
1633
01:31:44,716 --> 01:31:46,979
They didn't know
I was gonna do it.
1634
01:31:47,153 --> 01:31:50,896
♪ I heard there was
A secret chord ♪
1635
01:31:51,070 --> 01:31:54,073
♪ That David played
And it pleased the Lord ♪
1636
01:31:54,247 --> 01:31:57,120
♪ But you don't really care
For music, do you? ♪
1637
01:31:57,294 --> 01:32:00,471
[AUDIENCE WHOOPING]
1638
01:32:00,645 --> 01:32:02,865
♪ It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth ♪
1639
01:32:03,039 --> 01:32:06,999
♪ The minor fall
The major lift ♪
1640
01:32:07,173 --> 01:32:11,482
♪ The baffled king
Composing Hallelujah ♪
1641
01:32:13,005 --> 01:32:14,746
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1642
01:32:16,443 --> 01:32:17,662
♪ Hallelujah... ♪
1643
01:32:17,836 --> 01:32:19,751
What I didn't anticipate,
1644
01:32:19,925 --> 01:32:22,275
'cause I'm still pretty new
to this song,
1645
01:32:22,449 --> 01:32:24,626
I didn't anticipate
the way the crowd would react.
1646
01:32:26,105 --> 01:32:28,804
[AUDIENCE CHEERING]
1647
01:32:31,633 --> 01:32:33,678
I mean, there are 10,000 people
between two rocks
1648
01:32:33,852 --> 01:32:36,812
in-in what looks
like a cathedral.
1649
01:32:36,986 --> 01:32:38,465
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1650
01:32:40,337 --> 01:32:42,121
♪ Hallelujah... ♪
1651
01:32:42,295 --> 01:32:44,471
And for me, that was
one of those nights that,
1652
01:32:44,646 --> 01:32:47,431
when it's all said and done
and all over,
1653
01:32:47,605 --> 01:32:49,955
I'm not gonna remember
a lot of things, probably,
1654
01:32:50,129 --> 01:32:52,654
but I'm going to remember
singing "Hallelujah,"
1655
01:32:52,828 --> 01:32:55,526
night one at Red Rocks,
no doubt.
1656
01:32:55,700 --> 01:32:59,312
And I'll remember the people,
and I'll remember...
1657
01:32:59,486 --> 01:33:01,184
the way they responded
to the song.
1658
01:33:01,358 --> 01:33:03,490
It was...
1659
01:33:03,665 --> 01:33:04,796
just like being in church.
1660
01:33:06,755 --> 01:33:08,974
[ALL CHEERING]
1661
01:33:21,857 --> 01:33:25,251
[COHEN'S "IN MY SECRET LIFE"
PLAYING]
1662
01:33:25,425 --> 01:33:29,386
♪ In my secret life... ♪
1663
01:33:29,560 --> 01:33:31,388
DABROWSKI:
So where are you now?
1664
01:33:31,562 --> 01:33:33,738
COHEN:
You know, nothing's over
till it's over,
1665
01:33:33,912 --> 01:33:36,436
but I find myself
in a graceful moment.
1666
01:33:38,221 --> 01:33:40,702
So the depressions that you
suffered from very much
1667
01:33:40,876 --> 01:33:41,833
in your earlier days?
1668
01:33:43,400 --> 01:33:44,749
They've lifted.
1669
01:33:47,360 --> 01:33:48,884
They've lifted completely.
1670
01:33:49,058 --> 01:33:50,407
♪ I saw you this morning ♪
1671
01:33:50,581 --> 01:33:52,017
It's not so much that I...
1672
01:33:52,191 --> 01:33:54,106
♪ You were moving so fast... ♪
1673
01:33:54,280 --> 01:33:56,674
I got what I was looking for,
but the, um...
1674
01:33:58,415 --> 01:33:59,808
the search itself dissolved.
1675
01:34:02,941 --> 01:34:05,727
SLOMAN [CHUCKLES]:
It sounds like you had
an amazing moment of clarity
1676
01:34:05,901 --> 01:34:08,338
or revelation or whatever.
1677
01:34:08,512 --> 01:34:11,341
COHEN:
It wasn't as dramatic as that,
there were no bright lights
1678
01:34:11,515 --> 01:34:13,343
but something did happen,
1679
01:34:13,517 --> 01:34:15,127
and God knows
I want to celebrate it.
1680
01:34:15,301 --> 01:34:16,868
But I certainly know
1681
01:34:17,042 --> 01:34:19,218
that any analysis of it
would be futile.
1682
01:34:19,392 --> 01:34:20,263
SLOMAN:
Right.
1683
01:34:22,395 --> 01:34:27,226
♪ And we're still making love ♪
1684
01:34:27,400 --> 01:34:32,536
♪ Oh-oh-oh-oh ♪ ♪ In my secret life ♪
1685
01:34:35,670 --> 01:34:38,194
♪ In my secret life ♪
1686
01:34:40,239 --> 01:34:42,807
♪ I smile when I'm angry... ♪
1687
01:34:42,981 --> 01:34:45,505
ROBINSON:
We were working
on new material.
1688
01:34:45,680 --> 01:34:48,117
So he was coming over
to my studio and...
1689
01:34:48,291 --> 01:34:50,902
One day he came over
and he said:
1690
01:34:51,076 --> 01:34:54,384
"You know, I went to the ATM
and there's no money.
1691
01:34:54,558 --> 01:34:55,864
I've been ripped off."
1692
01:34:58,823 --> 01:35:01,260
INTERVIEWER:
I want to make sure
I've said this clearly,
1693
01:35:01,434 --> 01:35:03,915
you found out
that your business manager
1694
01:35:04,089 --> 01:35:06,918
had basically stolen
all your money,
1695
01:35:07,092 --> 01:35:08,703
the money that had been made
1696
01:35:08,877 --> 01:35:10,356
from selling
your song publishing,
1697
01:35:10,530 --> 01:35:13,316
and your retirement funds.
1698
01:35:13,490 --> 01:35:15,492
COHEN:
That's true.
Yes, that's the way it was.
1699
01:35:17,973 --> 01:35:20,932
COLLINS:
He really turned everything
over to his assistant.
1700
01:35:23,239 --> 01:35:24,719
He signed everything off
to her.
1701
01:35:24,893 --> 01:35:29,506
She could do anything she wanted
with everything that he had.
1702
01:35:29,680 --> 01:35:30,986
Something that...
1703
01:35:31,160 --> 01:35:33,597
[SIGHS]
...apparently is very dangerous.
1704
01:35:33,771 --> 01:35:35,773
[♪♪♪]
1705
01:35:35,947 --> 01:35:37,470
COHEN:
It was enough to put a dent
in your mood,
1706
01:35:37,644 --> 01:35:38,297
you know what I mean?
1707
01:35:38,471 --> 01:35:40,125
[CHUCKLES]
1708
01:35:40,299 --> 01:35:41,474
INTERVIEWER:
Is there a feeling that,
1709
01:35:41,648 --> 01:35:43,389
"Now I better
get back to work?"
1710
01:35:43,563 --> 01:35:45,130
COHEN:
Sure.
1711
01:35:45,304 --> 01:35:47,480
But I joke about
the economic pressures.
1712
01:35:47,654 --> 01:35:50,266
I really did have to get back
to work for that reason,
1713
01:35:50,440 --> 01:35:54,009
but there's also
another kind of pressure.
1714
01:35:54,183 --> 01:35:58,100
You know, 70 is indisputably
not youth.
1715
01:35:58,274 --> 01:36:00,319
I don't say
it's extreme old age,
1716
01:36:00,493 --> 01:36:03,540
but it is the foothills
of old age,
1717
01:36:03,714 --> 01:36:07,022
and that urgent invitation
to complete one's work
1718
01:36:07,196 --> 01:36:10,460
is very much in my life.
1719
01:36:10,634 --> 01:36:14,159
And it's more urgent
than the economic necessity.
1720
01:36:14,333 --> 01:36:18,468
That the two coincide
is just a coincidence.
1721
01:36:28,130 --> 01:36:31,611
[LINE RINGS, THEN CLICKS]
1722
01:36:31,786 --> 01:36:33,918
COHEN: Great talking to you.SLOMAN: Yeah!
1723
01:36:34,092 --> 01:36:36,225
COHEN:
I haven't spoken to you
for a long time.
1724
01:36:36,399 --> 01:36:39,358
SLOMAN:
I remember last time we talked,
you were worrying about
1725
01:36:39,532 --> 01:36:42,753
what was a dignified position
for an old guy like you,
1726
01:36:42,927 --> 01:36:45,408
going from coffee shop to
coffee shop with your guitar?
1727
01:36:45,582 --> 01:36:46,626
COHEN:
Right.
1728
01:36:46,801 --> 01:36:49,238
[♪♪♪]
1729
01:36:49,412 --> 01:36:52,328
SLOMAN:
So are you gonna, uh, tour?
1730
01:36:52,502 --> 01:36:57,202
COHEN:
I may because it's a good
solution to old age and death.
1731
01:36:57,376 --> 01:36:59,335
Just play till you drop.SLOMAN: Right.
1732
01:36:59,509 --> 01:37:01,250
COHEN:
And you keep your work alive,
1733
01:37:01,424 --> 01:37:03,034
and your chops
get better and better.
1734
01:37:03,208 --> 01:37:04,819
[SLOMAN CHUCKLES]
1735
01:37:04,993 --> 01:37:08,170
It's a matter
of establishing priorities.
1736
01:37:08,344 --> 01:37:11,260
SLOMAN:
So Leonard came out again.
1737
01:37:11,434 --> 01:37:13,523
But I think he was...
1738
01:37:13,697 --> 01:37:15,351
kind of apprehensive
1739
01:37:15,525 --> 01:37:18,354
in how, you know,
he'd be received
1740
01:37:18,528 --> 01:37:20,269
'cause it'd been so long.
1741
01:37:20,443 --> 01:37:23,098
He wasn't at all confident
that it was going to work.
1742
01:37:25,622 --> 01:37:30,105
And that's why we started
the tour in a very small venue.
1743
01:37:32,281 --> 01:37:34,022
[BAND TUNING INSTRUMENTS]
1744
01:37:38,461 --> 01:37:42,030
COHEN:
You know, even when I was in
the monastery at Mount Baldy,
1745
01:37:42,204 --> 01:37:45,163
there were times
when I would ask myself:
1746
01:37:45,337 --> 01:37:49,080
"Are you really never going
to get up on a stage again?"
1747
01:37:49,254 --> 01:37:52,910
The idea of performing
was always unresolved.
1748
01:37:55,826 --> 01:37:58,698
I don't mean to suggest
I'm not at all anxious.
1749
01:37:58,873 --> 01:38:02,354
[SINGING INDISTINCTLY]
1750
01:38:02,528 --> 01:38:04,922
But fortunately,
this band is so good.
1751
01:38:06,663 --> 01:38:08,186
We jelled
in the rehearsal hall.
1752
01:38:11,450 --> 01:38:13,409
ROBINSON:
We rehearsed for a long time.
1753
01:38:13,583 --> 01:38:16,238
An unusually long time.
1754
01:38:16,412 --> 01:38:17,630
Three months, I think.
1755
01:38:21,983 --> 01:38:25,638
Leonard really honored
his audiences.
1756
01:38:25,812 --> 01:38:28,032
He said every night
before the show:
1757
01:38:28,206 --> 01:38:29,947
"We're gonna give you
everything we've got."
1758
01:38:30,121 --> 01:38:31,993
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING, CHEERING]
1759
01:38:39,565 --> 01:38:42,133
[BAND PLAYING "TOWER OF SONG"]
1760
01:38:46,311 --> 01:38:51,142
♪ Now my friends are gone
And my hair is gray ♪
1761
01:38:51,316 --> 01:38:55,233
♪ I ache in the places
Where I used to play ♪
1762
01:38:55,407 --> 01:38:57,192
♪ And I'm crazy for love ♪
1763
01:38:59,237 --> 01:39:01,065
♪ But I'm not comin' on ♪
1764
01:39:04,982 --> 01:39:08,246
♪ I'm just paying my rent
Every day ♪
1765
01:39:08,420 --> 01:39:10,857
♪ In the Tower of Song ♪
1766
01:39:11,032 --> 01:39:13,425
[ALL VOCALIZING]
1767
01:39:13,599 --> 01:39:15,514
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
1768
01:39:23,000 --> 01:39:25,350
[AUDIENCE CHEERING, APPLAUDING]
1769
01:39:31,139 --> 01:39:34,229
[AUDIENCE LAUGHS]
1770
01:39:34,403 --> 01:39:37,188
♪ I was born like this ♪
1771
01:39:37,362 --> 01:39:39,190
♪ I had no choice ♪
1772
01:39:39,364 --> 01:39:44,282
♪ I was born with the gift
Of a golden voice ♪
1773
01:39:44,456 --> 01:39:49,548
♪ And 27 angels
From the Great Beyond ♪
1774
01:39:49,722 --> 01:39:53,291
[BACKUP SINGERS VOCALIZING]
1775
01:39:53,465 --> 01:39:56,860
♪ Yeah, they tied me
To this table right here ♪
1776
01:39:57,034 --> 01:39:59,036
♪ In the Tower of Song ♪
1777
01:40:05,695 --> 01:40:08,480
It's been a long time
since I stood out here.
1778
01:40:08,654 --> 01:40:12,528
It was about, uh, 14 years ago.
1779
01:40:12,702 --> 01:40:18,142
I was 60 years old,
just a kid with a crazy dream.
1780
01:40:18,316 --> 01:40:20,231
[AUDIENCE LAUGHS]
1781
01:40:23,626 --> 01:40:26,237
♪ Now you can say
That I've grown bitter ♪
1782
01:40:26,411 --> 01:40:28,587
♪ But of this
You may be sure ♪
1783
01:40:28,761 --> 01:40:30,937
♪ The rich have got
Their channels ♪
1784
01:40:31,112 --> 01:40:33,027
♪ In the bedrooms
Of the poor ♪
1785
01:40:33,201 --> 01:40:36,813
♪ And there's a mighty judgment
Coming ♪
1786
01:40:36,987 --> 01:40:38,771
♪ But I may be wrong ♪
1787
01:40:38,945 --> 01:40:42,210
[BACKUP SINGERS VOCALIZING]
1788
01:40:42,384 --> 01:40:45,952
♪ You see, I hear
These funny voices ♪
1789
01:40:46,127 --> 01:40:48,129
♪ In the Tower of Song ♪
1790
01:41:02,360 --> 01:41:03,231
Don't stop.
1791
01:41:09,585 --> 01:41:11,804
Sublime.
1792
01:41:11,978 --> 01:41:14,198
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING, CHEERING]
1793
01:41:20,117 --> 01:41:23,164
Thanks so much, friends.
1794
01:41:23,338 --> 01:41:25,383
It's been a real privilege
1795
01:41:25,557 --> 01:41:27,516
and honor
to play for you tonight.
1796
01:41:31,128 --> 01:41:34,827
ROBINSON:
And then, of course,
it just grew from there.
1797
01:41:35,001 --> 01:41:38,614
They kept booking concerts
and they kept being sold out.
1798
01:41:38,788 --> 01:41:41,834
It was like, "Oh, okay,"
and we just kept going.
1799
01:41:42,008 --> 01:41:44,098
[AUDIENCE CHEERING]
1800
01:41:44,272 --> 01:41:46,187
This isFresh Air,
I'm Terry Gross,
1801
01:41:46,361 --> 01:41:47,840
back with Leonard Cohen.
1802
01:41:48,014 --> 01:41:50,626
The great songwriter
and singer is back on the road,
1803
01:41:50,800 --> 01:41:52,541
doing his first tour
in 15 years.
1804
01:41:52,715 --> 01:41:54,586
♪ When they said ♪♪ They said ♪
1805
01:41:54,760 --> 01:41:56,327
♪ Repent ♪♪ Repent ♪
1806
01:41:56,501 --> 01:41:58,982
♪ Repent ♪♪ Repent ♪
1807
01:41:59,156 --> 01:42:02,464
♪ I wonder what they meant ♪
1808
01:42:02,638 --> 01:42:04,379
♪ When they said ♪ ♪ They said ♪
1809
01:42:04,553 --> 01:42:06,294
♪ Repent ♪♪ Repent ♪
1810
01:42:06,468 --> 01:42:11,690
♪ Repent ♪♪ Repent ♪
1811
01:42:11,864 --> 01:42:13,910
SLOMAN:
One of the remarkable things
about Leonard
1812
01:42:14,084 --> 01:42:17,696
is how much he throws himself
into whatever he does.
1813
01:42:17,870 --> 01:42:20,221
♪ Of the ancient Western... ♪
1814
01:42:20,395 --> 01:42:23,180
Look at him, close to 80.
1815
01:42:23,354 --> 01:42:25,400
People his age are more worried
1816
01:42:25,574 --> 01:42:27,576
about getting to
the early-bird dinner special.
1817
01:42:29,230 --> 01:42:31,406
♪ And a white man dancing... ♪
1818
01:42:31,580 --> 01:42:33,799
SLOMAN:
I mean, Leonard is on-stage
1819
01:42:33,973 --> 01:42:35,540
for three hours
jumping up and down,
1820
01:42:35,714 --> 01:42:37,977
and skipping off
at the end of a three-hour set.
1821
01:42:38,152 --> 01:42:39,588
Here we go.
1822
01:42:47,639 --> 01:42:50,033
[AUDIENCE WHISTLING, CHEERING]
1823
01:42:53,428 --> 01:42:55,386
GROSS:
What have you learned
being back on-stage
1824
01:42:55,560 --> 01:42:57,258
for the first time
in 15 years?
1825
01:42:57,432 --> 01:43:00,043
Learned? I-- I don't know,
1826
01:43:00,217 --> 01:43:03,568
it's hard to teach an old dog
new tricks, as you know.
1827
01:43:03,742 --> 01:43:07,181
I don't know if I've learned
anything, but I've been, um...
1828
01:43:07,355 --> 01:43:10,096
I've been grateful
that it's going well.
1829
01:43:10,271 --> 01:43:12,708
Because...
1830
01:43:12,882 --> 01:43:14,275
you never know
what's gonna happen
1831
01:43:14,449 --> 01:43:15,972
when you step on the stage.
1832
01:43:16,146 --> 01:43:20,933
♪ Now I've heard
There was a secret chord ♪
1833
01:43:21,107 --> 01:43:25,068
♪ That David played
And it pleased the Lord ♪
1834
01:43:25,242 --> 01:43:30,552
♪ But you don't really care
For music, do you? ♪
1835
01:43:32,902 --> 01:43:34,904
The only way
you can sell a concert
1836
01:43:35,078 --> 01:43:37,863
is to put yourself at risk.
1837
01:43:38,037 --> 01:43:41,215
And if you don't do that,
people know,
1838
01:43:41,389 --> 01:43:44,087
and they go home with a feeling
that they liked the songs,
1839
01:43:44,261 --> 01:43:46,568
but, you know, they prefer
to listen to them at home.
1840
01:43:46,742 --> 01:43:50,528
♪ Hallelujah... ♪
1841
01:43:50,702 --> 01:43:53,923
But if you can really stand
at the center of your song,
1842
01:43:54,097 --> 01:43:56,360
if you can inhabit that space
1843
01:43:56,534 --> 01:43:58,580
and really stand
1844
01:43:58,754 --> 01:44:02,148
for the complexity
of your own emotions,
1845
01:44:02,323 --> 01:44:04,890
then everybody feels good.
1846
01:44:05,064 --> 01:44:07,241
The musicians feel good
and you feel good
1847
01:44:07,415 --> 01:44:09,199
and the people who've come
feel good.
1848
01:44:13,203 --> 01:44:16,989
♪ Well, your faith was strong
But you needed proof ♪
1849
01:44:17,163 --> 01:44:21,733
♪ You saw her bathing
On the roof ♪
1850
01:44:21,907 --> 01:44:26,999
♪ Her beauty and the moonlight
Overthrew you ♪
1851
01:44:30,394 --> 01:44:34,790
♪ She tied you
To a kitchen chair ♪
1852
01:44:34,964 --> 01:44:38,620
♪ She broke your throne
And she cut your hair ♪
1853
01:44:38,794 --> 01:44:40,752
♪ And from your lips ♪
1854
01:44:40,926 --> 01:44:46,628
♪ She drew the Hallelujah ♪
1855
01:44:46,802 --> 01:44:52,590
♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah... ♪
1856
01:44:52,764 --> 01:44:55,289
LISSAUER:
When people hear "Hallelujah,"
1857
01:44:55,463 --> 01:44:58,640
it must be something
so universal.
1858
01:44:58,814 --> 01:45:02,165
It's really, really powerful.
1859
01:45:02,339 --> 01:45:04,123
Now, that's a big deal.
1860
01:45:04,298 --> 01:45:07,431
We don't get to be involved
in very many things that...
1861
01:45:07,605 --> 01:45:09,825
hit people as strongly
as that does.
1862
01:45:09,999 --> 01:45:13,959
♪ Well, maybe
There's a God above ♪
1863
01:45:14,133 --> 01:45:19,617
♪ As for me, all I ever learned
From love is ♪
1864
01:45:19,791 --> 01:45:24,535
♪ How to shoot at someone
Who outdrew you ♪
1865
01:45:27,408 --> 01:45:31,107
♪ But it's not a cry
That you hear tonight ♪
1866
01:45:31,281 --> 01:45:33,239
♪ No, it's not some pilgrim ♪
1867
01:45:33,414 --> 01:45:35,764
♪ Who claims
To have seen the light ♪
1868
01:45:35,938 --> 01:45:39,811
♪ It is a cold
And a very broken ♪
1869
01:45:39,985 --> 01:45:42,553
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1870
01:45:44,468 --> 01:45:46,992
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1871
01:45:48,646 --> 01:45:50,605
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1872
01:45:53,390 --> 01:45:55,784
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1873
01:45:57,525 --> 01:46:02,399
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1874
01:46:06,272 --> 01:46:10,973
PALMER:
I was doing my first-ever
solo show at Coachella,
1875
01:46:11,147 --> 01:46:13,845
and I remember looking
at the lineup and going:
1876
01:46:14,019 --> 01:46:16,370
"Oh, my God!
Leonard Cohen."
1877
01:46:18,894 --> 01:46:22,854
Seeing Leonard Cohen felt
like a beautiful, holy moment,
1878
01:46:23,028 --> 01:46:28,207
to be outside with all
of those people watching him.
1879
01:46:31,385 --> 01:46:33,125
It was a church moment.
1880
01:46:35,998 --> 01:46:40,002
SPEKTOR:
You get this feeling
of having a modern prayer.
1881
01:46:42,396 --> 01:46:45,877
I think that's why people were
coming to the shows so much
1882
01:46:46,051 --> 01:46:49,141
because they were
getting that feeling.
1883
01:46:51,100 --> 01:46:53,319
Even how he thanked everybody,
1884
01:46:53,494 --> 01:46:55,234
everybody in the crew,
1885
01:46:55,409 --> 01:46:57,541
and all the different jobs
that people did
1886
01:46:57,715 --> 01:46:58,629
to put together the show.
1887
01:47:00,849 --> 01:47:02,328
It was like
an instruction manual
1888
01:47:02,503 --> 01:47:04,461
on how to be in the world.
1889
01:47:04,635 --> 01:47:09,031
It's like you can be this good,
you really can.
1890
01:47:09,205 --> 01:47:12,948
♪ I did my best
It wasn't much ♪
1891
01:47:13,122 --> 01:47:15,516
♪ I couldn't feel ♪
1892
01:47:15,690 --> 01:47:17,561
♪ So I learned to touch ♪
1893
01:47:17,735 --> 01:47:19,607
♪ I've told the truth ♪
1894
01:47:19,781 --> 01:47:23,785
♪ I did not come here
To Coachella to fool you ♪
1895
01:47:23,959 --> 01:47:26,309
[AUDIENCE CHEERING]
1896
01:47:26,483 --> 01:47:28,572
♪ And even though... ♪
1897
01:47:28,746 --> 01:47:30,531
COLLINS:
People who respond to him
in the way they do,
1898
01:47:30,705 --> 01:47:33,229
and they respond to him
all over the world, of course,
1899
01:47:33,403 --> 01:47:35,057
are responding to something
that is different.
1900
01:47:37,712 --> 01:47:40,541
You're getting things that
are so deep and so resonant
1901
01:47:40,715 --> 01:47:42,586
in your own spiritual journey,
1902
01:47:42,760 --> 01:47:45,807
that you are benefitting
from his.
1903
01:47:45,981 --> 01:47:48,418
And that's of course
the highest compliment
1904
01:47:48,592 --> 01:47:49,898
to a poet or a songwriter.
1905
01:47:51,726 --> 01:47:54,685
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1906
01:47:56,557 --> 01:48:03,389
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1907
01:48:03,564 --> 01:48:06,131
[CROWD CHEERING, APPLAUDING]
1908
01:48:14,009 --> 01:48:17,229
SLOMAN:
Leonard closed his 2009 tour
with an emotional concert
1909
01:48:17,403 --> 01:48:22,844
on September 24th at the Ramat
Gan Stadium near Tel Aviv.
1910
01:48:23,018 --> 01:48:25,237
It was three days
after his 75th birthday.
1911
01:48:27,065 --> 01:48:28,458
Leonard made a plea
1912
01:48:28,632 --> 01:48:31,374
for Israeli-Palestinian
reconciliation,
1913
01:48:31,548 --> 01:48:33,289
then raised his hands
1914
01:48:33,463 --> 01:48:36,031
and gave
the priestly benediction.
1915
01:48:36,205 --> 01:48:37,772
So, dear friends...
1916
01:48:37,946 --> 01:48:41,645
[IN HEBREW]
1917
01:48:53,527 --> 01:48:55,746
[AUDIENCE CHEERING WILDLY]
1918
01:49:00,490 --> 01:49:02,274
[IN ENGLISH]
God bless you.
Good night, friends.
1919
01:49:18,464 --> 01:49:21,032
[COHEN'S "SAMSON IN NEW ORLEANS"
PLAYING]
1920
01:49:40,182 --> 01:49:42,793
COHEN:
I think it was
Tennessee Williams said:
1921
01:49:42,967 --> 01:49:45,491
"Life is a fairly
well-written play
1922
01:49:45,666 --> 01:49:47,363
except for the third act."
1923
01:49:49,321 --> 01:49:52,368
The beginning of the third act,
in my case,
1924
01:49:52,542 --> 01:49:55,458
seems to be very,
very well-written.
1925
01:49:55,632 --> 01:50:00,985
But the end of the third act,
of course, when the hero dies,
1926
01:50:01,159 --> 01:50:03,814
that, generally speaking,
from what one can observe,
1927
01:50:03,988 --> 01:50:05,816
can be rather tricky.
1928
01:50:08,253 --> 01:50:10,821
[COHEN'S "LEAVING THE TABLE"
PLAYING]
1929
01:50:10,995 --> 01:50:13,868
Should I read
a couple of these?
1930
01:50:20,309 --> 01:50:24,966
"Ducking away to write
and write feverishly,
1931
01:50:25,140 --> 01:50:29,318
if two words a day
constitutes a fever."
1932
01:50:32,974 --> 01:50:35,411
"Many pressing concerns,
1933
01:50:35,585 --> 01:50:39,850
but ignoring most of them
in favor of a finished lyric."
1934
01:50:42,331 --> 01:50:45,160
"Not interested
in anything else,
1935
01:50:45,334 --> 01:50:49,338
and this interest
fairly fragile also."
1936
01:50:51,732 --> 01:50:53,908
"Another beautiful day."
1937
01:50:57,781 --> 01:50:59,914
It's the broken Hallelujah.
1938
01:51:02,438 --> 01:51:07,051
♪ I don't need a reason ♪
1939
01:51:07,225 --> 01:51:11,882
♪ For what I became ♪
1940
01:51:12,056 --> 01:51:16,452
♪ I've got these excuses ♪
1941
01:51:16,626 --> 01:51:21,283
♪ They're tired and lame ♪
1942
01:51:21,457 --> 01:51:27,419
♪ I don't need a pardon
No, no, no, no, no ♪
1943
01:51:27,593 --> 01:51:30,945
♪ There's no one left
To blame ♪
1944
01:51:31,119 --> 01:51:33,164
♪ I'm leaving the table ♪
1945
01:51:37,299 --> 01:51:41,129
♪ I'm out of the game ♪
1946
01:51:55,796 --> 01:51:59,364
[PIANO PLAYING "HALLELUJAH"]
1947
01:52:17,382 --> 01:52:21,256
♪ I heard there was
A secret chord ♪
1948
01:52:21,430 --> 01:52:25,129
♪ David played
And it pleased the Lord but ♪
1949
01:52:27,305 --> 01:52:30,831
♪ You don't really care
For music, do you? ♪
1950
01:52:33,747 --> 01:52:38,882
♪ Well, it goes like this
The fourth, the fifth ♪
1951
01:52:39,056 --> 01:52:43,539
♪ The minor fall
The major lift ♪
1952
01:52:43,713 --> 01:52:49,588
♪ The baffled king
Composing Hallelujah ♪
1953
01:52:52,113 --> 01:52:54,506
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1954
01:52:57,683 --> 01:53:00,730
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1955
01:53:00,904 --> 01:53:03,298
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1956
01:53:05,126 --> 01:53:08,825
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1957
01:53:08,999 --> 01:53:15,876
♪ Hal... ♪
1958
01:53:18,313 --> 01:53:19,880
♪ ...lelujah ♪
1959
01:53:20,054 --> 01:53:26,930
♪ Hallelujah ♪
1960
01:53:31,892 --> 01:53:33,458
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING, CHEERING]
1961
01:53:38,550 --> 01:53:44,818
♪ Hallelu... ♪
1962
01:53:52,869 --> 01:53:56,917
♪ ...lujah ♪
1963
01:53:57,091 --> 01:53:58,962
[AUDIENCE CHEERING]
1964
01:54:03,445 --> 01:54:09,364
You look around and you see
a world that is impenetrable,
1965
01:54:09,538 --> 01:54:11,975
that, uh, cannot
be made sense of.
1966
01:54:13,847 --> 01:54:16,371
You either raise your fist,
1967
01:54:16,545 --> 01:54:19,069
or you say, "Hallelujah."
1968
01:54:19,243 --> 01:54:20,679
I try to do both.
1969
01:54:33,518 --> 01:54:36,130
[COHEN'S "YOU GOT ME SINGING"
PLAYING]
1970
01:55:01,459 --> 01:55:03,200
♪ You got me singing ♪
1971
01:55:05,115 --> 01:55:08,684
♪ Even though the news is bad ♪
1972
01:55:08,858 --> 01:55:10,294
♪ You got me singing ♪
1973
01:55:12,340 --> 01:55:15,952
♪ The only song I ever had ♪
1974
01:55:16,126 --> 01:55:17,606
♪ You got me singing ♪
1975
01:55:19,913 --> 01:55:22,959
♪ Ever since the river died ♪
1976
01:55:23,133 --> 01:55:25,048
♪ You got me thinking ♪
1977
01:55:25,222 --> 01:55:28,573
♪ Of the places we could hide ♪
1978
01:55:30,619 --> 01:55:32,229
♪ You got me singing ♪
1979
01:55:34,449 --> 01:55:37,843
♪ Even though the world
Is gone ♪
1980
01:55:38,018 --> 01:55:39,497
♪ You got me thinking ♪
1981
01:55:41,412 --> 01:55:44,850
♪ That I'd like to carry on ♪
1982
01:55:45,025 --> 01:55:46,635
♪ You got me singing ♪
1983
01:55:48,898 --> 01:55:52,162
♪ Even though
It all looks grim ♪
1984
01:55:52,336 --> 01:55:54,860
♪ You got me singing ♪
1985
01:55:55,035 --> 01:55:57,559
♪ The Hallelujah hymn ♪
1986
01:55:59,865 --> 01:56:01,345
♪ You got me singing ♪
1987
01:56:03,391 --> 01:56:06,829
♪ Like a prisoner in a jail ♪
1988
01:56:07,003 --> 01:56:10,267
♪ You got me singing ♪
1989
01:56:10,441 --> 01:56:14,010
♪ Like my pardon's
In the mail ♪
1990
01:56:14,184 --> 01:56:17,753
♪ You got me wishing ♪
1991
01:56:17,927 --> 01:56:21,278
♪ Our little love would last ♪
1992
01:56:21,452 --> 01:56:23,541
♪ You got me thinking ♪
1993
01:56:23,715 --> 01:56:26,980
♪ Like those people
Of the past ♪
1994
01:56:29,025 --> 01:56:30,244
♪ You got me singing ♪
1995
01:56:32,811 --> 01:56:36,032
♪ Even though
The world is gone ♪
1996
01:56:36,206 --> 01:56:39,818
♪ You got me thinking ♪
1997
01:56:39,993 --> 01:56:42,865
♪ That I'd like to carry on ♪
1998
01:56:43,039 --> 01:56:46,738
♪ You got me singing ♪
1999
01:56:46,912 --> 01:56:50,481
♪ Even though
It all went wrong ♪
2000
01:56:50,655 --> 01:56:52,744
♪ You got me singing ♪
2001
01:56:52,918 --> 01:56:56,009
♪ The Hallelujah song ♪
2002
01:56:59,316 --> 01:57:01,231
[BACKUP SINGERS VOCALIZING]
2003
01:57:21,425 --> 01:57:26,691
♪ Singing the Hallelujah song ♪
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