The legendary songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen may have left us nearly three years ago, but it’s moments like this where it feels like he’s still with us.
Cohen’s first posthumous Song ‘The Goal’ was released on Sept. 20 in anticipation for a new album, Thanks for the Dance. The song is more like a spoken word poem than a song (although many would say that a lot of his songs are like that).
Listening to it, you can see Cohen sitting in a chair, looking out the window, thinking back on his life, and knowing what’s to come. Cohen sadly says, “I’m almost alive, I’m almost at home.”
Towards the end of his battle with cancer, Cohen didn’t feel alive and “can’t leave my house or answer the phone.”
The song is short at one minute and 13 seconds. The music was composed and arranged by Leonard’s son, Adam, who also produced his last album You Want It Darker. That album was dark and sad, yet beautiful in typical Cohen fashion.
While it’s excellent to have Cohen’s music back, it can also bring tears to your eyes. I feel sentimental hearing the master of song’s smooth deep voice and thoughtful words. It also reminds me of the anticipation I felt with each of his recent releases and how eager I was to buy the CD and pop it in my stereo.
Since he’s been gone, there’s been plenty to celebrate with Cohen’s work. Last year, Cohen posthumously released The Flame, his final book filled with beautiful poems and paintings.
Even this year a documentary called Leonard and Marianne: Words of Love hit theaters, which wonderfully chronicled the complicated relationship he had with his muse.
Cohen’s gone, but The Dance goes on.
