Leonard Cohen is my favorite songwriter. I like him a bit more than Bob Dylan for some reason. I think it's because Leonard Cohen condensed all his magic into fewer songs, where as Bob Dylan spreads his magic thinner amongst many songs. 

 Does anyone else out there find it peculiar that Leonard Cohen died the exact day before Donald Trump was elected president? I mean, Cohen's last album is entitled "You Want It Darker" which seems to be an allusion to what the world became after Donald Trump was elected president. 

I'm NOT an anti-Trumper. I'm not a pro-Trumper. For the most part I am as indifferent about Trump's presidency as I am indifferent about any of the presidents in my life. I think the presidents have been puppets for the mega rich manipulators way before I was born. I do think Trump did a lot of great things as president, namely, exposing the main stream media, aka lame stream media, for being the propaganda, 'fake news" machine that they are. I also am open to the idea that Trump was the best president in my lifetime as he may have been the most forthright. However, I do think Trump was also very divisive in his presidency as he seemed to thrive on pissing his opposition off, which is never a good way to lead any group. 

However a person feels about Donald Trump, I think most people can agree that the world became much darker after Trump was elected president. I'm not saying it became darker because Trump was elected president, I'm just saying the world became very divided and darker. 

I think Leonard Cohen's artistic intuition was 100% accurate with the "You Want It Darker" sentiment.  This entire album is really strong, but my two other favorite songs on the album, besides the song "You Want It Darker", are "Treaty" and "Steer Your Way". 

As a songwriter and musician myself, I find it very inspiring that Leonard Cohen created songs and poetry right up until his end. What motivated Leonard Cohen to keep creating until the very end? He seemed so old and frail. Could it be that he was still toiling with heart break over unrequited love with women? Maybe. Or was he still toiling with his relationship with God? Probably, like so many of us, including myself. I am reluctant to ask this next question, but in the interest of journalistic integrity I must, had Leonard Cohen sold his soul to the devil a long time ago and he was motivated to keep creating to make good on his deal? I certainly hope not. I choose to believe Leonard was still grappling with his love for God and women, and his artistic nature still called him to perform his duty for the world of his listeners; it was an obligation that motivates many of us artists.



"Treaty" is the perfect song for hopeless romantics like myself who refuse to give up on the idea of love, especially that between a man and a woman. That feeling after a romantic relationship has turned into a war that nobody ever wins. No one ever wins a war, especially a war fought over love. "I wish their were a treaty we could sign. I do not care who takes this bloody hill. I'm tired and I'm angry all the time. I wish there was a treaty between your love and mine" encapsulates that feeling perfectly. 

"Steer Your Way" is a song that took time for my heart to cling to, but it's in there now like so many of Cohen's song. I think the violin parts are what first hooked me, then the pause after "Year by year, month by month, day by day.................thought by thought". Like almost every Cohen song, there is a sense of humor under the darkness and this pause make me laugh and smile every time.  The line only line in the song that bothers me is "As he died to make men holy / Let us die to make things cheap". No thank you, I'm not dying to make things cheap. I suspect one day this line will make more sense to me, which is another reason I love Leonard Cohen's songs so much, they challenge me in ways that take me time to understand. 

Thank you Leonard Cohen for being such a dedicated artist. Your work lives on long after you're gone, as we use it to illuminate a world that, bluntly, seems to be getting darker everyday. Here's to hoping the darkness can only get so dark before light inevitably illuminates it again like the dawn of a new day. 

Listen to Fast Heart Mart's Song Obsession playlist on Spotify here:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/70iSzYlZlXqsmwEWKHkj4p?si=f5c8b247d05249a5