Songs from a Room
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| Songs from a Room | ||
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| Studio album by Leonard Cohen | ||
| Released | April 1969 | |
| Recorded | October 1968, Columbia Studio A, Nashville | |
| Genre | Folk | |
| Length | 35:38 | |
| Label | Columbia Records | |
| Producer(s) | Bob Johnston | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Leonard Cohen chronology | ||
| Songs of Leonard Cohen (1968) |
Songs from a Room (1969) |
Songs of Love and Hate (1971) |
Songs from a Room was the Canadian poet Leonard Cohen's second album. Although it is often described as something of a disappointment after his debut album (Songs of Leonard Cohen), initially it did better commercially, reaching #63 on the Billboard list and #2 at UK charts.
Cohen reportedly said he chose producer Bob Johnston to achieve the spartan sound he considered appropriate for his songs, after the disputes he had with John Simon during the mixing sessions of Songs of Leonard Cohen. The album also features some prominent (if strictly ornamental) Jew's harp. The album's sound is thus closer to the archetype (or stereotype) of an "early" Leonard Cohen record.
Among uncredited sessions musicians it is known that Ron Cornelius played acoustic and electric guitar, Charlie Daniels played bass, fiddle and acoustic guitar, Elkin «Bubba» Fowler participated on banjo, bass and acoustic guitar, while producer Bob Johnston played keyboards. Interestingly, Johnston toured with Cohen in 1970 and 1972 (playing keyboards, harmonica and guitar), leading to termination of his collaboration with Bob Dylan.
In sheet music for the album, a song titled "Priests" was included, and although reportedly recorded, it didn't appear on the actual LP or any other Cohen record. The song was recorded by Judy Collins on her 1967 album Wildflowers, and by Richie Havens on his 1969 album Richard P. Havens, 1983.
Songs from a Room was released on CD in 1990. In 2001, French musician Red released a re-recording of the entire album.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
- Written by Cohen except where noted
[edit] Side A
- "Bird on the Wire"
- "Story of Isaac"
- "A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes"
- "The Partisan", written by Anna Marly (melody) and Hy Zaret (lyric)
- "Seems So Long Ago, Nancy"
[edit] Side B
- "The Old Revolution"
- "The Butcher"
- "You Know Who I Am"
- "Lady Midnight"
- "Tonight Will Be Fine"
[edit] Songs
The first track, "Bird on the Wire", described by Cohen as a simple country song, has been covered by many people including his one-time backup singer Jennifer Warnes, by The Neville Brothers on the soundtrack for the 1990 film Bird on a Wire, by Willie Nelson on the Cohen tribute album Tower of Song and by Johnny Cash for his 1994 album American I: American Recordings. It also appeared on the earlier tribute I'm Your Fan, covered by The Lilac Time.
"Story of Isaac" is based on the Old Testament myth of Yahweh's demand that Isaac be sacrificed by his father Abraham. It ends with an admonishment to fathers to no longer sacrifice their sons. Judy Collins' 1968 recording, which predated Cohen's, features slightly different lyrics. Suzanne Vega performed the song on the Tower of Song album.
"The Partisan" is based on the poem "La complainte du partisan" by "Bernard" (Emmanuel D'Astier), a prominent figure in the French resistance during World War II.
The 5th number on this album, "Seems So Long Ago, Nancy" tells the story of Nancy Challies, a depressed young woman from Montréal, who committed suicide after being forced by her family to put her son up for adoption. [1] However, in 1979 Cohen (perhaps disingenuously) told the filmmaker Harry Rasky that "Nancy" was only a waitress in an American juke joint with whom he had been slightly acquainted. (The interview is recounted in Rasky's book, The Song of Leonard Cohen.)
