One of my more irrational fears is that, someday, one day, maybe on Monday I will get delusional and forget all the memories I have made. The thought alone terrifies me, but even in my seemingly ludicrous anxiety, one thing I will instantly recognise—the voice of Leonard Cohen.
When I first heard his songs, I was sure I was listening to the bellowing of a gentleman behemoth, and ever since he has always been a constant companion on my music playlist. His voice is what you can relate to–the kind that knows we don’t live in the black-and-white world that at our core, we are a little bit lonely and a little bit of a loser. He knows and doesn’t judge, instead, sings about our success and failures and the best part is he makes our failures more beautiful than success.
He sings straight to your heart because he articulates the feelings that you didn’t even know you felt. He riches right into your rib cage and pulls out that trembling organ, telling your organ that you have much more functions other than just pumping blood flow.
“And I thank you,
I thank you for doing my duty.
Your keepers of truth, guardians of beauty
Your vision is right, my vision is wrong
I’m sorry for smudging the air with my space”
—Leonard Cohen
He soothes your heart and makes you laugh, he heals your soul and transports you to abstract thoughts, where grit thrives and even grotesque is poetic. His voice is like books of a Japanese author, Haruki Murakami— dreamlike—too unreal, yet real in every sense, both thoroughly original.
No wonder why people call him the Godfather of gloom!
