You Want It Darker is the fourteenth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, released on October 21, 2016, by Columbia Records, 17 days before Cohen's death. The album was created towards the end of his life and focuses on death, God, and humor. It was released to critical acclaim. The title track was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance in January 2018. It was Cohen's last album released during his lifetime and was followed by the posthumous album Thanks for the Dance in November 2019.
INT. Abandoned Cathedral, 5:30 A.M. A thin ray of light shines on an organist wearing black robes with a Grey stole. He appears to have been awake all night. It is apparent he is playing what appear to be the final chords in a grand symphony. I love this very much.
“You Want It Darker” by Leonard Cohen (2016) If you want to hear music written, sung, and recorded by an 82-year-old Canadian Jew sitting in his living (dying) room crippled by fractures in his spine and counting the few painful moments he has left, then this album is for you. And if you don’t want to hear music like that, then shame on you and this album is for you anyway. The expression “You want it darker” is typically what a lover might say to his beloved at the outset of their lovemaking—his accommodation to her sensitivity as he presents himself to her in the darker-ness and says with his mind and body, “Here I am”. For Cohen, this image serves as a prayer to God. Cohen is dying, and God wants it darker. It’s a touching reversal of the God/man Lover/beloved metaphor, and the poet/prophet pulls it of with beauty and horror. This is going to hurt. Death is like lovemaking, and Cohen is ready. “Hineni” (Hebrew for “Here I am”), he says, in resignation to the supreme Will, and with the courage of the prophet (Isaiah 6:8), he faces, embraces the agony. If there’s to be a lullaby, it’s a “lullaby for suffering”. It doesn’t get any darker than that. Cohen wishes there was a “Treaty” between God’s love and his own (There is one [Jeremiah 31:31-14], but I’m not sure Cohen signed it—there are hopeful hints in “Seemed a Better Way”, as he advises himself, “I better lift this glass of blood”, but “not today”). At least he takes it seriously. “My ‘don’t’ was saying ‘do’”, he complains of the temptation contest, but he is quitting the game (“Leaving the Table”) anyhow. And through it all, God’s love has made it real (“If I Didn’t Have Your Love“). Cohen is setting out on the road to death, but he’s “Traveling Light”. His parting advice on his way out the door (to his heart, but more importantly, to you, in case you’re not getting it), is that you should “Steer Your Way” one year/month/day/thought at a time. The outro of the closing track reprises “Treaty” with compelling mystery: “We were broken then but now we're borderline”. So where will you (we? me?) be tomorrow? His voice has been reduced, through age and pain, to whispers punctuated by well pitched basso profondo. But he retains his famous timbre, which compellingly invites the listener to consider, to ponder, to figure it out. It beckons, and you’d better not decline. It’s not just excellent poetry—it’s poetry that grabs you and shakes you a bit. It goes beyond—all the way to the declarative prophetic focus on the past and present in the face of an unknown future. Prophets were generally and unjustly disregarded. Here is your opportunity to rectify. There are negative things to say about this album. But not by me. Leonard Cohen died three weeks after its release. 5/5
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Okay, honestly? This was absolutely gorgeous. One of the 5 star surprises of this whole listening process. I expected to be turned off, since Leonard Cohen's voice is an acquired taste in my opinion, but this was melodically so beautiful. Like, it was an EXPERIENCE.
I put on this album weeks after struggling to connect with Leonard Cohen’s third album, "Songs of Love and Hate." I expected a similar experience here. "You Want It Darker" grabbed me from the first notes of the choir with its incredible bass line, the lyrics and vocal performance. The song takes us into a holy space as it unfolds as a prayer. A prayer that critically interrogates the very roots of the religious traditions it references. "Treaty" is heartbreaking. Haunting lyrics, incredible arrangements and an emotional delivery perfectly capturing my disillusionment with Christianity and religion. ‘I do not care who takes this bloody hill. I’m angry and I’m tired all the time. I wish there was a treaty, I wish there was a treaty, between your love and mine.’ "On the Level” explores the emotions of letting go. 'They ought to give my heart a medal for lettin' go of you.' The piano… beautiful. The back up singers… angelic. Cohen… perfect. 'I'm old and I've had to settle on a different point of view. I was fighting with temptation but I didn't want to win, A man like me don't like to see temptation caving in.' Cohen has put words to feelings I've begun to have in a way that I could never hope to do. "Leaving the Table" digs deep into a break up: drifting apart ('I don't know the people in your picture frame'), regret/resentment ('If I ever loved you it's a cryin' shame'), resignation ('You don't need to surrender, I'm not taking aim'). Deep within the darkness "If I Didn't Have Your Love" unfolds into a startlingly beautiful love song. This album may be dark but like the rest of the album it is far from cynical. These songs flow with the undercurrents of a mature, deep love. "Traveling Light" pairs incredible mandolins and strings along with the electric piano while the lyrics tell of shedding parts of our lives as we approach its end. Cohen's exploration of religion in "It Seemed the Better Way” hit me in a deeply personal way. After spending a lifetime losing my religion this album has made me reflect on my religious journey more deeply than ever before. ‘Sounded like the truth, but it’s not the truth today. I better hold my tongue. I better take my place. Lift this glass of blood. Try to say the grace.' In "Steer Your Way" Cohen captures other aspects of my own journey as I steer away from so many of my beliefs, foundations, and trust in the world. He offers no replacement but hearing this song gives me strange comfort. 'Steer your heart past the truth that you believed in yesterday, such as fundamental goodness and the wisdom of the way.' Damn. "String Reprise/Treaty" is largely an instrumental string piece with Cohen reprising “Treaty” at the very end. After the last note faded I sat in silence for several minutes grieving Leonard Cohen's passing from this world just a few weeks after this album’s release... and rejoicing that Cohen left this incredible gift. Where last month I struggled to relate to a young Leonard Cohen, I felt an instant deep connection to him here at the end of his life. This album lead me into some very dark personal places - but Cohen's warmth and humanity never left me feeling alone. So rarely have I encountered an artifact of a life that had such a seismic effect on me. Leonard Cohen was right… I do want it darker.
Useless cunt
absolutely incredible album, really enjoyable listen and definitely lives up to it's title. Treaty is a particular highlight
Beautiful. What an incredible voice. You Want it Darker is such a tune, love that bass line. Treaty and Reprise/ Treaty are heartbreakingly beautiful. What an album to leave the world with
Read poetry over music. Meh.
Blues/lyrical with instrumental/tango. Cynical retrospective love/sex lyrics with heavy biblical themes at beg and end of album. Growl-y bass. Sounds like Hades in Hadestown. Listened to while working out, which, surprisingly, worked.
i had previously listened to "i'm your man," cohen's 1988 album, as part of this project. it became one of my favorite albums, and i realized this album will become the same halfway through my first listen. cohen's lyrics are just as beautiful, thought provoking, heart wrenching as before. so many songs focus on death and come across as authentic. he wears his heart on his sleeve. you feel his pain ("i'm angry and tired all the time") and acceptance (i'm ready, my lord") as he finds himself closer to death. i was struck by how simple "traveling light" was, yet his meaning is clear ("i'm running late/they'll close the bar/i used to play/one mean guitar"). i loved each line in this lyrics, honestly. there's a thread of religion throughout the album. "make it darker" contained hymns and jewish imagery, and "treaty" was about his relationship with (and love for) his god, among others. for someone as spiritual as cohen, incorporating this into his album while nearing the end of his life must have brought him some level of comfort. his voice is deeper on this album, lending to a further emphasis on death. his tenor had always created the focus on his lyrics but more so here. there's minimal background accompaniment; while beautiful, its simplicity allows the focus to be on the lyrics. and somehow, the violins sound like they're crying. the "string reprise" section was unparalleled in its beauty. he's still with his usual folk sound, but there are some blues sounds as well. this remarkable album is meant to break you. it's dark and deep, and it can be rough. it's beautiful and truly a piece of art.
Le fait que cet album soit posthume m'a mis extrêmement mal à l'aise pendant toute la durée de l'écoute. J'avais en effet la certitude que Léonard Cohen allait décéder d'un moment à l'autre. Ceci explique la frayeur que j'ai pu ressentir au long du dernier morceau lors duquel la voix de Leonard Cohen est absente des deux premières minutes. "Il est mort... Il est très probablement mort..." pensai-je tout bas. Soudain, alors que j'avais perdu tout espoir, la voix du chanteur s'éleva pour grommeler ses idioties habituelles: "I wish there was nianiania". Quel soulagement...
That was spectacular, I bloody loved it. I only really knew Leonard Cohen's 'hits' but this album was amazing. And released just 3 months before he died.
One of his best. It's amazing that an artist can be this strong at the end of his career. Album gives me chills.
Said some interesting things, and didn't overstay its welcome. Liked it enough that I want to relisten to it and think it over more
Rarely do I even give much thought to lyrics in an album, but this one earns its 5 on the lyrics alone. The beautiful sparse instrumentation and haunting voice Leonard brings are just icing on the cake.
Yes. The first time I heard this album, it hit me hard. Instantly my favourite Cohen album. Exhaustion at the end of life is not something I feel, but the basic feeling of just being exhausted by everything, that I get. This has some of Cohen’s best lyrics. “I struggled with some demons; they were middle-class and tame.” 27/10 album. Favourite track: “Steer Your Way”
This very much could've just gotten me interested in Leonard Cohen. I've never listened to him before, but hearing Hallelujah in many soundtracks was annoying. I really loved title track You Want It Darker, Travelling Light and Steer Your Way.
Holy smokes, that voice was out of nowhere. Having only been familiar with his 'Hallelujah' I was not expecting that entrance. He just strolled right in and without effort commanded attention. Entire album reads like a letter or a prayer; struggles with aging and religion; an older man haunted by his past, now staring into the void of what's next. Very sombre, melancholic, personal and thoughtful. The lyrics are absolutely littered Judeo-Christian themes and religious references, which continues into the musical structure itself with inescapable hints of gospel, choral, chanting and traditional 'Jewish' sounding melodies. I couldn't help notice the similarities with David Bowies 'Blackstar'. Both albums wholly referencing mortality; both albums released the same year, the year of their deaths. This doesn't diminish either album, they're both unique masterpieces in my opinion, just a curiosity.
He saves his best fo last, great album. Montreal's greatest export!!
What a voice, what great lyrics. The last strings track was beautiful
This album warranted you kit-out your headphones to maximum bass, for his vocals alone. Very much enjoyed to slow sultry tones of a man on the way out
One of the greatest poet/lyricists of all time.
good! Great songwriting and really intense themes. it’s an interesting listening experience bc everything is so overt and lyric focused without being too in your face or being at the expense of the music. 4.5 very good and I’ll probably listen again but nothing really floored me
Quality album written by a dude who knew he was dying. Sad and awesome at the same time.
An incredible listen. Really bowled over by it from start to finish. Fully felt the weight of a man facing the end. Superb.
This is Leonard Cohen at his gravelliest. The sense of pathos in every song bears the weight of a long, full life.
THIS IS THE LEONARD COHEN I WAS LOOKING FOR! Incredible. This guy is f***in' cool!
This absolutely blew me away. What took me so long?!
It's interesting hearing this compared to Songs of Leonard Cohen. His voice is like whiskey over gravel here in the best of ways. The production is so much more elaborate and fantastic too. Love the lyrical themes of struggling with religion and aging.
- first Cohen I've heard and blown away - strong cohesive direction but doesn't overstay it's theme - variety but also very powerful.
That voice. THAT VOICE. Fave track - The title track is absolutely badass. "Traveling Light" takes second place...
Holy hell. The power in this album, just in the first song, is haunting.
Is this a good Leonard Cohen entry point? I bet it is
Beautiful final album from a beautiful poet.
Oh that was superb. First listen just floored me. An easy 5/5.
Masterpiece. This is the perfect album to test out a brand new pair of speakers.
Excellent, loved the gravelly voice, You Want it Darker was my favorite song
Only Leonard (and Bob) could make an album so current without referencing modern events in the slightest. Draws upon archetypes and metaphor to perfectly critique the human condition and the role of society. Cohen's last album and maybe his best.
A lot better than I was expecting
Loved this one. I was supposed to be working while I had this on but his voice kept making me stop and actually *listen* to the songs. The Wikipedia article was an interesting read too -- I ended up going to the Wikipedia page about Leonard Cohen as well and learned that my album for today has a link to my album from yesterday: a song on Nirvana's "In Utero" album references Leonard Cohen. 10/10 to the music, 3/10 to my own productivity.
Excellent!
Gonna get 5 stars. Leonard Cohen is brilliant
An album that stops you in your tracks, the penultimate album from Leonard Cohen is the sound of an artist bidding farewell but driven to continue making music and art and is a privilege to listen to. The wisdom, the insight, the emotion all strike you to the core. Not a note is wasted. The music is perfectly pitched to support the breathy, quiet vocal. A heroic effort and one for the ages. (An alternative take from my daughter: ‘Kind of sounds like Lego Batman’)
The title track is on one of my favorite playlists I made and to which I listen with some frequency. What incredible texture and flow. And the rest of the album is a work of poetic beauty and intrigue. I love it.
Creamed my jeans over this
Interesting, but I can't see actually listening to it repeatedly
Blackstar but for depressed cowboys Best: Title track, Travelling Light, Steer Your Way
It's like a cross-between Tom Waits and David Carradine in Kill Bill and so laid back he's basically horizontal. I understand he was in a lot of pain and near the end and that this like his spoken-word poetry but his early stuff is so much more worth listening to. I felt guilty in giving a low score so listen to it again. It does get better and maybe it's a mood thing so one night I'll play it again and get more out of it. Weirdly the attempt to jazz it up with gospel singers and organs has the opposite effect- surely it would be better more stark?
His voice is still great, but the lyrics sound like the work of a bored pensioner. Not for me
With all due respect, Mr Cohen…I am a New York Giants fan in October of 2023. It could not possibly get any darker than it already is.
Leonard Cohen is always fake and gay
First track ok. The rest of it an endless boring dirge.
Végig lenyűgözött, szövegek elképesztők, hangulat kell hozzá, de nyári estéhez bármikor.
La primera vez que escuché a Leonard Cohen fue en el soundtrack de Watchmen. De inmediato me atrapó la voz, una voz muy profunda y grave, como la de Barry White, pero en el lado triste del espectro. ¿Qué puedo decir sobre el disco? Es una chingonería, quizá con excepción de alguna canción por ahí que está medio meh. Es importante mencionar que el disco me agradó no sólo por la voz, la voz es un complemento de la música y la melodía, y en la mayoría de las canciones la combinación de ambas proyecta un sentimiento melancólico, pero a la vez poderoso, casi como una súplica.
Refrescante ver a alguien haciendo un disco de 9 canciones y 36 minutos. Directo a lo que va a decir y punto. Lleno de reflexiones de una persona entrada en años, este disco se siente honesto y directo, con un mensaje claro sobre lo único que pareciera seguir importando al final, las relaciones de pareja y con dios. Resignado donde debe y cuestionando lo que queda claro, es un disco muy personal. Es el segundo disco que escucho en esta lista y fue una experiencia completamente diferente. Discazo.
¡Fantástico!
OSCURO, MAJO
Amazing album
Dark but great
Ja, dit album kan ik niet luisteren zonder het in de context te zetten. Wat een prachtparel over het leven en de naderende dood
Wonderbar. Treaty / treaty reprise standouts.
Another one for Nic
Incredible - deeply moving.
Fantástico
Very peculiar
Отличный альбом, думаю стоит вернуться полностью слушая лирику. Traveling Light / You Want It Darker зацепили с первого прослушивания.
Inmortal.
Only one of us was real.
five stars all day long
Oscurísimo, excelente.
A beautiful swan song from one of the greatest singer/songwriters of all time. R.I.P.
The first time I listened to Leonard Cohen, better than two decades ago, was a transformative day for me and I can still remember the incense smell of the room the first time I put needle to wax and the sepia tones of the Seattle front yard that I sat in when I played it a second time immediately afterwards. This is not that album and I only mention it as I may never get to write about that record and as a primer to say I may not be able to be objective about Leonard Cohen and these tracks. He is unassailable to me. His late in life gravel voice is simultaneously profoundly comforting while inducing heartache. He opens me up and strips away all my armor. I am never more open to my feelings then in the moments following a close LC listen. The three albums that he put out over the seven years leading up to You Want It Darker laid the groundwork for this release. Cohen was a man who had lived an incredibly full life, who was ready to die, but still had so much to say and give to his fans. This album was released just a few week's before Cohen died and this record was his beautiful parting gift. He was a poet that remained in top form all the way to the end.
Deep and meaningful
better than I was expecting, I had a rough time with the first few songs sorry, I love Leonard Cohens older stuff but his voice felt really jarring on this album, with some songs it worked really well but with others it was just too awkward although the more I listened through the album, the more I warmed up to the vocals what I really loved about it was the composition of these tracks beautiful, beautiful instrumentation I think Traveling Light really stood out to me, that was really cool production Also that String Reprise was really nice Overall a really great album, while I had trouble with the vocals I think the rest of the album sells it for me - 9/10
Wow. This was truly an experience. I'm glad I already rolled a couple of Cohen's earliest albums before I got this one. I hadn't found either particularly remarkable, but having heard them made "You Want It Darker" all the sweeter. Cohen had grown better with time, apparently; his music was now more varied, yet more cohesive; his lyrics were finally engaging; even his voice grizzled into a seductive register that perfectly matched the tone. And the end result: this album—his final album—the story of a weary, bitter man, who is finally confronting the mistakes that have haunted him all his life. He doesn't demand your sympathy; he doesn't even want it. But you give it to him, because you're still human, after all; and then it's over, and he's gone, and somehow you feel both entirely empty and overwhelmingly full. I'm going to need some more time to mentally process this one. But that's okay. It's going to stick with me the rest of my life, and I'm perfectly happy for it to do so.
Se calhar escrevo isto de uma forma emotiva, mas este álbum é qualquer coisa. Possui uma aura triste a sua volta que prende e atrai. A simplicidade e o tom da voz de Cohen enquadra se perfeitamente ao tom sombrio do álbum com um arranjo instrumental mais solene que se junta tão bem a sua voz. Não sei o que se passa, mas terei de dar um 9, fiquei muito intrigado e agradado com este álbum. Nota 9/10
Underbart, mörkt och fullständigt fantastiskt. Ett av mina absoluta favoritalbum just, och kanske även sen.
10/10
On sillä Leonardilla aika möreä ääni. Tunnelmallisia biisejä ja lämpimiä tunteita. Treaty(t) jäi tästä parhaiten mieleen. Sen verran vahva like, että pakko antaa vitonen!
Stórkostlegt verk!
Sublime. I've been to church. I am stunned and grateful.
I was not familiar with this album, but after Songs of Love and Hate, I have been intrigued with LC. This album did not disappoint. I didn’t expect the spoken lyrics, but I though that the tone with the accompanying music was beautiful. What a treasure.
The title of this album is perfect. I had said in my notes on “Songs of Love and Hate” that I was really interested in listening to more early Leonard Cohen, since the album I had been most familiar with was from the 80s. Why didn’t I pay attention when he made music in the 21st century? I didn’t even really aware of this later work. It was rather amazing to jump almost 50 years in his career. His voice still mesmerizes me. His words are still somewhat inscrutable but always intriguing. The composition, instrumentation, and backing vocals are amazing and beautiful in this. I think it’s interesting that the composer of the title track’s music is the co-writer of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” It has more in common than I would have thought. I love the organ and backing choir. The religious feel is intense. It’s a feel that carries through the rest of the album. “Treaty” carries so much pain and regret it’s hard to listen to. And then “Leaving the Table” comes on with even more...although there seems to be some relief in letting go. But that’s still pretty heavy. Come to think of it, “Traveling Light” also has a similar story. “If I Didn’t Have Your Love” at least suggests an intense love, but focuses on a pretty dang dark “what if?”. We then get in to some interesting religious pain and regret territory with “It Seemed the Better Way” and “Steer Your Way.” Mind you, I love these songs so much that you may find me in a dark room listening to them again and again, and it may be a good idea to get me outside in the sunshine.
Incredible that in the same year as Bowie's Blackstar another legendary artist released an album days before his death, apparently in the knowledge that it would be his last, and delivered it with such poise. Both the darker and the more soulful numbers therefore come with added gravitas, (helped by Cohen's badass old man voice ofc), and his gift for dispensing great wisdom in pithy phrases is evident throughout. 'As he died to make men holy, let us die to make things cheap'. Yep. 4.5
A striking meditation on god, love, and death. Leonard Cohen has always had tension throughout his work, but this album sees the tension unresolved and left to us, the listener. His voice and the subtle instrumentation command attention and leave the listener with a profound sense of loss.
I've listened to this album several times before. Not much voice left in him, but what a voice. Great feel for the music.
I don't claim to be intimately familiar with his discography, but this seems like a master work. His poetry is so unique, and his voice is so dark and rich, the mood meets the words so well. A powerful listen.
Hauntingly Beautiful. I love the choirsong. 5
This album will forever and always reminds me of Budapest. I adore this record.
loved it!
I wouldn't call myself a Cohen fan by any stretch of the imagination, being more familiar with his songs as performed by other artists. I bought this album on the strength of the use of the title track as the theme for the Black Earth Rising TV series, but in the end the whole album captivated me. In places Cohen sounds old and frail, but that only adds rather than detracts. It reflects on his past life and offers advice to those he leaves behind. It's an outstanding album to sign off with, his Blackstar.
What a beautiful and heartbreaking album. Released just a few weeks before he passed. Ugh. He still had it til the end.
p943. 2016. 5 stars Gravel voiced old man ruminates on death and produces final work of power and beauty. Lyrically, still light years ahead of the competition, and this time we've got decent tunes and quality production to match the words. Not a weak track on it. I am guessing this will resonate more with an older audience.
Leonard Cohen is perfect. This album might be his best.
Notes from the front from a Sole Survivor. Somber, gripping and unexpectedly poetic. Required.
Magical
What a beautiful album. A masterpiece for him to end his legendary career. His poetry here allowed him to look back on his mortality and the string reprise was the official goodbye. Very dark and sad, but beautiful in its essence, as he did say bye a month after its release.
I'm a sucker for smokey singing voices.
Melodias e melancolias envolventes para um lirismo arrebatador.