What do Judy Collins, Neil Diamond, Bob Marley, Nina Mouskouri, Harry Belafonte and Roberta Flack all have in common?
Each singer has recorded, at one time or another, a cover version of today’s closing song. This song happens to be one of my least favourite Cohen song but it is definitely one of his most recorded songs. It might have been easier to list who hasn’t recorded a version of it than start listing who has.
I discovered a CBC piece following-up on the real-life Suzanne who acted as Muse for Cohen’s song. Turns out she is homeless and living out of her car in Venice Beach, California.
Lyric:
Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night beside her
And you know that she’s half crazy
But that’s why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges
That come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her
That you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer
That you’ve always been her lover
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
For you’ve touched her perfect body with your mind.
