Arguably, Leonard Cohen’s most famous song is Suzanne. Suzanne: It was maybe several months into my relationship with Armand, which was mostly based on being dancing partners together. Saunders: Again this is put in the song but then he says, ‘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.’ What does that mean? Orin ar ganaouenn. Suzanne Elrod, better known since meeting the Canadian poet in 1969 as Mrs. Leonard Cohen, separated from Cohen in 1979, with him later stating that "cowardice" and "fear" prevented him from marrying her. I took all that moment for granted. Is that something about your level of particular intimacy between you? She is mother of Leonard Cohen’s two children; Adam Cohen and Lorca Cohen. You can see a wide range of articles. Its lyrics describe the rituals that they enjoyed when they met: Suzanne would invite Cohen to visit her apartment by the harbour in Montreal, where she would serve him Constant Comment tea, and they would walk around Old Montreal past the church of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours, where sailors were blessed before heading out to sea. This led to the verse of the song that begins: ‘And Jesus was a sailor when he walked upon the water’. Today, Leonard Cohen's muse, Suzanne Verdal, lives in Venice Beach, California. And I may or may not have spoken to Leonard about, you know I did pray to Christ, to Jesus Christ and to St. Joan at the time, and still do. in 1992 with his son Kahlil. There was the activism. Baldy Zen Monastery in California, only a few miles down the road from where Suzanne now lives with her seven cats and works as a dance instructor and massage therapist. That doesn’t exist. That is me still, yes. Saunders: When did you then strike up this friendship that Leonard Cohen describes in song? Poets, when they have a vision or an image, of course, use that. It was later released by Cohen himself on his debut album Songs of Leonard Cohen. Yet, there was always so much to go around, if you know what I mean. I forget that Leonard is more than just an amazing poet and philosopher. What did he mean, do you think? Suzanne: Oh yes. She was a teenager when they first met she was engaged to, and later married, the sculptor Armand Villaincourt. Suzanne Verdal was interviewed by CBC News's The National in 2006 about the song. She never moved back. Many think Cohen’s wife Suzanne Elrod was the inspiration for his song, but it was Verdal, the former wife of Montreal sculptor Armand Vaillancourt, who served as muse. Suzanne: With Leonard, it happened more in the beginning of the sixties. But apparently it got into the attention of Judy Collins, who urged Leonard to write a song based on the poem. "Venice Beach is an old landmark for the intellectuals, the writers, artists of the 30s and 40s and the free spirits, the free thinkers," Verdal says. La lletra té el seu origen en el poema "Suzanne Takes you down" inclòs en el llibre de poemes Parasites of Heaven , com moltes altres peces del seu primer àlbum Songs of Leonard Cohen. So, he was more or less chronicling the times and seemingly got a kick out of it (laughs). You know, there was so much energy and sharing and inspiration and pure moments and quality times together on very little or no money. Despite what many people believe,she was not a girlfriend of his but they had a platonic friendship. Like Cohen, Suzanne Verdal was Canadian. Saunders: Leonard Cohen later said that the opening verse of his poem, later to be the song "Suzanne", was a poetic account of the time he spent with her in the Summer of 1965. Suzanne: Yes, he did, coming from Leonard, it did. But I was depicted as I think, in sad terms too in a sense, and that’s a little unfortunate. Leonard Cohen had moved from Canada to the States but he and Suzanne did meet in Montreal sometime later and there were various accidental, casual encounters over the years. Suzanne Elrod is known as the companion of famous singer Leonard Cohen. Once when he was visiting Montreal, I saw him briefly in a hotel and it was a very, very wonderful, happy moment because he was on his way to becoming the great success he is. Suzanne: Yes, I agree and I believe it’s material forces at hand that do this to many the greatest of lovers (laughs). Saunders: So it almost has become a symbol of your youth, if you like? It’s a very intimate lyric, very, very intimate. Suzanne: It did change. Narrator: Now, "You Probably Think This Song Is about You" and a trip back to the early 60’s in Montreal to meet a young dancer married to Armand, a handsome sculptor. En un atersadenn gant BBC en deus displeget Leonard Cohen en doa savet ar ganaouenn goude kejañ ouzh Suzanne Verdal (hag a oa d'ar mare-se gwreg ar c'hizeller Armand Vaillancourt) e Montreal.Er ganaouenn e ra anv eus meur a lec'h eus Montreal, evel ar Stêr Sant-Laorañs hag ur chapelig anvet Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours.. En un atersadenn bet aozet gant CBC News e … Suzanne: The Beat scene was beautiful. Suzanne can refer to: Suzanne (song), a song by Leonard Cohen Suzanne Verdal, whom the song was named after, based on official stories Suzanne Elrod, Leonard Cohen's lover, mother of Cohen's son Adam Cohen Suzanne Vega, another Suzanne celebrity who has covered some Leonard Cohen songs, and even had some interviews with him. As you may or may not know, it launched him as a songwriter, I suppose. Do you ever listen to it? She continued her hippie lifestyle and worked as a dancer and a massage therapist. In 1999 she was involved in an accident which left her unable to work in either of her chosen professions. Suzanne: Well, I think the river is the river of life and that river, the St. Lawrence River that we shared, tied us together. He once called it "journalism", as the details were drawn from life in Montreal. Suzanne: I’ll never really know because there is a part of me that doesn’t understand the male gender, so I can’t speak about that part (laughs). I traveled, went to the U.S., and we’d see him and bump into him. It’s like an observer, and not the participant any more, yes. Suzanne Vega is a singer-songwriter who has long admired Leonard Cohen (Leonard was also a fan of her work) and has worked with and opened shows for him. Saunders: Do you think he resented the fact at all that you turned him down when he did fancy you? Saunders: He writes, ‘you know that she’s half crazy but that’s why you want to be there.’ Did that mean half crazy with unhappiness or just eccentric, bohemian? Login with Facebook Suzanne: Well, that could be. Our relationship did change with time. she and her son built on the back of a truck". Ms. Simmons found her in … Though not lovers in any conventional sense, the relationship between Cohen and Verdal was extraordinarily intense, colored by the Montreal lifestyle of the time. She's also known as "mother of the MP3". Saunders: What did you think about your portrayal? Saunders: So would you say in a way, in the spiritual sense, you were great lovers at some level? She finds emotional support in the colourful and eccentric bohemian community that thrives there. Saunders: Do you at all resent the fact that he, if you like, milked you for all the artistic inspiration and then moved on, having created this lovely thing from you? He got such a kick out of seeing me emerge as a young schoolgirl I suppose, and a young artist, into becoming Armand’s lover and then wife. I mean we were living, most of us, on a shoestring. What does the song mean to you now, as you look back on it? Suzanne by now had moved out of the area and it was only when she returned that a friend told her about this tribute to her. Suzanne Verdal Suzanne és una cançó escrita pel poeta canadenc i músic Leonard Cohen . He’s also a human being who happens to be a man (laughs), so I can’t speak on that side. Suzanne Verdal was described in the song Suzanne by Leonard Cohen. Home Human names Surname Surnames Disambiguation pages with surname-holder lists Verdal (disambiguation) Academic disciplines Business Concepts Crime That tea is Constant Comment, sold by the Bigelow Tea Co. First sold in the 1940s, it … They would walk by the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel in Montreal, known as the ‘sailor’s chapel’. Suzanne: Not recently. Saunders: Leonard Cohen finally ended up embracing spiritualism in the Mt. Suzanne: Flattered somewhat. Saunders: It does, indeed. Cohen remained friends with her. The half crazy could pertain to the sadness, but I think it was because I was so on a creative drive and the focuses were so strong in spite of any private grief I may have about my break up with Armand and the wheres and whys. Suzanne: Oh yes, definitely. Suzanne: Yes, and I don’t quite understand. Add your article. THE BACKSTORY: Originally a poem, "Suzanne" was inspired by Cohen's attraction to the ethereal Verdal, who lived on the Saint Lawrence River in the mid-'60s. Now the words have more meaning in a sense, because there’s a kind of detachment in the song that I hear now, that I didn’t hear then. Saunders: You feel that you moved apart after the song? She persuaded Cohen to set it to music. There’s a little bit of a bittersweet feeling to it that I retain. What came later was not remaining friends with Leonard and not knowing why. Read Wikipedia in Modernized UI. I don’t mean to be maudlin about it, but we’ve kind of gone our different ways and lost touch and some of my most beloved friends have departed from this planet into the other spheres. And I would speak about life and poetry and we’d share ideas. Suzanne Vega. I stayed true to art for art’s sake but he moved on and I stayed true to the cause, as it were. Saunders: The song is about the meeting of spirits. Died: 29 July, 2016, in Oslo, aged 81. The inspiration was one Suzanne Verdal, then the partner of sculptor Armand Vaillancourt, whose most famous work is a giant fountain in San Francisco dedicated to Quebecan independence. Therefore, it’s fair to say that it was Suzanne Verdal who was responsible for his ultimate fame. Don’t ask me why. The Girl in the Song: The Stories Behind 50 Rock Classics. It was live jazz and we were just dancing our hearts out for hours on end, happy on very little. 26 The young Cohen's signature tune was Suzanne. Does that make sense to you? Leonard heard about this place I was living, with crooked floors and a poetic view of the river, and he came to visit me many times. As I say, you can glance at a person and that moment is eternal and it’s the deepest of touches and that’s what we’d shared, Leonard and I, I believe. Saunders: Do you remember exactly when you met Leonard Cohen? She became the muse of dozens of Beat poets but for one, Leonard Cohen, she became extra special. Login with Facebook Suzanne és una cançó escrita pel poeta canadenc i músic Leonard Cohen. Bohemian dancer who met poet and musician Leonard Cohen in Montreal in the 1960's. And surprisingly, the lyrics of the song – which Cohen wrote originally as a poem – are quite literal. She maintains that there was no physical aspect to their relationship, hence as it says in the song: One of the reasons I used that name for my first child , Jackie Jackson, also known online as BritFlorida, is a highly experienced designer and writer. Suzanne: Oh yes, yes, I don’t hesitate to speak of this, absolutely. Login with Gmail. And surprisingly, the lyrics of the song – which Cohen wrote originally as a poem – are quite literal. Suzanne left Montreal Despite what many people believe,she was not a girlfriend  of his but they had a platonic friendship. And the moment arose that we could have a moment together intimately, and I declined. "Suzanne Verdal perches in the doorway of the little gypsy cabin "Suzanne" was inspired by Cohen's platonic relationship with dancer Suzanne Verdal. And he would watch us dancing, of course. When I was living then separated from Armand, I went and was very much interested in the waterfront. I was already becoming aware of recycling at a very young, young age and I might say, I might be a pioneer in that because I was going to the Salvation Army and getting old dresses and old pieces of just cloth and making something quite wonderful out of them to dress myself, my child, and to make wonderful clothes. And then I was introduced to Leonard at Le Vieux Moulin, I think in the presence of Armand, in fact. Saundes: Leonard Cohen recently described the song as the best of his whole career. Suzanne was a … Suzanne left Montreal in 1992 with his son Kahlil. They had a platonic relationship and she was the inspiration for one of Cohen's most famous songs, "Suzanne." She was divorced by the time the two of them really got to know each other. Narrator: Now, "You Probably Think This Song Is about You" and a trip back to the early 60’s in Montreal to meet a young dancer married to Armand, a handsome sculptor. British born and now living in the USA, she specialises in lifestyle issues, design and quirky stories. We’d walk down the street for instance, and the click of our shoes, his boots and my shoes, would be like in synchronicity. She is now homeless in Venice Beach, California, U… Read Wikipedia in Modernized UI. Credit Due Department: Suzanne Vega photo by Richard Huber – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 But then there were some bittersweet moments that perhaps I don’t wish to divulge right at this time. He likened it to a 1982 Chateau Le Tour, a good bottle of wine. Suzanne: Oh absolutely, and for many of us, I hold dear this time, very much so. And that’s why there was some ill feeling there or some sadnesses that were not there at the beginning at all. Born: 18 May 1935 in Larkollen, Norway. As per the report made by people Pill, Suzanne was nineteen years old when she met Leonard in 1969. But we didn’t really strike a note together until maybe three or four years later. It’s hard to describe. That was me. Saunders: So Leonard Cohen saw you when you were a young girl in love? (from wikipedia) Leonard Cohen specified, notably in a BBC interview, that the song was about encountering Suzanne Verdal, the wife of sculptor Armand Vaillancourt, in a Montréal setting. The other Suzanne — Suzanne Verdal, she of the tea and oranges that came all the way from China — is in these pages too. It was very unique, very, very unique. An acronym for … I just would speak and I would move and I would encourage and he would just kind of like sit back and grin while soaking it all up and I wouldn’t always get feedback, but I felt his presence really being with me. Saunders: It seems very sad that the spirits moved apart. "Suzanne" was inspired by Cohen's platonic relationship with Suzanne Verdal, the then girlfriend of sculptorArmand Vaillancourt. Saunders: So it really was the tea and oranges that are in the song? Cohen’s poem about Suzanne was first published in 1966. Verdal never benefited financially from the song’s enormous commercial success. Where were you that night, do you remember? And it was a union. And I guess, I don’t know if that intimidated him or embarrassed him or made him uncomfortable. Login with Gmail. Saunders: And that was something you shared, both of you? You must do this and being used is not even part of it at the time. Suzanne Verdal (or, Suzanne #1) "The song 'Suzanne' is journalism," Cohen says in the book Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen: Interviews and Encounters . She then recorded it and this was the start of Leonard Cohen’s career. Much about Suzanne's date of birth is not shared with the media. Saunders: When you heard the song as opposed to hearing the poem, did you instantly think, that’s me? I don’t know for sure. Suzanne: Yes, and I guess he retained that. Suzanne Elrod is an artist and the former partner of Leonard Cohen. That’s their material. Though not lovers in any conventional sense, the relationship between Cohen and Verdal was extraordinarily intense, colored by the Montreal lifestyle of the time. "Suzanne Verdal perches in the doorway of the little gypsy cabin she and her son built on the back of a truck". Suzanne: One of our mutual friends mentioned to me, ‘Did you hear the wonderful poem that Leonard wrote for you’ or about you and I said no, because I had been away traveling and I wasn’t aware of it. Suzanne really did live in a ‘place by the river’ and when Cohen used to visit her she would ‘serve him tea and oranges’. La lletra té el seu origen en el poema " Suzanne Takes you down " inclòs en el llibre de poemes Parasites of Heaven (1966), com moltes altres peces del seu primer àlbum Songs of Leonard Cohen . Suzanne: That may be, but I think poets do that. You can almost be said to have created this song yourself. You know I don’t think I was quite as sad as that, albeit maybe I was and he perceived that and I didn’t. Suzanne was born in 1950. [1] [2] Vega's music career spans almost 40 years. Saunders: Did either of you ever try to take it a stage further and make it more physically intimate or become lovers? Cohen says that 'everyone was in love with Suzanne', including him, although, as the song says, he could only 'touch her perfect body' with his mind. We’d almost hear each other thinking. Saunders: After you’d heard this very intimate song, when did you meet Leonard Cohen again, after you’d heard it, and how had your relationship changed, if at all? Cohen's friend Suzanne Verdal fed him a black tea with pieces of orange rind in it. The song “Suzanne” was first recorded by Judy Collins, and appeared on her 1966 album In My Life. I would always light a candle and serve tea and it would be quiet for several minutes, then we would speak. As has been explained by a number of music scholars, “Suzanne” is Suzanne Verdal, the beautiful, free-spirited wife of an artist Cohen knew in … But someone else was aware of the poem too, singer Judy Collins. I guess I miss the simpler times that we lived and shared. In Minneapolis for instance, he did a concert there and he saw me back stage and received me very beautifully, ‘Oh Suzanne, you gave me a beautiful song.’ And it was a sweet moment. Suzanne: That’s right, absolutely. And there’s sometimes a very real homesickness for Montreal and that wonderful time. I was going to say, he is almost your audience. Did either of you ever want to? "It's completely accurate." Suzanne Nadine Vega (born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer, best known for her folk-inspired music. Like many young women in those days, Suzanne’s creative and somewhat bohemian hippie lifestyle meant that she created her own clothes which you’ll remember from the song: ‘wearing rags and feathers from Salvation Army counters’. It just was a spiritual moment that I had with the lightening of the candle. Like Cohen, Suzanne Verdal was Canadian. Verdal, a municipality in Trondelag county, Norway Verdal Station, a railway station located in the town of Verdalsora in the municipality of Verdal in Trondela. She moved to Santa Monica in the early 1990's to pursue a career in dancing for music videos but later suffered a back injury after falling off of a ladder. She lives in a trailer in California these day but looks pretty happy with things. Many think Cohen’s wife Suzanne Elrod was the inspiration for his song, but it was Verdal, the former wife of Montreal sculptor Armand Vaillancourt, who served as muse. There was so much other wonderful things happening. But who was Suzanne and what inspired the song? We had tea together many times and mandarin oranges. He became a big star after the song was launched and he became a songwriter. Suzanne: He was "drinking me in" more than I even recognized, if you know what I mean. She lived in Montreal from 1963 to 1992 when she left after a battle with Hydro Quebec, which claimed that she owed $5,000 in her St. Henri apartment. Suzanne: Very definitely, very definitely, and the candle, who I named Anastasia, the flame of the candle was Anastasia to me. Dec 4, 2016 - (from wikipedia) Leonard Cohen specified, notably in a BBC interview, that the song was about encountering Suzanne Verdal, the wife of sculptor Armand Vaillancourt, in a Montréal setting. Saunders: Could you describe one of the typical evenings that you spent with Leonard Cohen at the time the song was written? It was a spirit union. Suzanne: Oh very much so. Suzanne Verdal was interviewed by CBC News's The National in 2006 about the song. The St. Lawrence River held a particular poetry and beauty to me and (I) decided to live there with our daughter, Julie.
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