Leonard Cohen had a way of making every song of his a momentous statement that would stick with you long after the last notes were played. Maybe it was the oracular depth of his voice. Or perhaps it was the wit and wisdom of his lyrics.
In any case, he often delivered album-closers that tied up his LPs just right, even if they went about it in different ways. Here are five outstanding final songs from Cohen’s imposing catalog.
5. “You Got Me Singing” from Popular Problems (2014)
We tend to think of Cohen’s quartet of albums from the final decade of his life as somber and portentous, ruminations by a man near the end of his life about all that’s come before. And there’s a lot of that, for sure. But there are moments of joy and anticipation as well. “You Got Me Singing” is one of those moments, as it sends Popular Problems out on a note of love and appreciation. There might even be an in-joke in there: You got me singing the Hallelujah song, Cohen bellows, appearing to reference the most famous song in his catalog.
4. “If It Be Your Will” from Various Positions (1984)
Speaking of “Hallelujah,” this is the album that contains it. But don’t confuse Various Positions for a one-trick pony, as there are several outstanding tracks on what turned out to be a strong comeback album for Cohen (it was his first in five years). This dreamy closer, which finds him getting support from the lovely acoustic guitar work of Sid McGinnis and the harmony vocals of Jennifer Warnes, is a sweet way to end things. It finds Cohen at his most vulnerable, beseeching either a higher power or a lover (the two always intertwined with him) to allow him to come forth and sing their praises.
3. “Tonight Will Be Fine” from Songs from a Room (1969)
Coming off his monumental debut, Cohen’s sophomore album Songs from a Room was a more muted, mysterious affair, forcing listeners to dive in a little deeper to see what it was all about. The surface pleasures of “Tonight Will Be Fine” can almost make it seem like an upbeat closer. Cohen even chuckles slightly as he sings, while the back-porch arrangement is also engaging. Heck, he even scats and whistles at song’s end. But then you listen to the lyrics, and you realize he’s clinging to one night of passion only because he knows his love affair holds no permanence.
2. “Ballad of the Absent Mare” from Recent Songs (1979)
In 1977, Cohen tried to coax magic out of a mismatch with producer Phil Spector on the album Death of a Ladies’ Man. The results were predictably star-crossed. With Recent Songs two years later, he tentatively found his footing again. But the bulk of the album struggles to live up to the monumental closer “Ballad of the Absent Mare.” It’s hard to imagine anyone but a poet conjuring up the ability to tease out a metaphor over nearly six and a half minutes like Cohen does here. When he pulls the curtain back in the final verse to reveal what it all means, it’s an endlessly affecting twist.
1. “Tower of Song” from I’m Your Man (1988)
The 1967 debut Songs of Leonard Cohen has to get the nod as Cohen’s top overall album because there are so many songs there on which his legend was built. His consistency throughout his career makes it tough to pick a No. 2, but we’re going to put forward I’m Your Man as the top candidate. His batting average on the eight songs included is very high, and in “Tower of Song,” Cohen yields the ideal closer. It’s a song where he reflects on his standing as a songwriter, while also acknowledging the toll it takes on someone to mine the deepest parts of oneself for other’s entertainment.
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