R.I.P. Leonard Cohen
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November 14, 2016Leonard Cohen, the great singer-songwriter, has died at 82. The following is a guaranteed true story relating to him.
On October 9, one month and one day ago, my son Jake was married just outside New York City. During the reception, I was among those offering toasts and remarks. When mine were finished, we all sat down to dinner and the DJ started playing background music. I noticed one of my all-time favorite cover versions of one of my all-time favorite songs: Madeleine Peyroux, in 2005, doing Cohen’s “Dance Me to the End of Love.”
Take a moment to give it a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch6h278GEpA.
I went over to the table of Jake and his husband Dan, who had worked with the DJ on the song list.
“Great choice — Madeleine Peyroux with the Leonard Cohen song,” I said.
“I had nothing to do with it,” Dan said. “The DJ played that one on his own.”
Later in the evening I approached the DJ and told him how much I had appreciated hearing “Dance Me to the End of Love.”
“I can’t believe you said that,” the DJ said. “While I was listening to your toast, I pulled out that song just for you. It’s not in my regular rotation. Something told me it was perfect.”