Meaning of Suzanne by Leonard Cohen & The Story Behind

Leonard Cohen’s debut album opens with the touching song Suzanne, which over the years has become one of the most popular creations of the legendary Canadian musician. Let’s remember the amazing story of a composition dedicated to a real person and based on romantic events. They really happened in the life of the songwriter, when he was still very young and only dreamed of a career on the stage.

Story of the song Suzanne

The wonderful ballad is dedicated to the dancer Suzanne Verdal, beloved of the sculptor Armand Vaillancourt. Cohen visited her and described their meeting in the poem Suzanne Takes You Down, which formed the basis of the future song.

Both the author and his muse have repeatedly talked about the relationship that preceded the birth of the famous work. Excerpts from numerous interviews allow you to vividly imagine how the composition was born.

Let’s listen to Leonard Cohen first:

The song was started and the chord progression was created even before the song had a female name. And I knew it was a song about Montreal. She seemed to come out of the landscape that I loved so much in Montreal. This is the harbor, and the coastline, and the sailors’ church called Notre Dame de Bon Secour, which stood above the river …
At some stage, I met Suzanne Vaillancourt, who was the wife of a friend of mine. Then they were a stunning couple in Montreal, really stunning, both: a beautiful man and woman. Everyone was in love with Suzanne Vayancourt, and every woman was in love with Armand Vayancourt. But there was not even… Well, there was a thought, but there was no possibility, one could not even afford to think about trying to seduce Armand Vayankur’s wife. Firstly, he was a friend, and secondly, as a couple, they were perfect …
I ran into her one evening and she invited me to her place near the river… She treated me to Constant Comment tea, which had little pieces of orange in it. And boats sailed by, and I mentally touched her perfect body, because there was no other possibility. Under those circumstances, there was no other way to touch her perfect body. That’s how she provided the name in the song.

BBC Radio 1994

I wrote this in 1966. Suzanne had a beachfront room in Montreal. Everything happened exactly as written. She was the wife of a man I knew. Her hospitality was impeccable. A few months later, I sang a Judy Collins song over the phone. They stole publishing rights in New York, but maybe it’s right that I don’t own this song. The very next day I heard other people singing it on a ship in the Caspian Sea.

Synopsis for Greatest Hits (1975)

It wasn’t just a connection. It was the full realization that we were irresistibly drawn to each other, and we had to cope with it … and we had to cope with our bodies, with our hearts, with our souls and with our thoughts, and it was a passionate attraction.

And now let’s find out what Suzanne Verdal told about the background of the song:

Leonard was a friend of my husband Armand. We’ve all been to the same places in Montreal: Le Bistro, Le Vieux Moulin, where you could dance to jazz. Black turtlenecks, smoke, beatniks and poets – it was the bohemian atmosphere of the sixties. Leonard spent hours at the Bistro…
By 1965, I broke up with Armand and lived with our baby. Leonard came to see me, and I treated him to jasmine tea with oranges and lit a candle … Leonard was my mentor. We walked together and we didn’t even have to talk. The sound of his boots and my heels was strange, like the synchronicity of our steps. He felt it, I felt it, and we got excited just smiling at each other.
We have never been lovers in the flesh, but somewhere very deeply we were. I had the opportunity more than once, but I respected his work and everything he stood for, and I didn’t want to spoil it. And Leonard was an incredibly sexy man! He was very attractive to women and I didn’t want to be just one of the crowd!
In ’68, I left Montreal for the States, and when I returned, they asked me: “Did you hear the song that Leonard wrote about you?” Even in my wildest dreams, I could not imagine that it would be a hit. I was flattered, but I also felt like it was an invasion of privacy. Later, everything became different. I stayed true to the sixties. He turned into a big pop icon and became unavailable. It hurts. This song has a bittersweet taste to me.

Suzanne also admitted that she liked Cohen, but she kept herself to herself:

It was I who outlined the boundaries of what was permitted, because Leonard was really a very sexy man and very charismatic. And I was very drawn to him, but I did not want to somehow spoil this value, this boundless respect for him, for our friendship. I felt that sexual intercourse could destroy it all. This precious relationship has produced a magnificent work of art.

When asked many years later how she felt after the release of the song, Suzanne replied:

Slightly flattered. But I think I was portrayed too sad, in a way, and slightly unhappy. You know, I don’t think I was that sad, although I may have been, and he felt it, but I didn’t.

LeonardCohenFiles.com

Song release

The first performer of Suzanne was The Stormy Clovers.

A little later, the composition was recorded by Judy Collins for the album In My Life. The famous singer recalled how she met Cohen and heard the song for the first time:

Mary Martin [менеджер Коэна] was an old Canadian friend of mine who kept thinking about Leonard and his books. One day in 1966, she said: “What if I send Leonard to you? He wrote several songs.” When he first came to my house, he was charming and modest. It seems that he still did not understand what he was doing, and did not sing a single note. He said, “Oh, I’m embarrassed too…”
The next day he came back and sang “Suzanne”, “Dress Rehearsal Rag” and “The Stranger Song” to me, and the next day he came back and sang “Suzanne” again. Soon after, I wrote it down. It was immediately obvious that this was a classic.

Uncut, 2014

Let’s hear Judy Collins perform Suzanne.

Cohen sang Suzanne for his debut album Songs of Leonard Cohen, released in late December 1967. His version of the song did not make it to the famous charts.

What follows is Suzanne’s music video, in which the author of the song gives a backstory in concert and then performs the song.

Subsequently, Suzanne has been covered by many popular musicians, including Noel Harrison, Nina Simone, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Bruce Springsteen.

Next, we offer you to watch a music video in which Nina Simone sings “Suzanne”.

Interesting Facts

Suzanne was included in the list of the best songs of the sixties, compiled by Pitchfork Media.
The song appears on many movie soundtracks, including several films with the name “Suzanne” in the title: Suzanne, Susanna and The Second Coming of Suzanne.

Suzanne lyrics by Leonard Cohen

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

And Jesus was a sailor
When he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching
From his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain
Only drowning men could see him
He said “All men will be sailors then
Until the sea shall free them”
But he was broken
Long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human
He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
And you want to travel with him
And you want to travel blind
And you think maybe you’ll trust him
For he’s touched your perfect body with his mind

Now Suzanne takes your hand
And she leads you to the river
She is wearing rags and feathers
From Salvation Army counters
And the sun pours down like honey
On our lady of the harbor
And she shows you where to look
Among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed
There are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love
And they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that you can trust her
For she’s touched your perfect body with her mind

Suzanne lyrics by Leonard Cohen Alternate

Suzanne takes you to her house by the river
Can you hear the boats passing by
You can spend all night next to her
And you know that she’s a little out of her mind
But that’s why you want to be there
She treats you to tea and oranges
that came from China itself
And when you’re ready to tell her
That you can’t give her love
She catches you on her radio wave
And let the river answer
That you were always her lover
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
After all, you mentally touched her perfect body

And Jesus was a sailor
When he walked on the water
And he watched for a long time
Sitting alone in a wooden tower
And when he was sure
Only the drowned could see him
He said, “All men will be sailors,
Until the sea sets them free
But he broke himself
Long before the skies opened up
Abandoned, almost becoming a man,
He drowned in your wisdom like a stone
And you want to travel with him
And you want to travel blind
And you think maybe you’ll trust him
After all, he mentally touched your perfect body

Here Susanna takes your hand
And leads to the river
She’s wearing rags and feathers
From the Salvation Army stalls
And the sun pours honey rays
To our Lady of the Harbor
And she tells you where to look
Among the garbage and flowers
There are heroes in seaweed
Children appear in the morning
They go out looking for love
And they will always look for her
While Suzanne holds the mirror
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know you can trust her
After all, she mentally touched your perfect body