The best Leonard Cohen songs
The top 3 according to 347 votes from people: Hallelujah · So Long, Marianne · Suzanne. (Updated Sep 24, 2024.)
Cohen's greatest songs as ranked by Paste, Newsweek, Gold Radio and Rolling Stone readers, from "Suzanne" to "You Want It Darker".
Top 17
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1
Hallelujah
1984. Ignored at first, now one of the most covered songs ever.
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2
So Long, Marianne
1967. A farewell to his muse Marianne Ihlen.
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3
Suzanne
1967. His first great song, about Suzanne Verdal.
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4
Everybody Knows
1988. Sardonic and modern, from I'm Your Man.
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5
Chelsea Hotel #2
1974. A memory of a famous hotel encounter.
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6
Bird on the Wire
1969. A plea for forgiveness.
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7
Famous Blue Raincoat
1971. A love triangle told in a letter.
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8
Anthem
1992. The song about the crack where the light gets in.
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9
Avalanche
1971. One of his bleakest songs.
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10
First We Take Manhattan
1988. Synths and dark humour.
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11
I'm Your Man
1988. A seductive title track.
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12
Sisters of Mercy
1967. A tender song about two women who sheltered him.
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13
Tower of Song
1988. A wry song about being a songwriter.
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14
Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye
1967. A gentle breakup song.
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15
You Want It Darker
2016. Released weeks before his death.
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16
The Partisan
1969. A French Resistance song.
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17
Dance Me to the End of Love
1984. A waltz with a dark origin.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
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Comments (1)
Famous Blue Raincoat over Hallelujah any day