Various Positions
Various Positions is the seventh studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, released on December 11, 1984, by Columbia Records.[1] Produced by John Lissauer, who had previously collaborated with Cohen on New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974), the album marks a shift toward a more modern sound incorporating synthesizers and a fuller band arrangement.[2] It features nine tracks, including the now-iconic "Hallelujah," alongside songs like "Dance Me to the End of Love" and "If It Be Your Will," blending Cohen's poetic lyrics on love, faith, and existential themes with pop and folk influences.[3] Despite its artistic merits, Various Positions faced initial commercial hurdles; Cohen's U.S. label, Columbia Records, rejected it for release in the United States, with executives deeming it insufficiently viable and lacking a hit single.[4] The album was first issued in Canada and Europe, where it received modest attention, peaking on the Canadian charts but failing to chart significantly elsewhere at the time; it was later released in the US in 1985 by Passport Records.[4] Recorded at Quadrasonic Sound Studios in New York, it includes contributions from vocalist Jennifer Warnes and musicians such as bassist John Crowder and drummer Richard Crooks, contributing to its layered, atmospheric production.[5] Over the decades, Various Positions has been reevaluated as a critical high point in Cohen's discography, largely due to the enduring popularity of "Hallelujah," which has been covered by hundreds of artists—including Jeff Buckley, whose 1994 version brought it widespread fame—and featured in films, TV shows, and religious contexts.[4] The album's themes of spiritual searching and human vulnerability, exemplified in tracks like "Night Comes On" and "Heart with No Companion," reflect Cohen's deepening engagement with Judaism and broader philosophical inquiries during this period.[6] Its legacy endures as a testament to Cohen's ability to craft timeless, introspective music that resonates across generations.[4]Development
Background
In the early 1980s, Leonard Cohen found himself at a commercial nadir following the underwhelming reception of his previous albums, including Death of a Ladies' Man (1977) and Recent Songs (1979), both of which struggled to achieve significant sales or critical acclaim despite their artistic merits.[4] After a five-year break from studio recording, Cohen aimed to revitalize his sound by embracing synthesizers and electronic production techniques, marking a departure from the acoustic folk roots of his earlier work and aligning with the era's burgeoning synth-pop trends.[4] This evolution was shaped by Cohen's collaboration with producer John Lissauer, marking their second collaboration following New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974), in which his arrangements had previously shaped Cohen's sound.[7] Lissauer's influence encouraged Cohen to experiment with keyboards and electronic textures, creating a modern backdrop for the album's introspective themes. During this period, Cohen's personal life, including his relationship with French photographer Dominique Issermann, informed the record's explorations of love, longing, and spirituality, drawing from his Jewish heritage and interest in Zen Buddhism.[8][9] Upon completion in 1984, Various Positions faced initial rejection from Columbia Records executives, including label president Walter Yetnikoff, who deemed it uncommercial, prompting its release on the independent Passport Records label in the United States while CBS handled international distribution.[10][2] This setback underscored Cohen's precarious industry standing but allowed the album to emerge as a pivotal, if initially overlooked, chapter in his career. Jennifer Warnes contributed backing vocals, adding emotional depth to the tracks.[2]Songwriting
During the composition of Various Positions in 1982 and 1983, Leonard Cohen employed a meticulous songwriting approach centered on notebook drafts and extensive iterative revisions, often generating dozens of verses before refining them into cohesive structures. This process reflected his poetic background, where he would capture initial ideas in handwritten notes before sculpting them through repeated edits to achieve emotional precision and singability. For instance, Cohen drafted over 80 verses for "Hallelujah," drawing from biblical narratives like the stories of King David and Samson to explore themes of divine love and human frailty, ultimately selecting and condensing just a few for the album version after months of revision.[4] The song's creation spanned roughly two years, beginning in late 1983, with Cohen performing early iterations live as part of his ongoing refinement during the album's development period. This biblical inspiration intertwined with Cohen's personal spirituality, influenced by his Zen Buddhist studies, which he had begun in the 1970s, infusing the lyrics with a contemplative depth that examined sacred and profane intersections. In contrast, "Dance Me to the End of Love" emerged from darker historical reflections, inspired by accounts of Holocaust victims where string quartets were forced to play near crematoria; Cohen envisioned the music as a defiant accompaniment to love amid atrocity, structuring it as a waltz-like romance while embedding subtle imagery of burning violins and shadowed dances.[11][12] Cohen's lyrics for Various Positions also adapted to the album's emerging synth-pop elements, incorporating rhythmic, incantatory phrasing that contrasted his earlier folk-oriented introspection and allowed for a more layered, electronic delivery. This evolution marked a deliberate shift, where his notebook revisions emphasized brevity and repetition to complement the synthetic textures, as seen in tracks like "Coming Back to You," which balanced personal longing with spiritual undertones drawn from his Zen practice. Overall, these methods underscored Cohen's commitment to thematic authenticity, prioritizing verses that resonated across spiritual, historical, and romantic dimensions unique to this album's introspective tone.[13]Production
Recording process
The recording of Various Positions took place in June 1983 at Quadrasonic Sound Studios in New York City, marking Leonard Cohen's return to the studio after a five-year hiatus from album production.[14][15] The sessions, engineered by Leanne Ungar, featured a minimalistic setup overseen by producer John Lissauer, who collaborated closely with Cohen on arrangements and incorporated synthesizers such as Casio keyboards to achieve a modern sound with a small ensemble of 6-8 musicians, including keyboardists and backing vocalists.[3][16][17] Cohen was deeply involved in the creative process, contributing to vocal performances, acoustic guitar, and electronic keyboard parts while guiding the overall direction alongside Lissauer.[3] Backing vocalist Jennifer Warnes added overdubs to several tracks, including "Coming Back to You," enhancing the album's layered harmonies after initial band recordings.[2] The sessions spanned several months, wrapping up by autumn 1983, but faced significant post-production hurdles when Columbia Records rejected the completed album for lacking commercial viability, prompting a rushed push for alternative release strategies in Canada and Europe before U.S. distribution.[14][18] This rejection strained the production team, with Lissauer later noting the emotional toll on the collaborative effort.[14]Personnel
Leonard Cohen served as the lead vocalist and guitarist on Various Positions, providing the core of the album's intimate, introspective sound through his distinctive baritone delivery and acoustic contributions.[3] A Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, and novelist born in 1934, Cohen had already established himself with earlier albums like Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967), blending folk traditions with literary depth.[19] John Lissauer acted as producer, arranger of piano and keyboard orchestrations, and performer on keyboards and synthesizer, shaping the album's modern yet understated production without relying on a large orchestra to maintain its close-knit scale.[3] Lissauer, a New York-based producer and musician, had previously collaborated with Cohen on the 1974 album New Skin for the Old Ceremony, where he co-produced and arranged tracks that introduced more experimental elements to Cohen's work.[20] Jennifer Warnes contributed backing and occasional lead vocals, adding emotional layers that complemented Cohen's style and highlighted her rising prominence as a vocalist.[3] Warnes, an American singer known for her work in folk and pop, gained wider recognition through her long association with Cohen, including tours starting in the late 1970s and contributions to albums like Recent Songs (1979), which helped elevate her profile before her solo success with Famous Blue Raincoat (1987).[21] The supporting musicians formed a compact ensemble emphasizing acoustic and subtle electronic textures:- Bass: Ernie Brooks, John Crowder (also backing vocals)[3]
- Drums: Richard Crooks[3]
- Guitar: Leonard Cohen, Michel Robidoux, Ron Getman (also pedal steel guitar and harmonica), Sid McGinnis[3]
- Fiddle: Kenny Kosek[22]
- Backing Vocals: Anjani Thomas, Chrissie Faith, Erin Dickins, John Crowder, John Lissauer, Lani Groves, Merle Miller, Ron Getman[3]
Composition
Musical style
Various Positions represents a pivotal evolution in Leonard Cohen's discography, fusing elements of soft rock and contemporary folk with the era's prominent synthesizer sounds, signaling a departure from his predominantly acoustic folk roots of the 1960s and 1970s. This genre blend results in a sophisticated pop aesthetic, often classified as sophisti-pop or singer-songwriter fare with modern production sheen, where Cohen's introspective lyrics are supported by electronic textures that add immediacy and atmosphere without overpowering the intimacy.[5] The album's song structures emphasize accessibility and emotional resonance, employing traditional verse-chorus forms enriched by rhythmic variations. For instance, the opening track "Dance Me to the End of Love" features a waltz-like rhythm that evokes a graceful, danceable sway contrasting Cohen's typically somber delivery, while "Hallelujah" unfolds as a piano-driven ballad, building through slow, hymn-like verses to a cathartic chorus. These structures maintain folk ballad influences but incorporate pop concision, allowing the songs to resonate across genres.[24] Production techniques on Various Positions prioritize restraint and depth, with layered synthesizers—often from affordable keyboards like Cohen's Casio—creating atmospheric backdrops that enhance the melancholic mood, complemented by minimal percussion and subtle string accents. This approach yields a clean, uncluttered sound across its nine tracks, totaling 35:10 in runtime, where electronic elements subtly modernize the folk framework without diluting its emotional core. A notable exception is "The Law," where the string arrangements introduce exotic, Middle Eastern-inspired flourishes that provide a dynamic contrast to the album's overall subdued palette.[5][25]Track listing
All songs on Various Positions were written by Leonard Cohen.[1] The album features nine tracks with a total running time of 35:10.[5]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dance Me to the End of Love" | 4:40 |
| 2. | "Coming Back to You" | 3:30 |
| 3. | "The Law" | 4:22 |
| 4. | "Night Comes On" | 4:36 |
| 5. | "Hallelujah" | 4:34 |
| 6. | "The Captain" | 4:05 |
| 7. | "Hunter's Lullaby" | 2:23 |
| 8. | "Heart with No Companion" | 3:01 |
| 9. | "If It Be Your Will" | 3:40 |