The Essential Leonard Cohen
2002 greatest hits album by Leonard Cohen
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The Essential Leonard Cohen is a career-spanning collection of Leonard Cohen songs released in 2002. It is part of Sony's The Essential series.
| The Essential Leonard Cohen | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | October 22, 2002 | |||
| Recorded | 1967–2004 | |||
| Genre | Folk rock | |||
| Length | 2:34:10 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Digitally remastered by Leonard Cohen and Bob Ludwig | |||
| Leonard Cohen chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | A[2] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
The songs are arranged in chronological order; all studio albums released before 2002 are represented, except the 1977 album Death of a Ladies' Man. All tracks were digitally remastered by Leonard Cohen and Bob Ludwig. All songs on the compilation were chosen by Cohen himself.
The album was re-released in August 2008 with an extra disc of previously not included tracks (presented as the selection of "fans' favorite" songs).
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Suzanne" | 3:47 |
| 2. | "The Stranger Song" | 4:59 |
| 3. | "Sisters Of Mercy" | 3:33 |
| 4. | "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" | 2:54 |
| 5. | "So Long, Marianne" | 5:37 |
| 6. | "Bird on the Wire" (misspelled as "Bird on a Wire" on tracklist) | 3:25 |
| 7. | "The Partisan" | 3:25 |
| 8. | "Famous Blue Raincoat" | 5:07 |
| 9. | "Chelsea Hotel #2" | 3:05 |
| 10. | "Take This Longing" | 4:05 |
| 11. | "Who By Fire" | 2:33 |
| 12. | "The Guests" | 6:39 |
| 13. | "Hallelujah" | 4:39 |
| 14. | "If It Be Your Will" | 3:42 |
| 15. | "Night Comes On" | 4:39 |
| 16. | "I'm Your Man" | 4:26 |
| 17. | "Everybody Knows" | 5:34 |
| 18. | "Tower of Song" | 5:37 |
Notes
- Tracks 1–5 are from Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967)
- Tracks 6–7 are from Songs from a Room (1969)
- Track 8 is from Songs of Love and Hate (1971)
- Tracks 9–11 are from New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974)
- Track 12 is from Recent Songs (1979)
- Tracks 13–15 are from Various Positions (1984)
- Tracks 16–18 are from I'm Your Man (1988)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ain't No Cure For Love" | 4:49 |
| 2. | "Take This Waltz" | 5:58 |
| 3. | "First We Take Manhattan" | 5:50 |
| 4. | "Dance Me to the End of Love" (live) | 6:04 |
| 5. | "The Future" | 6:41 |
| 6. | "Democracy" | 7:13 |
| 7. | "Waiting For The Miracle" | 7:42 |
| 8. | "Closing Time" | 5:58 |
| 9. | "Anthem" | 6:06 |
| 10. | "In My Secret Life" | 4:53 |
| 11. | "Alexandra Leaving" | 5:22 |
| 12. | "A Thousand Kisses Deep" | 6:26 |
| 13. | "Love Itself" | 5:22 |
Notes
- Tracks 1–3 are from I'm Your Man (1988)
- Track 4 is from Cohen Live (1994)
- Tracks 5–9 are from The Future (1992)
- Tracks 10–13 are from Ten New Songs (2001)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Seems So Long Ago, Nancy" | 3:39 |
| 2. | "Love Calls You By Name" | 5:38 |
| 3. | "A Singer Must Die" | 3:17 |
| 4. | "Death Of A Ladies' Man" | 9:19 |
| 5. | "The Traitor" | 6:14 |
| 6. | "By The Rivers Dark" | 5:20 |
| 7. | "The Letters" | 4:48 |
Notes
Track 2 is from Songs of Love and Hate
Track 3 is from New Skin for the Old Ceremony
Track 4 is from Death of a Ladies' Man
Track 5 is from Recent Songs
Track 6 is from Ten New Songs
Track 7 is from Dear Heather
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[25] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
| Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[26] | Gold | 17,896[26] |
| Germany (BVMI)[27] | Gold | 150,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[28] | Gold | 25,000* |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[29] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| Norway (IFPI Norway)[30] | Platinum | 47,000[31] |
| Poland (ZPAV)[32] | Platinum | 20,000‡ |
| Sweden (GLF)[33] | Gold | 30,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[34] | Platinum | 235,749[35] |
| United States (RIAA)[36] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||