Nashville, November 5, 2009 – Leonard Cohen Plays "Darkness" In Concert For First Time

November 6th, 2009 · 10 Comments · Leonard Cohen

The Other Other Blues Song Debuts At Tennessee Performing Arts Center

“Darkness,” first captured on video three months ago during the Venice soundcheck,¹ reappeared a few hours ago in its first official public presentation at the Leonard Cohen Nashville concert. (“The Other Blues Song,”² featured in the last three Cohen concerts,³ was not played in Nashville.)

Best of all, less than three hours after the completion of the concert, bridgebud had made an outstanding video of “Darkness” available on YouTube.

So, enjoy already.

Leonard Cohen – Darkness (Nashville TPAC, 11/5/2009)

“Darkness” Lyrics
From LadyLilley at LeonardCohenForum

I caught the darkness baby,
Drinking from your cup,
I caught the darkness baby,
from your little ruby cup.
I said is this contagious?
You said ‘just drink it up’

I’ve got no future,
I know my days are few
The present’s not that pleasant
just a lot of things to do
I thought the past would last me
but the darkness got there too

I should have seen it coming
it was right behind your eyes
you were young and it was summer
ahhh-I had to take a dive
yeah winning you was easy
but the darkness was the prize

I don’t use no cigerette
and I can’t taste the alcohol
I ain’t had much loving yet
ah but that’s always been your call
ever since the darkness
doesn’t make much sense to me at all

I used to love the rainbow
And I used to love the view
I loved the early morning
and I pretended it was new
but I caught the darkness baby
and I got it worse than you

caught the darkness
drinking from your cup
I caught the darkness
drinking from your cup
I said is this contagious?
you said ‘just drink it up’

_____________________

See 1st Video, New Leonard Cohen Song – The Darkness and Complete Version Of “The Darkness” – The New Leonard Cohen Song – Now Available [↩]
Neither blues song referenced in this post has an official name [↩]
See Leonard Cohen Plays Third Version Of “The Other Blues Song” At Durham Concert [↩]

Tags: Leonard Cohen·Leonard Cohen World Tour

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10 Comments so far ↓

Valerio Aaron Baotzebao Fiandra // Nov 6, 2009 at 5:39 am

wasn’t Venice ?

anyway, out of the blue-darkness…

ciao !
- DrHGuy // Nov 6, 2009 at 8:27 am
  
  You are, of course, correct. It was Venice. I even pulled up the old post and still managed to come up with the wrong city. Thanks.
Lennard // Nov 6, 2009 at 7:16 am

Great post! Though I believe the darkness was first played in the soundcheck in Venice, not Vienna as the post states.
- DrHGuy // Nov 6, 2009 at 8:28 am
  
  Mea culpa. You are, like Valerio, correct. It was Venice. Thanks.
Tweets that mention Nashville, November 5, 2009 – Leonard Cohen Plays "Darkness" In Concert For First Time -- Topsy.com // Nov 6, 2009 at 7:34 am

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Tweets that mention Nashville, November 5, 2009 Leonard Cohen Plays "Darkness" In Concert For First Time -- Topsy.com // Nov 6, 2009 at 7:34 am

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Nashville, November 5, 2009 – Leonard Cohen Plays "Darkness" In … | Nashville update today // Nov 6, 2009 at 9:59 am

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Nashville, November 5, 2009 Leonard Cohen Plays "Darkness" In … | Nashville update today // Nov 6, 2009 at 9:59 am

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Naomi Siemens // Nov 6, 2009 at 3:21 pm

Venizia! Enchanted as always…
Puddingdale // Nov 7, 2009 at 9:05 am

I caught the King of Cool, baby…

And We’re Still Making Love In My Secret Life – Julie’s Story & Video

... I never had a chance. I was - and this is the only word that fits - smitten. I still am.

She was smart and quick-witted, although it would take me 3 years to recognize that she was, in fact, much smarter than me, and then another 2 years to forgive her for that. She was also good-
looking and unabashedly sexy.

And, we fell madly, irredeemably, unflinchingly in love.

Complementing the unlikely story of how Julie and I met, fell in love, and - 2 husbands, 1 wife, and 2 careers later - spent an outrageously wonderful 20 years together before her death in 1999, a video, set to the poignant "In My Secret Life" by Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson, is now available that evokes the role Julie, who died 10 years ago, continues to play in my life.

The written account of the story (think When Harry Met Sally meets Waiting For Godot) starts, appropriately, at This Is How A Love Story Began

The video can be found at And We’re Still Making Love In My Secret Life - A Video For Julie

Now – Another Other Leonard Cohen Album

Another Other
Leonard Cohen Album

Now, Another Other Leonard Cohen Album, the second collection of unreleased Leonard Cohen songs joins the popular The Other Leonard Cohen Album to offer fans of the iconic singer-songwriter a total of 3 CDs of musical treats. Another Other Leonard Cohen Album includes the following tracks plus liner notes by Sylvie Simmons.

1. Je Veux Vivre Tout Seual
2. Kevin Barry
3. Die Gedanken Sind Frei
4. Store Room
5. As Time Goes By
6. Don’t Go Home with Your Hard-on
7. Blessed is the Memory
8. Silent Night
9. Dead Song
10. Another Saturday Night
11. Ballad of the Absent Mare
12. Guerrero
13. The Butcher
14. Un As Der Rebbe Singt
15. Song to the Machines
16. If It Be Your Will
17. Thirsty for the Kiss
18. A Thousand Kisses Deep
19. I Tried To Leave You
20. Whither Thou Goest
21. Mr Cohen Must Be Going

More information and MP3 downloads are available at Presenting Another Other Leonard Cohen Album

The Other Leonard Cohen Album

Track List: Vol 1
1. Feels So Good (The Other Blues Song)
2. Book Of Longing
3. The Darkness
4. Puppets
5. Lullaby
6. Do I Have to Dance All Night (1976)
7. Blues By The Jews

Track List: Vol 2
1. Red River Valley
2. Never Got To Love You (Duet with Anjani)
3. Can't Help Falling In Love
4. Ride Around
5. The Union Makes Us Strong
6. We Shall Not Be Moved
7. To Love Somebody
8. The Hypnotist (Poem)
9. Chelsea Hotel #1
10. There's No Reason Why You Should Remember Me
11. Streets Of Laredo
12. Do I Have To Dance All Night (1980)

More information and MP3 downloads are available at Now Available - The Other Leonard Cohen Album

Leonard Cohen Tour Highlights Videos

Heck Of A Guy offers 3 videos of clips and photos from The Leonard Cohen World Tour:

1. The Original Heck Of A Guy Dear Leonard Cohen - Thanks For The Tour. I Hope It Was Good For You, Too. Video Celebration Of The First 14 Months Of The 2008-2009 World Tour can be viewed at
Thanks For The Tour

2. A video, focusing on the Summer 2009 concerts can be seen at Thanks Again For The Tour - The Encore Video

3. The highlight video celebrating the Fall 2009 USA concert series is online at Thanks, Leonard Cohen, For Coming To The USA - Video Celebration

Do I Have To Dance All Night Film Festival

"Do I Have To Dance All Night" was performed many times in concerts but was never released in the US.

As part of my crusade to popularize this song, I've cobbled together 2 videos - one for the semi-funky 1976 version with Laura Branigan and one for the 1980 more gypsy, less disco version - that kinda sorta fit the music.

Both videos include links to keys to the sources of the clips and the identities of the backup singers and others who are featured.

The complete story of "Do I Have To Dance All Night" is available at The Best Leonard Cohen Song You've Never Heard (Probably)

Leonard Cohen & Joni Mitchell? Yes, They Were

Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen had a fling in the 1960s that, for unspecified reasons, was short-lived, with Cohen instigating the parting.

It was then and is now a complex connection. In 1988, Cohen said, I'm still very friendly with Joni - I had dinner with her before the tour, and I have the same admiration for her as you do. But I think it was Noel Harrison who came up to me in the LA Troubadour and said "How do you like living with Beethoven?"

The full story is at Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell: Just One Of Those Things

Heck Of A Guy

A pastiche of posts, featuring song, dance, snappy chatter plus notes on prose, poesy, love, lust, life, and beyond