I'm Your Man
Encyclopedia
I'm Your Man is the eighth studio album by Leonard Cohen
, released in 1988. The album marked Cohen's further move to a more modern sound, with many songs having a synthpop
production.
The song "Everybody Knows" was one of Cohen's first writing collaborations with Sharon Robinson, who would become a frequent collaborator in the future. Most notably, Robinson co-wrote every song on Cohen's 2001 outing Ten New Songs
.
In "Tower of Song", Cohen discusses songwriting and acknowledges the influence of Hank Williams ("a hundred floors above me").
"I'm Your Man" was number 1 in Norway
for 16 weeks. The album is silver in the UK and gold in Canada
.
It was ranked 51 on Pitchfork Media
's list of the 100 best albums of the 1980s. Tom Waits
has named it one of his favourite albums.
Nick Cave
performed the song "I'm Your Man" in the film Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
.
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
, released in 1988. The album marked Cohen's further move to a more modern sound, with many songs having a synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
production.
The song "Everybody Knows" was one of Cohen's first writing collaborations with Sharon Robinson, who would become a frequent collaborator in the future. Most notably, Robinson co-wrote every song on Cohen's 2001 outing Ten New Songs
Ten New Songs
Ten New Songs is Leonard Cohen's tenth studio album, released in 2001. It was co-written and produced by Sharon Robinson. She played all the instruments except Bob Metzger's guitar on 'In My Secret Life'...
.
In "Tower of Song", Cohen discusses songwriting and acknowledges the influence of Hank Williams ("a hundred floors above me").
"I'm Your Man" was number 1 in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
for 16 weeks. The album is silver in the UK and gold in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
It was ranked 51 on Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's list of the 100 best albums of the 1980s. Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
has named it one of his favourite albums.
Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
performed the song "I'm Your Man" in the film Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man is a 2005 film by Lian Lunson about the life and career of Leonard Cohen. It is based on a January 2005 tribute show at the Sydney Opera House titled "Came So Far for Beauty", which was produced by Hal Willner...
.
Track listing
All songs were written by Cohen, except where noted.- "First We Take ManhattanFirst We Take Manhattan"First We Take Manhattan" is a song written by Leonard Cohen. It was originally recorded by Jennifer Warnes on her 1987 album Famous Blue Raincoat, which consisted entirely of songs written or co-written by Cohen.-Background and writing:...
" – 6:01 - "Ain't No Cure for LoveAin't No Cure For Love"Ain't No Cure for Love" is a pop song by Canadian singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen. It was first released by Jennifer Warnes on her 1987 tribute album Famous Blue Raincoat....
" – 4:50 - "Everybody Knows" (Cohen, Sharon Robinson) – 5:36
- "I'm Your Man" – 4:28
- "Take This WaltzTake This Waltz"Take This Waltz" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, originally released as part of his 1988 studio album I'm Your Man....
" (Cohen, Federico García LorcaFederico García LorcaFederico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca was a Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27. He is believed to be one of thousands who were summarily shot by anti-communist death squads...
) – 5:59 - "Jazz Police" (Cohen, Jeff Fisher) – 3:53
- "I Can't Forget" – 4:31
- "Tower of Song" – 5:37 (Cohen, Jennifer WarnesJennifer WarnesJennifer Jean Warnes is an American singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer. She is known for her interpretations of compositions written by herself and many others, as well as an extensive playlist as a vocalist on movie soundtracks.Between 1979 and 1987 Warnes surpassed Frank Sinatra as...
)
Personnel
- Leonard CohenLeonard CohenLeonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
: keyboards, vocals - Jude Johnson: vocals
- Anjani Thomas: vocals
- Jennifer WarnesJennifer WarnesJennifer Jean Warnes is an American singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer. She is known for her interpretations of compositions written by herself and many others, as well as an extensive playlist as a vocalist on movie soundtracks.Between 1979 and 1987 Warnes surpassed Frank Sinatra as...
: vocals - Mayel Assouly: backing vocals
- Evelyine Hebey: backing vocals
- Elisabeth Valletti: backing vocals
- Jeff Fisher: keyboards
- Bob Stanley: guitar
- Sneaky Pete KleinowSneaky Pete KleinowPeter E. "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow was an American country-rock musician, songwriter, and a motion picture special effects artist...
: pedal steel guitar - Peter Kisilenko: bass
- Tom Brechtlein: drums
- Vinnie ColaiutaVinnie ColaiutaVincent Colaiuta is an American drummer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Republic, Pennsylvania, he began playing drums as a child and received his first full drum kit from his parents at the age of 14...
: drums - Lenny CastroLenny CastroLenny Castro is an American freelancing percussionist in the studio recording industry in the Los Angeles area.-Early life:Castro is a percussionist of Puerto Rican descent and was born and raised in New York City. His father, Hector Castro, played the keyboard in a Latin style and gave his son...
: percussion - Michel Robidoux: drums, keyboards
- John Bilezikjian: oudOudThe oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
- Richard Beaudet: saxophone
- Raffi Hakopian: violin
Song covers
- On the soundtrack to Leonard Cohen: I'm Your ManLeonard Cohen: I'm Your ManLeonard Cohen: I'm Your Man is a 2005 film by Lian Lunson about the life and career of Leonard Cohen. It is based on a January 2005 tribute show at the Sydney Opera House titled "Came So Far for Beauty", which was produced by Hal Willner...
, there are two versions of "Tower of Song". One appears as a sparse live version by Martha WainwrightMartha WainwrightMartha Wainwright is a Canadian-American folk-rock singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of American folk singer and actor Loudon Wainwright III and Canadian folk singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle...
and the other a more elaborate studio recording by Leonard Cohen and U2U2U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
. In the latter, BonoBonoPaul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
sings the second last verse while a deep-voiced Cohen does the rest. - Aaron NevilleAaron NevilleAaron Neville is an American soul and R&B singer and musician. He has had four top-20 hits in the United States along with four platinum-certified albums...
, who had earlier recorded Cohen's "Bird on the WireBird on the Wire"Bird on the Wire" is one of Leonard Cohen's signature songs. It was recorded 26 September 1968 in Nashville and included on his 1969 album Songs from a Room. A May 1968 recording produced by David Crosby, entitled "Like a Bird", was added to the 2007 remastered CD...
", contributed a cover of "Ain't No Cure for Love" for the tribute album Tower of SongTower of SongTower of Song: The Songs of Leonard Cohen is a tribute album to Leonard Cohen, released in 1995 on A&M Records. It takes its name of a song by Cohen, that has been covered by Marianne Faithfull, Robert Forster, Peter Gabriel, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Martha Wainwright...
. - "Everybody Knows" was covered by Concrete BlondeConcrete BlondeConcrete Blonde is an alternative rock band based in the United States. They were initially active from 1982 to 1995, and again from 2001 to 2004, and once again in 2010.-Biography:...
on the soundtrack to the 1990 film Pump Up the VolumePump Up the Volume (film)Pump Up the Volume is a 1990 comedy-drama film written and directed by Allan Moyle and starring Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis.- Plot summary :...
. The original version was the main theme played on the film, although only the cover by Concrete BlondeConcrete BlondeConcrete Blonde is an alternative rock band based in the United States. They were initially active from 1982 to 1995, and again from 2001 to 2004, and once again in 2010.-Biography:...
was released in the official soundtrack. - "Everybody Knows" was covered by ex-Eagle Don HenleyDon HenleyDonald Hugh "Don" Henley is an American singer, songwriter and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful solo career. Henley was the drummer and lead vocalist for the Eagles from 1971–1980, when the band broke up...
on Tower of Song. - The 1991 indie rockIndie rockIndie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
tribute album I'm Your FanI'm Your FanI'm Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen is a tribute album to Leonard Cohen, released in 1991, produced by the French music magazine Les Inrockuptibles. The album features Cohen's songs interpreted by some of the most respected rock acts of the time...
takes its name from the pathosPathosPathos represents an appeal to the audience's emotions. Pathos is a communication technique used most often in rhetoric , and in literature, film and other narrative art....
-filled love songLove songA love song is about falling in love and the feelings it brings. Anthologies of love songs often contain a mixture of both of these types of song. A bawdy song is both humorous and saucy, emphasizing the physical pleasure of love rather than the emotional joy...
title track "I'm Your Man". - R.E.M.R.E.M.R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
contributed "First We Take Manhattan" to I'm Your Fan. They also released it as an extra track on their 1992 CD single "DriveDrive (R.E.M. song)"Drive" was the lead single and first track from R.E.M.'s eighth studio album Automatic for the People in 1992. Although it was not as successful as previous lead singles "Losing My Religion," "Stand," or "The One I Love" in the United States, it became R.E.M.'s then second biggest hit on the UK...
." - Bill PritchardBill PritchardBill Pritchard is a British singer-songwriter, instrumentalist , musical arranger and producer. Despite being little known in his native country he has achieved considerable recognition in France and elsewhere.-Biography:...
performed the song for the same tribute. - Pixies covered "I Can't Forget" for I'm Your Fan.
- In 1986, an early mix of "Take This Waltz" reached #1 in the SpanishSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
charts (as a single off the Federico García LorcaFederico García LorcaFederico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca was a Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27. He is believed to be one of thousands who were summarily shot by anti-communist death squads...
tribute album Poets in New York). The words were translated by Cohen from García Lorca's poem "Pequeño vals vienés". - "Take this Waltz" was also covered by Enrique MorenteEnrique MorenteEnrique Morente Cotelo, known as Enrique Morente, was a flamenco singer and a controversial figure within the world of contemporary flamenco...
on his 1996 album Omega, performed with Lagartija Nick and other musicians. Morente used the original Lorca's poem "Pequeño vals vienés" and new musical arrangements. - A very abstract cover of "Tower of Song" was recorded by Nick Cave and the Bad SeedsNick Cave and the Bad SeedsNick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...
for I'm your Fan. - "Tower of Song" has also been covered by Robert ForsterRobert Forster (musician)Robert Forster is an Australian singer-songwriter, best known for his work with songwriting partner Grant McLennan, with whom he co-founded The Go-Betweens.Forster grew up in Brisbane, Australia attending Brisbane Grammar School...
, Marianne FaithfullMarianne FaithfullMarianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
, Tom RussellTom RussellThomas George "Tom" Russell is an American singer-songwriter. Although most strongly identified with the Texas Country music tradition, his music also incorporates elements of folk, Tex-Mex, and the cowboy music of the American West. Many of his songs have been recorded by other artists, including...
and The Jesus and Mary ChainThe Jesus and Mary ChainThe Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride, Glasgow in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid...
. - Michael BubléMichael BubléMichael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
covered "I'm Your Man" in 2007 for his album "Call Me IrresponsibleCall Me Irresponsible (album)Call Me Irresponsible is the third studio album released by Grammy Award-winning Canadian jazz singer Michael Bublé. The album was released on May 1, 2007.-Release:...
". Also Joe CockerJoe CockerJohn Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
covered this song on his album "One Night of SinOne Night of Sin (album)One Night of Sin is the twelfth studio album by Joe Cocker, released in 1989.- Track listing :# "When the Night Comes" - 5:20 # "I Will Live for You" - 4:11...
" in 1989 - Dax RiggsDax RiggsDax David Riggs , is an American musician from Houma, Louisiana, most well known for formerly fronting the sludge band Acid Bath in the 1990s. Dax has been a part of many projects since then, including Agents of Oblivion and Deadboy & the Elephantmen. In 2007 he began releasing material under his...
has performed live cover versions of "I'm Your Man" and "Tower of Song". - Native artist Florent Vollant covered "Everybody knows", which he translated in Innu, for his album, Katak.
- Norwegian gothic metal band SireniaSirenia (band)Sirenia is a gothic metal band from Stavanger, Norway which incorporates a mixture of gothic metal and symphonic metal, as well as extreme metal and death metal elements...
covered "First We Take Manhattan" on "Sirenian Shores" EP. - MohanlalMohanlalMohanlal Vishwanathan Nair , known mononymously as Mohanlal , is a National Award-winning Indian actor, producer, singer and writer who is well known for his versatile and natural acting in Indian cinema & hence widely known as the Universal Star...
sings "I'm your man" in the 2011 Malayalam movie PranayamPranayamPranayam is a 2011 Malayalam romantic drama film written and directed by Blessy. The film revolves around the love bound between the characters of Mathews , Grace and Achutha Menon ....
directed by BlessyBlessyBlessy is an Indian film director and screenwriter who has made several critically acclaimed films in Malayalam. As a film director, he is influenced by Padmarajan and Bharathan.- Career :...
.
Movie
- The album's title track appears on the soundtrack of the 2002 film "SecretarySecretary (film)Secretary is a 2002 independent film directed by Steven Shainberg and starring Maggie Gyllenhaal as Lee Holloway and James Spader as E. Edward Grey...
." - A 2006 tribute film and album to Cohen were titled Leonard Cohen: I'm Your ManLeonard Cohen: I'm Your ManLeonard Cohen: I'm Your Man is a 2005 film by Lian Lunson about the life and career of Leonard Cohen. It is based on a January 2005 tribute show at the Sydney Opera House titled "Came So Far for Beauty", which was produced by Hal Willner...
. - "Everybody Knows" was in the movie/documentary "King of Kong ( a fistfull of quarters )" and Atom Egoyan's film ExoticaExoticaExotica is a musical genre, named after the 1957 Martin Denny album of the same title, popular during the 1950s to mid-1960s, typically with the suburban set who came of age during World War II. The musical colloquialism, exotica, means tropical ersatz: the non-native, pseudo experience of Oceania...
. It also feautured in Pump Up the VolumePump Up the Volume (film)Pump Up the Volume is a 1990 comedy-drama film written and directed by Allan Moyle and starring Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis.- Plot summary :...
. - "Hallelujah" was featured in the 2009 film "WatchmenWatchmen (film)Watchmen is a 2009 superhero film directed by Zack Snyder and starring Malin Åkerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Patrick Wilson. It is an adaptation of the comic book of the same name by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons...
" and was included on the official soundtrack. Though absent from the official soundtrack, "First We Take Manhattan" was also featured in the film's closing credits.