WELCOME TO MY FIRST BOTB SINCE 2020!
covering Leonard Cohen's tribute to a long-lost lover. ♫
HISTORY
Hydra Island, Greece
"So Long, Marianne" was written by Canadian poet and musician Leonard Cohen, and featured on his debut album, Songs of Leonard Cohen, released Dec. 27, 1967. Pitchfork Media placed it at number 190 on their list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s"The song was inspired by Marianne Jensen, born Marianne Ihlen, whom Cohen met on the Greek island of Hydra in 1960. She had recently been abandoned by her husband, leaving her and their six-month-old son alone on the island. (A movie [in post-production] and a documentary [on Netflix] were made about this!)
The two hit it off, and Cohen ultimately took her back to her home in Oslo, Norway. He later invited her and her son to live with him in Montreal, an offer which she accepted. They stayed together throughout the 1960s, traveling between New York, Montreal, and Hydra. - WIKIPEDIA
[Reference only. NOT eligible for voting!]
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BRIAN HYLAND
Brian Hyland (born November 12, 1943) is an American pop singer and instrumentalist who was particularly successful during the early 1960s, but continued recording into the 1970s.Although his status as a teen idol faded, he went on to release several country - influenced albums and had additional chart hits later in his career.
Hyland released his cover version of So Long, Marianne as a stand-alone single in 1971. It spent 5 weeks on the Canadian music charts, peaking at number six that Sept.
VS
JOHN CALE & SUZANNE VEGA
John Davies Cale OBE (born March 9, 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, singer, songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band The Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styles across rock, drone, classical, avant-garde and electronic music.
Suzanne Nadine Vega (née Peck; born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter best known for her folk-inspired music. Vega's music career spans almost 40 years. She came to prominence in the mid-1980s, releasing four singles that entered the Top 40 charts in the UK during the 1980s and 1990s.So Long, Marianne is the 11th track from the compilation album Bleeker Street - Greenwich Village of the 1960s, released in 1999.
VOTE NOW!
Please state your preference in comments below and why you chose it.
Voting remains open until 11:59 pm ET, Mar. 7th, after which I will count the votes, add mine and publish the results.
These are the other BOTB regulars and semi-regulars. Please cruise on by their sites and, if they have a post up, vote on their selections as well: [Check back – there’s no set posting time]
Curious as a Cathy / Jingle Jangle Jungle / Mike's Ramblings / Sound of One Hand Typing/
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ROCK ON!
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Welcome back to #BOTB! I'm not familiar with this tune, so I was able to listen with an open mind to both contenders. I think I am going to give my vote to Brian Hyland. His version just seemed more appealing to me.
ReplyDelete~Mary
Thanks for the warm welcome back, Mary! 🙂 First vote goes to Brian Hyland.
DeleteHello stranger! :) It's great having you back in the BOTB circle, not that you ever really left completely. You have been so good to join the voting process. I like both covers but it is Brian Hyland's more easy going vibe I enjoyed the best.
ReplyDeleteJoin me when you can for today's battle, Beatles Greatest Hits BOTB series "Love Me Do" showdown!
Hi Cathy, thanks for the warm welcome back! 🙂 Another vote for Brian Hyland - this could well be a blowout! I love your Beatles showdown idea. 👌
DeleteDebbie,
DeleteThere's a first time for everything but maybe someone will keep that from happening. I'm glad you like my Beatles series. :) I'm going to now to test out the name/url option for leaving a comment. ;)
Nope, it's definitely going to be a blowout. That's okay - better than a shutout. I have all options enabled for commenting here. Thanks for checking it out. Glad the name and url worked for you!
DeleteI had to look for this on my phone...so small...lol. I'm glad to see you vack and what a story! I have to look her up. I really like both versions and nice to hear the 2nd one came out in the 90s. I do like Hyland's version just a bit more so he's my pick.
ReplyDeleteSorry, Birgit. I tried the mobile version but it wouldn't display correctly. I'm not all that familiar with the workings of Blogger, yet, but I'll try to fix it for future posts. You can manually widen the page on your phone, in the meantime. Yes, it's an interesting story. I found the documentary on Netflix, but haven't looked for the movie yet. Thanks for your vote. Brian Hyland gets another one. ☺
DeleteP. S. Finally figured out how to fix the mobile theme! 👍 Please let me know if it looks okay now. Thanks!
DeleteTo be honest, I am not a fan of Cohen, or his voice. I find the song rather dreary, no matter who is singing it. Sorry! Best wishes, Pete.
ReplyDeleteThat's okay, Pete. I appreciate you taking the time to stop by, nonetheless. 🙂 Maybe next time!
DeleteHi Debbie!
ReplyDeleteI'm just as pleased as everyone else about your return. Resident vagabond that I am, your importance to this group does not esca[e me ;-)
Your new blog is awesome and you clearly know your way around the BOTB. Love the backstories you provided. Interesting song. I actually like both contenders better than the original. But of the contenders, Bleeker Street is my choice.
Thank you so much, diedre! I'm happy to be back and had lots of fun designing the new site. 🙂 Leonard Cohen had an interesting life, but I agree, his vocal ability, like Bob Dylan's, did not match his writing skills. This story attracted me because of the Greece angle. We visited Hydra in 2013 and fell in love with it too. Yours is the only vote for Bleecker Street, so far. I'm glad somebody chose them!
DeleteI liked Brian Hyland's hits from the sixties. This song is very different from his other stuff, but I like what he did with the song. I also like what Cale and Vega did with the song--very true to Cohen's style.
ReplyDeleteI'm giving my vote to Brian Hyland. He surprised me with his version.
Nice battle with a good song
Lee
Glad you enjoyed the battle, Lee! I remember Brian Hyland's earlier hits too, and this definitely was different. Thanks for your vote. Another one for Brian.
DeleteBrian Hyland for me. I thought John Cale's was a little too dark, especially since this is a Leonard Cohen song and he tends to be dark anyway. Besides, how could I not vote for the guy who did "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini"?
ReplyDeleteBrian is running away with this thing! ☺ I remember his earlier hits too, and this definitely is different. Thanks for your vote.
Delete
ReplyDeleteDEBBIE ~
Not sure why, but your blog was very slow in loading for me (twice). But it finally did, so... all is well with the world (except for this brutal, ubiquitous, eternal Winter!)
>>... She had recently been abandoned by her husband, leaving her and their six-month-old son alone on the island.
As Audrey Hepburn would say, there are "rats", and then there are "super-rats". And that guy was definitely a super-rat!
I was not familiar with this song, but I definitely knew Brian Hyland. Back in the early '80s, me 'n' my drinking gang often hung out at a two-bar dance club called The Music Machine. The house band, The Gumbys, closed every set with Hyland's 1962 bittersweet hit 'Sealed With A Kiss':
I don't want to say goodbye for the Summer
Knowing the love we'll miss
Oh let us make a pledge to meet in September
And seal it with a kiss
Yes it's gonna be a cold lonely Summer
But I'll fill the emptiness
I'll send you all my love every day in a letter
Sealed with a kiss
Today, for me, that song is like an instantaneous Time Machine back to The Music Machine. (See what I did there?) A reminder of some fantastic Summer nights in a far better period of time.
So, having written all that, you thought for sure I was voting for Brian Hyland, right? Wrong. (Never make any assumptions about me; I'm one of the most lethal Assumption Assassins of all time.)
I actually preferred the Cale & Vega version. It had a more intriguing, mysterious atmosphere. It was almost like Bob Dylan on Acid. Or maybe Dylan NOT on Acid -- as I'm not sure what state he was in when he wrote and recorded those mid-'60s classics. But whatever regular state he was in, Cale & Vega sounded a bit like him in an altered state.
Glad to have ya back in the BOTB family, Debbie!
~ D-FensDogG
Sorry you had trouble, Stephen! ☹️ I hope whatever it was got sorted out in the meantime. Yes, Marianne's husband was not only a super-rat but also an abuser, so she was well rid of him. (I watched the documentary.)
DeleteSealed with a Kiss is a great song with plenty of memories for many of us, I'd say. 😃 Love your description of Dylan on acid or not! Leonard Cohen was a big imbiber of the stuff too, apparently, so they had that in common. 😆 I'm happy to see a vote for Cale & Vega, as this was heading toward Shutoutville! For you:
:youtube:6-xD0LMP0DA:eyoutube:
DEBBIE ~
Delete'Sealed With A Kiss',
'Come On, Eileen',
'Money For Nothing',
Side 2 of The Beatles "White Album",
a handful of old Bruce Springsteen songs...
That's a direct line to 1981-1985 Nostalgiaville for me. Today, I can't even hear the song 'Rocky Raccoon' without suddenly feeling exceedingly hungover.
~ D-FensDogG
POSTSCRIPT: It looks like I'm back in the Commenting Bidnizz.
Great nostalgia kick there, Stephen! I'm glad the comments are working for you now. Thanks for coming back to test it. Rocky Raccoon was a fun song. Didn't side two also have Why Don't We Do It In the Road? That always made me laugh. 😆 Here you go! How's that hangover? 😉
Delete:youtube:qqA4ZiQaGtU:eyoutube:
Yes, indeed, 'Why Don't We Do It In The Road?' was the 7th song on Side Two. And by the time that song started, we were already well on our way to the next day's hangover. We always referred to Side Two of "The White Album" as "The Hangover Waltz". ...I got some stories!! :^D But, thankfully, I can't remember all of 'em anymore.
Delete~ D-FensDogG
I don't know how much help I'll be seeing's as it took me a full minute to figure out where to comment... Of the battle, I'll take Bryan, as Cale's voice has the exact opposite effect on me that it did on STMc. But, I'd have to say I liked the non-contending Leonard Cohen original better to no great surprise.
ReplyDeleteSorry you had trouble finding the comment section, Chris! You just scroll down and there it is. Was there some kind of technical problem? Please let me know if it's something I can fix. I guess Brian is going to win this thing by a mile. For the record, I like Cohen's original, too. Thanks for voting!
DeleteNo, purely my stupidity, right under my nose variety....
DeleteGlad to know it wasn't a malfunction! There have been a few glitches getting this site off the ground.
DeleteI prefer the Brian Hyland version. It seemed cleaner and crisper than the other two. Probably had to do with the recordings.
ReplyDeleteHi Ben, nice to see you here. ☺ It seems most people prefer the Hyland version. Thanks for coming by to cast your vote!
DeleteI don't like the song much but I'll vote for Cale
ReplyDeleteMusic is subjective. Thanks for voting anyway, Carol! 😃 And Cale certainly needs some support, by the look of things so far.
DeleteWe come to vote for Brian Hyland, I think that was a very nice rendition😻Double Pawkisses from us for a Happy Weekend🐾😽💞
ReplyDeleteThanks for voting, friends! 😺 Another one for Brian Hyland.
DeleteHey Debbie, I realize this is an "old" post. I still enjoyed the back story and the song, both of which I didn't know. If it comes down to choose, my vote definitely goes to Brian Hyland.
ReplyDeleteHi Tamara, it's not an old post. Voting remains open through March 7th.😀 Thanks for participating! ❤️ Another vote for Brian Hyland.
DeleteHi Debbie! It's Brian Hyland for me! This is so different than his other hits and I feel he did well. - Eugenia
ReplyDeleteHi Eugenia, thanks for coming by. ☺ Another vote for Brian. He's going to win this by a mile. Cheers!
Delete