[ ]   [ ]   [ ]                        [ ]      [ ]   [ ]
First Aid Kit — Suzanne
Album: Who By Fire
Avg rating:
7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 982









Released: 2021
Length: 3:40
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night beside her
And you know that she's half crazy
But that's why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges
That come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her
That you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer
That you've always been her lover
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.
And Jesus was a sailor
When he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching
From his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain
Only drowning men could see him
He said "All men will be sailors then
Until the sea shall free them"
But he himself was broken
Long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human
He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
And you want to travel with him
And you want to travel blind
And you think maybe you'll trust him
For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.

Now Suzanne takes your hand
And she leads you to the river
She is wearing rags and feathers
From Salvation Army counters
And the sun pours down like honey
On our lady of the harbour
And she shows you where to look
Among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed
There are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love
And they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that you can trust her
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind.
Comments (48)add comment
This is a lovely cover. The best cover though IMHO was the one on the first Fairport Convention album in 1968, with Iain Matthews on vocal. A truly great interpretation of a truly great song. Possibly better, although the sound isn't very good, is the live version from the FC's BBC sessions, after Sandy Denny had joined the band. As someone put it on YouTube: "NOTHING beats Iain Matthews & Sandy Denny duetting, with backup guitar from Richard Thompson. NOTHING. This is music you'll hear in heaven". I agree. www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wl4I7fKUQI.
 jamesat43 wrote:

Pretty sure I am going to continue to want to hear Leonard or Judy's versions over time, but happy to hear one of the best written songs being reinvented, albeit slightly.  Plus harmony. 

I think it is telling when a cover makes you want to pause the RP stream to go back and hear an earlier version.  Not sure what it tells me about this version beyond the fact that they found something different. 

I have always felt that one of the higher aspirations of art should be to provoke a multiplicity of interpretations., but as our dearly departed Mr. Cohen once recognized - I want it darker.

...time passes... slightly more than 3:47 of it...

I went for another cover.  Very satisfying cleansing of the aural palette, I now realize.   

London/2008: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...(Leonard_Cohen_album)

...more time passess...

YouTube music follows up my random selection with Forever Young from the Last Waltz concert.  A segue BillG might even have curated, but I will be back on the RP stream as soon as it ends.  Honest.  God, a lot of shit sucks here in the future (or your past, dear reader), but access to the 1000x more music at 100x the sonic fidelity of my youth is an unimaginably beautiful thing to have come to pass.   Robbie is nailing the harmonics once again, but I will be back on stream...NOW.



That's an interesting ramble, and I'm trying to like this version more.
What I do want to add is that Forever Young is Dylan at his accessible best and Indigenous Canadian Robbie Robertson is always understating himself. Dylan wrote it for one of his kids.
I've often wanted to sing Forever Young to my daughter but couldn't keep it together long enough to get past the first few words.
The whole concert from which this is taken is marvelous. The sisters and their guests really did great honour to the Author. 
Bork! Bork! Bork!  Most excellent!  Love this band.. Great version 
Pretty sure I am going to continue to want to hear Leonard or Judy's versions over time, but happy to hear one of the best written songs being reinvented, albeit slightly.  Plus harmony. 

I think it is telling when a cover makes you want to pause the RP stream to go back and hear an earlier version.  Not sure what it tells me about this version beyond the fact that they found something different. 

I have always felt that one of the higher aspirations of art should be to provoke a multiplicity of interpretations., but as our dearly departed Mr. Cohen once recognized - I want it darker.

...time passes... slightly more than 3:47 of it...

I went for another cover.  Very satisfying cleansing of the aural palette, I now realize.   

London/2008: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...(Leonard_Cohen_album)

...more time passess...

YouTube music follows up my random selection with Forever Young from the Last Waltz concert.  A segue BillG might even have curated, but I will be back on the RP stream as soon as it ends.  Honest.  God, a lot of shit sucks here in the future (or your past, dear reader), but access to the 1000x more music at 100x the sonic fidelity of my youth is an unimaginably beautiful thing to have come to pass.   Robbie is nailing the harmonics once again, but I will be back on stream...NOW.
its a lovely cover of a lovely song

thats the way it should be
Nice version of this song
 damonlazer wrote:

I don't know what it is exactly, but this cover absolutely does it for me.  Sublime.




I agree!
Nope! Does not work for me, Than one little bit. But I love the song… But only the way Leonard Cohen sings it.
 damonlazer wrote:

I don't know what it is exactly, but this cover absolutely does it for me.  Sublime.

an interesting take, but Leonard's young and plaintive version is still my favorite

Interesting that there's a pretty good spread on the ratings bar graph.  Looks like a lot of people love the song, others hate it, and little in between.
 
Wish there was some way to sort the songs on Radio Paradise according to the ratings distribution width... it would be interesting to see which songs come up.
I don't know what it is exactly, but this cover absolutely does it for me.  Sublime.
Does anyone remember the version of this song by Judy Collins, circa 1967-8.
I, personally, prefer the personality that they put into their original stuff.  
I am switching to Rock Mix.  It is 5:30am & I'm trying to wake up. This is putting me back to sleep. ...otherwise it is not a bad tune! .....more coffee!
positively soulless
Of little to no value.
 bruceandjenna wrote:

Cannot tolerate that accent.  Weird but there it is.

Oh yeah.  Not crazy about those harmonies either.



They probably don't like your accent either.
Cannot tolerate that accent.  Weird but there it is.

Oh yeah.  Not crazy about those harmonies either.
excellent tribute to the master rip Leonard 
 cambuddyf wrote:

A nice version. So Long Marianne from the same album is exceptional (although I prefer LC’s versions in both cases).



I looked it up on YouTube, absolutely brilliant. I saw Cohen at his last show in Milwaukee, my future wife was tearing up during So Long Marianne so the song has a special spot in my heart.
Great cover.   Cohen would be flattered.
What a cover!!! Thanks Bill & Rebecca 
 pfreet wrote:

Great harmonies, but to me it is exhausting to listen to them harmonize every word in the song. 


The first verse is not harmonized,: I'm not sure if that alleviates it for you.
I'm not a Leonard Cohen fan (sorry) but I love First Aid Kit and this version sounds great to me.
A nice version. So Long Marianne from the same album is exceptional (although I prefer LC’s versions in both cases).
 pfreet wrote:

Great harmonies, but to me it is exhausting to listen to them harmonize every word in the song. 



The harmonies didn't bother me, but the choice to sing up an octave on miiiIIIND did bug me. It just doesn't fit the mood of the lyrics for me. Kind of like someone choosing to cover the Ray Lamontagne song as: Be here nooOOOW!
 pfreet wrote:

Great harmonies, but to me it is exhausting to listen to them harmonize every word in the song. 



isn't that what Simon & Garfunkel did? And even better...
I’m on the side of those who prefer Leonard Cohen singing his own songs. This version is nice, but doesn’t have the same angst as when Leonard sings it.
Rather have the original. Love Leonard Cohen.
The new Simon & Garfunkel..... you know, if they were women.
I like this group and I prefer the original…
 Chwkbud wrote:


100% agree. 



100% disagree
 Mugro wrote:

Leonard Cohen songs are much better when sung by someone other than Leonard Cohen. 



100% agree. 
 pfreet wrote:
Great harmonies, but to me it is exhausting to listen to them harmonize every word in the song. 
 
You said it
Wow! This is great! 
Goosebumps from the get-go. Absolutely beautiful!
Leonard Cohen songs are much better when sung by someone other than Leonard Cohen. 
Great harmonies, but to me it is exhausting to listen to them harmonize every word in the song. 
Wish they'd kept the melody on the last line of the chorus a bit more like I was expecting! Also, someone correct the lyrics please.
Holy $&@£ Awesome.
From the very first chords, you know it’s going to be different. Really well done! Lenny has his signature and aura but must say I really liked this
Well there goes 15 minutes of my day. It took that long to gather myself after listening to this wonderfulness.
https://www.spin.com/2021/02/f...

This sounds great!
Nice cover.  Can't beat Leonard Cohen though.  Original, 9.  This one, 6.  
Superbly done.
whoa! Leonard Cohen being channeled very well. 
I'm the first commenter.