Music Monday ~ "Everybody knows that the captain lied..."

The most appropriate song for this week didn't take much choosing!

EVERYBODY KNOWS by Leonard Cohen.

Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows that the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

Everybody knows that the boat is leaking
Everybody knows that the captain lied
Everybody got this broken feeling
Like their father or their dog just died
Everybody talking to their pockets
Everybody wants a box of chocolates
And a long stem rose
Everybody knows

Everybody knows that you love me baby
Everybody knows that you really do
Everybody knows that you've been faithful
Ah give or take a night or two
Everybody knows you've been discreet
But there were so many people you just had to meet
Without your clothes
And everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

And everybody knows that its now or never
Everybody knows that its me or you
And everybody knows that you live forever
Ah when you've done a line or two
Everybody knows the deal is rotten
Old black Joe's still pickin' cotton
For your ribbons and bows
And everybody knows

And everybody knows that the plague is coming
Everybody knows that its moving fast
Everybody knows that the naked man and woman
Are just a shining artifact of the past
Everybody knows the scene is dead
But there's gonna be a meter on your bed
That will disclose
What everybody knows

And everybody knows that youre in trouble
Everybody knows what you've been through
From the bloody cross on top of calvary
To the beach of Malibu
Everybody knows its coming apart
Take one last look at this sacred heart
Before it blows
And everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

RIP Charles Aznavour who has died, aged 94. He may not have had the best voice of his generation, but his voice always, for me, had a certain warmth and ability to engage the listener, even when I didn't fully understand the French lyrics. Here, singing in English, for Music Monday:

Memorial Music Monday

On Memorial Day, I don't want to only remember the combatants. There were also those who came out of the trenches as writers and poets, who started preaching peace, men and women who have made this world a kinder place to live.
Eric Burdon

See here.

Lyrics
The birds they sang
At the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what
Has passed away
Or what is yet to be
Yeah the wars they will
Be fought again
The holy dove
She will be caught again
Bought and sold
And bought again
The dove is never free

Ring the bells (ring the bells) that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything (there is a crack in everything)
That's how the light gets in

We asked for signs
The signs were sent
The birth betrayed
The marriage spent
Yeah the widowhood
Of every government
Signs for all to see
I can't run no more
With that lawless crowd
While the killers in high places
Say their prayers out loud
But they've summoned, they've summoned up
A thundercloud
And they're going to hear from me

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything (there is a crack in everything)
That's how the light gets in

You can add up the parts
You won't have the sum
You can strike up the march
There is no drum
Every heart, every heart to love will come
But like a refugee

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything (there is a crack in everything)
That's how the light gets in.

Leonard Cohen

Music Monday ~ Sadly

We've lost two more genius song-writers/artists. They have left us with so many never-to-be forgotten wonderful songs, several have been featured here in the past, as well as a birthday post in Leonard Cohen's honour last year (see here.) There's an old post about Leon Russell, "Master of Space and Time" HERE. We saw Leon on stage in our town's theatre some years ago, he was an Okie by the way. I thought I'd blogged specifically about that, but so far have not found such a post, just a mention that we did see him perform in town.

Message to the Great Reaper: Enough now!! Go away for a while. Thanks.


This song by Leonard Cohen includes a valuable piece advice I often find myself remembering :

“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.”



And this by Leon Russell will always be a favourite of mine:

Supermoon - November 14 - the full moon will appear larger than it has since the 1940s, 14 percent bigger in fact, and 30 percent brighter compared with the smallest full moons. She deserves a song in tribute.

Here's a lesser-known Moon song, it comes from Mike Batt's musical version of Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark:
As Long as the Moon Can Shine, sung by Art Garfunkel.

Music Monday ~ A Birthday

Happy Birthday to Leonard Cohen! Here's what I wrote back in 2011:

I've once or twice approached the natal chart of Leonard Cohen but was wary of featuring it in a blog post. I enjoy many of his songs, though preferably sung by others: Bird On a Wire, Hallelujah, Suzanne, Dance Me To the End of Love to name a few. The man himself, though, strikes me as being a wee bit "out there", farther out than I care to go!

When I first saw Cohen's chart I was surprised to note that he has no planets in Scorpio. The "feel" of nearly all his songs is most definitely Scorpio, for me. Death features often, as does gloomy self-obsessed melancholia.

So....where's the gloom ? Could it be that through emphasis on perfection-loving Virgo in his chart (data from Astrodatabank): Sun, Venus (the arts) and Neptune (creativity), he seeks a perfection that simply doesn't exist in this insane world, and his unsuccessful search tips him into gloom and despondency? Pluto, planet of death and darkness, in Cancer, lies in sextile to his Sun - perhaps that's an additional source of the dark feeling in his works. Moon in Pisces (ruled by Neptune) contributes that rather otherworldly flavour found often in Cohen's songs.

Wonderful, wonderful songs - it could be said that his vocals leave a bit to be desired, but as with Dylan and Kristofferson, the authentic version is definitive, but others can polish and shine the superb lyrics.

Music Monday ~ Leonard Cohen & "Everybody Knows"

I've once or twice approached the natal chart of Leonard Cohen but was wary of featuring it in a blog post. I enjoy many of his songs, though preferably sung by others: Bird On a Wire, Hallelujah, Suzanne, Dance Me To the End of Love to name a few. The man himself, though, strikes me as being a wee bit "out there", farther out than I care to go!

When I first saw Cohen's chart I was surprised to note that he has no planets in Scorpio. The "feel" of nearly all his songs is most definitely Scorpio, for me. Death features often, as does gloomy self-obsessed melancholia.


So....where's the gloom ? Could it be that through emphais on perfection-loving Virgo in his chart (data from Astrodatabank): Sun, Venus (the arts) and Neptune (creativity), he seeks a perfection that simply doesn't exist in this insane world, and his unsuccessful search tips him into gloom and despondency? Pluto, planet of death and darkness, in Cancer, lies in sextile to his Sun - perhaps that's an additional source of the dark feeling in his works. Moon in Pisces (ruled by Neptune) contributes that rather otherworldly flavour found often in Cohen's songs.

An old CD featuring songs of Leonard Cohen, performed by others, was on offer for a dollar on a recent junk store visit. It came home with us and has been on my media player constantly ever since. I was especially taken by the first track: Everybody Knows, sung on this CD by Don Henley, of The Eages. I'd never heard this one before, but notice how relevant it is to issues of today:

Snips from the lyrics ~

Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows that the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That's how it goes
Everybody knows
Everybody knows that the boat is leaking
Everybody knows that the captain lied
Everybody got this broken feeling
Like their father or their dog just died

Everybody talking to their pockets
Everybody wants a box of chocolates
And a long stem rose
Everybody knows.............

And everybody knows that it's now or never
Everybody knows that it's me or you
And everybody knows that you live forever
Ah when you've done a line or two
Everybody knows the deal is rotten
Old Black Joe's still pickin' cotton
For your ribbons and bows
And everybody knows

And everybody knows that the Plague is coming
Everybody knows that it's moving fast
Everybody knows that the naked man and woman
Are just a shining artifact of the past
Everybody knows the scene is dead
But there's gonna be a meter on your bed
That will disclose
What everybody knows

And everybody knows that you're in trouble
Everybody knows what you've been through
From the bloody cross on top of Calvary
To the beach of Malibu
Everybody knows it's coming apart
Take one last look at this Sacred Heart
Before it blows
And everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

First: The man himself singing, or rather narrating, Everybody Knows, in London, 2008. I do prefer the second version - Don Henley's - it's catchy, more tuneful and very easily sticks in the mind!

"Hallelujah" needs Scorpio like Pasta Sauce needs Garlic

Leonard Cohen's song "Hallelujah" is enjoying something of a re-birth in the UK. Alexandra Burke, winner of TV talent show "The X-Factor" sang it in the final since when it has whizzed up the charts there.

"Alexandra Burke has the #1 song in the UK during Christmas week with her version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." Incredibly, a 1994 version of "Hallelujah" by the late Jeff Buckley is ranked #2, marking the first time in more than 50 years that the same song has occupied the top two spots on UK charts." (Here)

I've once or twice approached the natal chart of Leonard Cohen but have been wary of featuring it in a blog post. I enjoy his songs, but the man himself strikes me as a wee bit odd. I was pleased, therefore, when yesterday an astro-blogging colleague posted a piece about his natal chart - at Art and Astrology.

When I first looked at Cohen's chart I was surprised to note that he has no Scorpio planets. Death features often in his songs, which are almost always gloomy, self obsessed and melancholic. Here's an interesting point - two of the best interpretations of "Hallelujah", in my opinion, are by vocalists who do have a good helping of Scorpio in their charts.

kd lang's version is my absolute favourite, her chart appears in my post about her last year . It's interesting that kd has Mercury and Venus in Libra at 18 and 22 degrees, while Cohen's Mercury is at 17 degrees of Libra. Libra is ruled by Venus, planet of the arts including music, so there is linkage here. Perhaps that's why kd lang seems to understand what's really needed in that song - some good old Scorpio passion, to take it from quiet reflection to an anthem-like climax.

Jeff Buckley's version is good. I hadn't realised he was no longer with us. He accidentally drowned in 1997. He had lots of natal Scorpio (Sun, Mercury, Venus and Neptune all conjoined), but no Libra - something was still missing in his rendition, but it was a good attempt to put life into the lyrics. What's missing could be a strong singing voice, I guess, and this is where kd lang triumphs.

I have to say I'm fairly unimpressed by the "X Factor" winner, Alexandra Burke's version. That's just my personal taste though, and I'm obviously out of step with folks in the UK! She was born 25 August 1988 in Islington, London, UK. Sun and Mercury in Virgo, Moon in either Aquarius or Capricorn. No Libra unless it's rising, and only Pluto (generational planet) in Scorpio.

Cohen, lang, Burke and Buckley all have Virgo emphasised in their charts. Interesting. Cohen and lang are both great song writers, I think Buckley wrote too. Virgo is ruled by Mercury, and prominent in the charts of many writers. Perhaps Alexandra Burke will also shine in this area as her career progresses.

Leonard Cohen's own version of this song has to be definitive, but it's not truly musical. The lyrics and music have quality enough to allow many different interpretations to suit all tastes, and that's his genius. Cohen is bound to be interested in how other artists interpret his work.

YouTube has versions of "Hallelujah" by all those mentioned here, several others too.

kd lang's version :