Legendary punk rocker Iggy Pop has released a new Leonard Cohen cover song, “You Want It Darker,” ahead of a forthcoming ensemble Cohen cover record, Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen, which is set to drop on October 14.
Videos by American Songwriter
Check out Iggy’s cover of “You Want It Darker” here below from the album, which will include an ensemble of a number of big names, including Norah Jones.
According to a press statement, the new “album presents renditions of Cohen’s profound songs performed by an extraordinary line-up of guest vocalists that also includes Peter Gabriel, Gregory Porter, Sarah McLachlan, Luciana Souza, James Taylor, Iggy Pop, Mavis Staples, David Gray, and Nathaniel Rateliff—backed by a core band featuring guitarist Bill Frisell, saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, pianist Kevin Hays, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Nate Smith.”
[RELATED: 7 of the Best Lyrics Written By Leonard Cohen]
Originally, “You Want It Darker” was released on Cohen’s 2016 album of the same name. And Pop’s new rendition comes as one of several singles already released from the album (see more below).
“There’s nobody like Leonard, not in the whole world,” said Pop of the acclaimed songwriter who passed away in 2016.
“Leonard Cohen had been a friend since 1982 or so, and in the last 15 years of his life, he became a close friend,” the album’s producer, Larry Klein, says of the work. “He was possibly the wisest and funniest friend that I had, and someone that I enjoyed, immensely, in every way. After he passed away, I found myself frequently covering his songs with other artists that I was working with. One reason, of course, is that the songs are so good, but the other reason was that it helped keep him in the air around me.”
He continued, “It was an immensely gratifying experience to recontextualize these poems, and shine a different light on them. I hope that this musical language that we developed together, the context that we put these things in, makes the songs connect with people in a new way.”
[RELATED: Punk Rocker Iggy Pop and Composer Catherine Graindorge Join Forces for Collaborative EP]
The track listing for Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen is as follows:
1. Steer Your Way – Norah Jones
2. Here It Is – Peter Gabriel
3. Suzanne – Gregory Porter
4. Hallelujah – Sarah McLachlan
5. Avalanche – Immanuel Wilkins
6. Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye – Luciana Souza
7. Coming Back to You – James Taylor
8. You Want It Darker – Iggy Pop
9. If It Be Your Will – Mavis Staples
10. Seems So Long Ago, Nancy – David Gray
11. Famous Blue Raincoat – Nathaniel Rateliff
12. Bird on The Wire – Bill Frisell
Fans can pre-order the new LP HERE.
