Various Artists' I'm Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen

Despite facing career challenges in the 1990s, Leonard Cohen's song "Hallelujah" gained widespread popularity through a tribute album titled "I'm Your Fan." The album featured covers of Cohen's songs by artists like John Cale and Jeff Buckley, leading to the song's becoming one of the most performed songs in the world. Tribute albums can have a significant impact on the legacy and exposure of artists, even when they are widely criticized.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 168 pages
Publication date: 03 September 2020
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

When I m Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen hit stores in 1991,Leonard Cohen s career had plummeted from its revered 1960s high. Cohen s record label had refused to release his 1984 album Various Positions --including the song Hallelujah--in the United States. Luckily,Velvet Underground founder John Cale was one of the few who did hear Hallelujah, and he covered it for I m Your Fan ,a collection of Cohens songs produced by a French fanzine. Jeff Buckley adored the tribute album and covered Cale s cover in 1994,never having heard Cohen s still-obscure original version.In 2016, Stereogum labeled the tribute album possibly the most universally derided format in pop music. However,without a tribute album,you wouldn t know the song Hallelujah. Through Buckley through Cale,Hallelujah is now one of the most often-performed songs in the world--and it wouldn t be without this tribute album. I m Your Fan thus offers a particularly notable example of a much broader truth: Despite all the eye-rolling they inspire,tribute albums matter. They can resuscitate legends fading careers,or expose obscure artists who never had much of a career to begin with.

When I'm Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen hit stores in 1991, Leonard Cohen's career had plummeted from its revered 1960s high. Cohen's record label had refused to release his 1984 album Various Positions -- including the song Hallelujah -- in the United States. Luckily, Velvet Underground founder John Cale was one of the few who did hear Hallelujah, and he covered it for I'm Your Fan, a collection of Cohen's songs produced by a French fanzine. Jeff Buckley adored the tribute album and covered Cale's cover in 1994, never having heard Cohen's still-obscure original version. In 2016, Stereogum labeled the tribute album possibly the most universally derided format in pop music. However, without a tribute album, you wouldn't know the song Hallelujah. Through Buckley through Cale, Hallelujah is now one of the most often-performed songs in the world -- and it wouldn't be without this tribute album.

I'm Your Fan thus offers a particularly notable example of a much broader truth: Despite all the eye-rolling they inspire, tribute albums matter. They can resuscitate legends' fading careers, or expose obscure artists who never had much of a career to begin with. Tribute albums can also be a way for artists to explore new sounds and styles, taking risks that they might not otherwise take. They can also be a way for fans to connect with their favorite artists in a more personal way, by hearing them interpret songs in a new way.

In conclusion, tribute albums may not be for everyone, but they are an important part of the music industry. They can resuscitate legends, expose obscure artists, and explore new sounds and styles. They may inspire eye-rolling, but they matter. And who knows, maybe one day we'll see a tribute album to the prompt itself!

Weight: 164g
Dimension: 120 x 163 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501355066