King David is said to have written the Book of Psalms, where the word ‘Hallelujah’ comes from, and in the mystical, kabbalistic tradition words are sacred. Of how his kingdom began to fall apart after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and sent her husband into battle to die.
Using legends from the Bible and the Talmud, Cohen sings about King David. Harry Freedman’s book Leonard Cohen: The Mystical Roots Of Genius HALLELUJAH Approaching Leonard Cohen in this way gives us a new way of listening to him, and helps to make his always profound music even deeper. Instead, I have tried to discover what his sources were, what their original context was, what the stories and ideas that lay behind them were and how Cohen harnessed them for his own purposes. I have not attempted to guess what was going on in his mind when he wrote a particular song. My new book Leonard Cohen: The Mystical Roots Of Genius explores the folklore, legends and Bible stories that he uses in his work. But the religious legends in his music mainly came from Judaism, the religion into which he was born, and from Christianity, which he said was all around him as he grew up in Montreal. He was a deeply spiritual man, he spent many years in a Buddhist monastery in California with his teacher Joshu Sasaki Roshi, who was perhaps the most important influence on his adult life. One of the most intriguing aspects of Leonard Cohen’s songs is how much he used Bible stories and religious folklore in his lyrics. Krept & Konan’s highly watchable search for the next big thing wraps up with the finalists getting advice from a supportive Stefflon Don.Harry Freedman, the author of a brilliant new book on the singer-songwriter and icon, provides us with his essential picks Comedian Russell Howard provides the laughs, while actor Emily Mortimer chats about her new seafaring horror with Gary Oldman. Wossy is joined by a duo of singers this week: former American Idol runner-up and now Queen frontman Adam Lambert and Scary Spice herself, Mel B. This documentary traces her beginnings as a 14-year-old, filling clubs and standing on tables to be seen, to her continual touring schedule. With over 50m records sold since her breakout debut in 1973, Detroit’s Suzi Quatro has become the mould-breaking figurehead of female-fronted rock.
In the final episode of the current run, she heads to the Solway Firth to study a singular swimming pool and learn about hematite mining. With the nation at an emotional low ebb, this travelogue has been a soothing saltwater balm following Dr Tori Herridge as she soaks up the history of various coastal inlets. Ellen E Jones Britain at Low Tide 8pm, Channel 4 No wonder the judges are in a generous mood. After last week’s introductions, all 15 couples take to the dancefloor, secure in the knowledge that no one is leaving until tomorrow. What is the most purely joyous episode in every Strictly season? Not the finale when the Glitterball trophy gets handed out, but this one. Ammar Kalia Strictly Come Dancing 6.40pm, BBC One
With Cohen ultimately dying only months after Ihlen, it makes a deeply moving watch. Film-maker Nick Broomfield was also intermittently involved with Ihlen and his feature-length documentary is a tender and affectionate look at the creative process through love. For Leonard Cohen, his was Marianne Ihlen, who inspired a number of his songs, not least Bird on the Wire. The muse is a much-mythologised role: inspiration, temptation and object all rolled into one.
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