週二21:00-23:00首播、 週六22:00-00:00重播(CST)。FM98.1 News98電台。
www.news98.com.tw 點選「線上收聽」鏈結即可。
亦可利用
hiChannel 收聽。(小秘密:週六22:00重播有bonus track喔。)
Leonard Cohen辭世,恍惚了好幾天,不知如何是好。昨日下定決心做一期專題為他送行,於是搬出一疊唱片,打開電腦,找到了1972年以色列現場版的Chelsea Hotel #1(對,是#1,和後來行世的#2歌詞大有不同),遙寄曾和他有一夜情的,早死的女歌手Janis Joplin:
Ah but you got away, didn’t you baby
You just turn your back on the pain
You got away on your wildest dream
Racing the midnight train, I can see it
Racing the midnight train with no clothes on, baby...
忍不住還是痛哭了一場。
這期節目並不打算依時序立傳,也無法遍及他漫長生涯那眾多深邃、詩意的傑作。若要做尚稱周到的回顧專題,我想至少該放二十首歌才勉強說得過去,而我只有兩個小時,所以乾脆反其道而行,照著心情,挑幾首特別特別重要的歌,好好說一說故事,好好放幾個比較少見的版本。
這期節目,從他辭世之作You Want It Darker專輯的Leaving the Table開始:
I don't need a reason
For what I became
I've got these excuses
They're tired and lame
I don't need a pardon, no, no, no, no, no
There's no one left to blame
I'm leaving the table
I'm out of the game
繼以2012年的自敘之歌Going Home:
Going home
Without the burden
Going home
Behind the curtain
Going home
Without this costume
That I wore
然後是我的大愛歌,Tower of Song,先聽一點兒1988年版,再聽2008年倫敦實況,看他怎樣揭示人生奧祕的終極答案...
I was born like this, I had no choice
I was born with the gift of a golden voice
And twenty-seven angels from the Great Beyond
They tied me to this table right here
In the Tower of Song
接著說說他早年怎樣到了紐約,住進了切爾西旅館,遇見了Janis Joplin,後來寫了向她致意的這首Chelsea Hotel(#1 & #2)。先聽1974的專輯版,再聽1972的實況版:
Ah but you got away, didn't you babe,
you just turned your back on the crowd,
you got away, I never once heard you say,
I need you, I don't need you,
I need you, I don't need you
and all of that jiving around...
話說從頭,還是得提一提他從詩人變成歌手,以33歲「高齡」闖進流行樂壇的故事,他的貴人包括率先翻唱Suzanne的Judy Collins,和簽下他的傳奇A&R,哥倫比亞唱片公司的John Hammond。再來講一下1970年Isle of Wight音樂節的故事:Cohen在凌晨兩點上場,睡衣外面罩著一襲雨衣,對著足足六十萬剛聽完Jimi Hendrix的躁動不安的少年少女,悠悠唱起,把全唱送入不可思議的時空:
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
1960年代他住在希臘小島上,和他的繆思Marianne Ihlen過著浪子隱士的生活。這段時間寫的詩,很多靈感來自Marianne,比方Bird on the Wire就來自Marianne看到窗外停在高處電線上的一隻鳥。我們先聽1969的專輯版,再聽他講了一段法文歌詞的1972巴黎實況:
Oh like a bird on the wire
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free
既然提到了Marianne,就得聽一聽摧肝裂膽的別離之歌So Long, Marianne:據說這是Cohen和她分手,經歷一場精神崩潰之後寫下的。同樣地,先聽1967年的專輯版,再給你一個摧枯拉朽的1993年奧斯陸演唱會實況,兩位女和聲唱著整段整段之前沒有的歌詞,懾人心魄:
Your eyes, I forget your eyes
Your body’s at home in every sea,
You gave your news to everyone
You said was a secret just for me...
是的,我也念了今年七月,Cohen寫給臨終病床上的Marianne的那封信,如今重讀,字字句句的意思又更不一樣了。「我們都老了,身體都崩壞了,我想很快我就會追上你,我就在你身後緊緊跟著:伸出你的手,我想你會觸到我的手......祝你有一段美好的旅程。獻上無盡的愛,我們在路那頭見。」
Famous Blue Raincoat,一封寫給遠方「我的兄弟,我的殺手」的昔日情敵的信,銷魂蝕骨。Cohen後來只說,歌裡那件雨衣其實是他自己穿的,很珍愛的一件Burberry藍雨衣,最後是被偷走了的。「你的仇敵正睡著,你的女人自由了」,記得夏宇引過這句詩。
Alexandra Leaving改寫自1911年希臘詩人Cavafy的詩,描述屋大維攻陷亞歷山大城前夕,安東尼夢見樂聲與無形體的行伍,並將決心一戰,並註定要和這座他即將失去的深愛的城訣別。Cohen把原詩的亞歷山大城Alexandria改成了女子的名字Alexandra,歌詞倏然有了更豐富深邃的解讀空間。這是和Cohen共事三十餘年的才女Sharon Robinson與他合寫合唱的經典。
It’s not a trick, your senses all deceiving
A fitful dream, the morning will exhaust –
Say goodbye to Alexandra leaving
Then say goodbye to Alexandra lost
最後壓軸,只能放Hallelujah了。我挑的是2009年Coachella音樂祭實況,當時75歲的Cohen面對底下幾萬個二十郎噹的小青年,再次發揮魔力,鎮住全場,所向披靡,成為他晚年演出的經典一役。我也一併放了這首歌1984原版:當年沒什麼人注意到它,儘管Cohen花了三年,寫了八十多段歌詞,屢經刪修才終於定稿,也算嘔心瀝血。幸有John Cale翻唱在前,Jeff Buckley翻唱在後,讓這首滿是舊約典故,關於慾望與毀滅、罪惡與救贖、神性與人性的歌,竟然成為西方流行樂史翻唱次數最多的作品之一。
謝謝你,Dear Leonard,這世界沒有了你,一下顯得更愚昧,更冰冷,更無禮了。我們仍得試著在這樣的世界活下去,一面聽著你留給我們的詩歌。謝謝。
播出曲目:
Leaving the Table (You Want It Darker, 2016)
Going Home (Old Ideas, 2012)
Tower of Song (I’m Your Man, 2008)
Tower of Song (live, London, 2008)(I’m Your Man, 1988)
Chelsea Hotel #2 (New Skin For The Old Ceremony, 1974)
Chelsea Hotel #1 (live, Tel Aviv, 1972)
Suzanne (Songs of Leonard Cohen, 1967)
Suzanne (live, The Isle of Wight, 1970)
Bird on a Wire (Songs From a Room, 1969)
Bird on a Wire (live, Paris, Live Songs, 1973)
So Long, Marianne (Songs of Leonard Cohen, 1967)
So Long, Marianne (Live, Oslo, 1993)
Famous Blue Raincoat (Songs of Love and Hate, 1971)
Alexandra Leaving (Ten New Songs, 2001)
Hallelujah (Various Positions, 1984)
Hallelujah (live, Coachella, 2009)
Bonus tracks(週六重播):
The Gypsy’s Wife (live, Field Commander Cohen, 1979) (Recent Songs, 1979)
Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye (Songs of Leonard Cohen, 1967)