Sophia Michaels
Iggy Pop has shared a new cover of Leonard Cohen’s 2016 track “You Want It Darker.” Pop’s version of the spoken word song, which appeared on Cohen’s final album before his death, is pensive and moody as Pop fills in for Cohen’s gravel-tinged croon.
“There’s nobody like Leonard,” Pop noted in a statement about why he wanted to cover the song. “Not in the whole world.”
“You Want It Darker” will appear on the upcoming all-star tribute album Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen, due out Oct. 14. Here It Is features covers of Cohen’s songs spanning the rock poet’s entire career and includes contributions from Norah Jones, who covered “Steer Your Way,” James Taylor, who recorded “Coming Back to You,” and Nathanial Rateliff, who offered a take on “Famous Blue Raincoat.”
The album also features Mavis Staples, Peter Gabriel, Sarah McLachlan, and more. Each singer is backed by a seasoned studio band boasting saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, guitarist Bill Frisell, pedal steel guitarist Greg Liesz, pianist Kevin Hays, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Nate Smith.
Here It Is producer Larry Klein said in a statement, “Leonard Cohen had been a friend since 1982 or so, and in the last 15 years of his life, he became a close friend. 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.”
