Suzanne / Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Originally published as a poem and first recorded by Judy Collins, 'Suzanne' introduced Leonard Cohen's immaculate, literary lyricism to the musical world. The song details a platonic but deeply intimate encounter with Suzanne Verdal, the wife of sculptor Armand Vaillancourt, in a setting overlooking the Saint Lawrence River. Accompanied by a gentle acoustic arpeggio and ethereal female backing vocals, it established Cohen as a masterful, melancholic troubadour.